Cover Image: Nine Perfect Strangers

Nine Perfect Strangers

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I love Liane Moriarty and have been reading her books since before Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon got their hands on Big Little Lies and turned it into an award-winning TV series <smug icon> so couldn’t wait to read her newest book, Nine Perfect Strangers. This book tells the story of nine people who have taken themselves off to an incredible health and wellness retreat, Tranquillum House. They are there for a whole myriad of reasons and are overwhelmed by the services on offer and the personal service but soon discover that if something looks too good to be true it generally is.

As usual in a Liane Moriarty book there is a cast of characters who are hiding secrets from both themselves and others, some moments of darkness and some laugh out loud sentences. The title of the book is a little misleading as these nine people are not strictly speaking, strangers. There is family of three Heather, Napoleon and Zoe, young couple Jessica and Ben, divorce lawyer Lars, ex-sportsman Tony, romance writer Frances and single mother Carmel whose husband has traded her in for a younger model. They are given personalised diets, have to take a vow of silence, go on lengthy walks, have massages and undertake therapy to overhaul both their physical and mental wellbeing. The retreat is run by Masha with her assistants Yeo and Delilah and their approaches are, er, unconventional to say the least.

Written via a multi-person narrative we get to meet each of these people and learn their innermost secrets and desires. I have to admit that I really struggled with this, there was too much jumping about and I am usually a massive fan of reading different viewpoints in a book. I love this technique as it allows the plot to develop and that clues are dropped allowing us to try to put the pieces together and to see how things interlock. In Nine Perfect Strangers this does work well, it’s just that, there were so many people that it was confusing. Sometimes I had to stop and try and remember the back story for a character, particularly as a couple of characters chapters weren’t introduced until quite a way into the book and they therefore seemed unfamiliar to me. These moments took me out of the story and I kept confusing two of the female characters and having to backtrack and mentally recalibrate to make sure I was on track with the story.

As plots go on the surface this was very clever. I liked the thought of strangers meeting and there perhaps being a mystery to be unlocked but it didn’t quite work out like that. In other Liane Moriarty books there is often a huge secret and reveal which I feel blindsided by but this book was very different in tone. That is not necessarily a bad thing, I mean, there were secrets and reveals galore and the different viewpoints meant that I kept getting those frustratingly tantalising glimpses of something being hidden, but it felt a little flat. The different characters meant that there was a lot of issues being dealt with, grief, loss, divorce, menopause, relationship problems and health being just a few. That was just the people taking part in the retreat, throw in the staff and it is a different kettle of fish entirely.

What this book does have in spades is clever observations that had the highlight feature on my Kindle working overtime. I loved Frances the romance writer whose career is on the wane (nobody wants to read about people falling in love and everything tied up at the end with a neat bow apparently) who made me laugh out loud on many occasions. I also enjoyed her perceptiveness and kindness towards others. Liane Moriarty uses Frances as a tool to communicate some of the worries that women have, one of my favourites was when she was in a pool with Tony;

"Now she was stuck in the pool because she didn’t want to get out in front of him. She would have though that she was too old to worry about her body being observed and judged in a swimsuit, but apparently this neurosis began at twelve years old and never ended."

She, for me, was the centre of the novel and one of my favourite characters, Liane Moriarty writes people really well and her female characters in particular are strong in this novel.

There is much to like in Nine Perfect Strangers, it contains the wonderful wit and acute observations that make Liane Moriarty books stand out but for me it did fall a little short. There is nothing horrifically wrong with it, it is brilliantly written and traverses darkness and light well it just isn’t my favourite Liane Moriarty book I don’t think.

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I enjoyed how you followed 9 different characters on their respective journeys, however I did find the plot a little slow at times and not as thrilling as I've come to expect from Liane Moriarty - although she does have a lot to live up to after Big Little Lies!

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Nine Perfect Strangers is an intriguing book. It's not as fast paced or compulsive as I expected from Liane Moriarty. It had a bit of a slow start, but the characters were all well developed. Overall, I found it too long, and the ending a bit of a damp squib (this comparison will make more sense after you've finished!)

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The last Liane Moriarty book I read was Truly Madly Guilty and I just didn’t love it as much as some of her other books, which I had picked up and devoured. With that in mind I was slightly apprehensive about Nine Perfect Strangers.

I felt it got off to a slow start but picked up the pace as the plot developed and the characters were established - each of which had interesting back stories. Frances was my favourite!

It’s not what you expect, not quite a thriller but not a comedy.

The “reveal” fell a bit flat for me but I enjoyed the endings for each of the characters.

Excited to see that Nicole Kidman has the film and tv rights - curious to see what she’ll do with it.

Thanks to NetGalley, Liane Moriarty and Penguin Michael Joseph for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.

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This is so different, interesting and absorbing; funny in parts and revealing poignant truths in others. The characters are all believable and sympathetic. The plot is quite preposterous really, but the way Moriarty writes is so compelling that it doesn't matter. I like the end chapters which follow the characters' lives in later years. I read this on a rainy Sunday from start to finish!

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An interesting read where we meet a group of strangers all checking into a retreat for a varying range of reasons. This retreat is run by Masha who is supported by Yao. Both have left their former lives and careers behind to run this new and unusual centre.
It took a little while to hook me in but as we get to know the characters, they become more intriguing and they gradually reveal themselves to the reader and to one another. This book has some humour but also has some tension and intrigue to keep you reading.

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An enjoyable read that gives a lovely insight into human nature. It tackled lots of difficult areas, grief, depression and loss but it did also have a light hearted look at life which I think everyone could relate to in some part. The story did have some bizarre moments but it wasn’t hard to suspend real lift and just go with the flow.

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I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.
Written by the same author as the book Big Little lies, this novel was like a large selection box of chocolates. Something for everyone and lots of variety.
An eclectic mix of people brought together during their stay at a health resort. Each character was well developed, with their own interesting, sometimes sad history and background, told with empathy and understanding. The experience during this stay impacted all of their lives in some way.
A bit far fetched for me in places but still enjoyed reading it.

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I like to keep a little collection of incomprehensible sentences (I will do a blogpost one day **), and this one will join it:
Napoleon parted the wild horse’s mane three times both sides.
Though, fair play, Moriarty makes it instantly clear what it means, and we already know that Napoleon is a guest at a spa, not either a French Emperor or a pig from Animal Farm.

This is a confounding and great book. The publishers’ tagline is this:

One house. Nine strangers. Ten days that will change everything . . .

And it is a great setup – these people are all attending a health/wellness spa retreat, in the middle of nowhere, in Australia. So in one sense you know what kind of book this is, but in another you really don’t. I’m hamstrung writing about it, because part of the enormous enjoyment I got from it was that I had absolutely no idea in which direction it was heading. I’ve read many Liane Moriarty books, so I knew it would be funny, have pitch perfect observations, and might have a crime/thriller element, and would definitely contain surprises. And really it’s best to leave it like that, and let readers find out for themselves.

I think the setting is original: Old-style health farms and hydros turn up in books set or written in the past (and yes of course we have featured them on the blog), but it's surprisingly uncommon for a modern setting, and just asking to be exploited...

Moriarty is such a talented writers that she introduces the characters perfectly. I usually hate too many characters, and abhor books in which they are at first introduced by description, names only revealed later – but she gets away with it, completely failed to annoy me.

The descriptions of the place and the activities are hilarious and sharp and very recognizable – I have been on a retreat which (in some ways only… ) resembled this one, and her descriptions are spot-on and hilarious.

I liked Frances the middle-aged writer being told that by the end of the retreat she would be saying ‘I am changed in ways I could never have imagined.’

What a load of crap, thought Frances, while simultaneously thinking, Please let it be true.

The participants want the spa to solve all their problems – mental issues, bereavements and romantic disasters, depressions and misery. And make them thinner. But – and this is so true to life – when these rich, pampered people miss one meal they start going berserk, and can’t stop talking about it. This is strange behaviour on about three different levels, and is absolutely spot on: that is how people react.

The book of course brings you the backstories, and Moriarty writes extraordinarily well about the kind of problems and horrors that can hit the nicest families – I already admired her very much, but was very impressed with her discussion of addiction and bereavement in what was essentially not a heavyweight novel: completely real, and convincing, and actually helpful.

And her little comments along the way – here a husband overhears a comment by his wife which ‘hurt because it was both a malicious lie and the shameful truth’:
He could find hatred in his heart for [his wife] too, if he went looking for it. The secret of a happy marriage was not to go looking for it.
There is an intensely clever counterpoint of tension and creepiness in the plot, the growing sense of something very wrong, but in the kind of way that happens in novels, versus the genuine feeling, and sadness, and bereavement. I don’t know of anyone who does exactly that as well as Liane Moriarty, and this is a prime example of her marvellous books.

Highly recommended.

For more of Liane Moriarty, click here.

** The Guest Blogger found an excellent difficult sentence for this recent post:

He spoke some of the sifting history did.

(It is possible to work out what it means... )

Here’s one I’ve been treasuring for years, from a literary novel of 1988, set in contemporary London, explaining how two people met:
‘Apparently she’s broke, she went to a vernissage, mostly for something to eat, got picked up by one of those wide-boys with a line in new masters of frigates in the spume, and, to cut a long story, woke up in the chambers opposite Tertius’s.’
Thirty years later – no, still no idea.

If you have a good literary incomprehensible sentence, please do send it to me.

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I really enjoyed reading this book .Nine Perfect Strangers is about nine strangers who book into a very expensive health resort in Australia.Each has their own story and reason for being there .There is mystery ,suspense ,it is a little bit scary and I enjoyed finding out each characters story as it slowly unfolds ,very compelling ,very hard to put down .Each person gets a lot more than they bargained for ,very well written I think I liked Frances the most with Masha a close second .Many thanks to the Publisher ,The Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

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Nine people enrol on a ten day retreat at a health spa which specialises in creating a 'new you'. There for various reasons (weight loss, relationship counselling, etc), the guests begin to realise that things at the spa aren't quite as they seem.

I was surprised to discover that I've read one of Moriarty's previous books as I couldn't remember it at all. I found that this book started off well and promised much, but failed on the execution and ending. The book deals with some intense issues: suicide, body image, etc but, as the reader, I felt very removed from it all as the characters were difficult to connect with. All a bit of a letdown, I'm afraid.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph, for the opportunity to review an ARC.

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I absolutely devoured this book. Moriarty's main strength lies not (just) in the absolute compelling need to know how the story will end but in the perfectly crafted characters and a mix of humour with social observation. One of the best writers around.

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This book started off really well with the introduction of the various strangers and also other characters from the health resort. There is a good deal of intrigue built around all these characters, with key facts alluded to but not fully revealed at first, which gives each character a mystique that plays nicely for the reader. Many of the strangers are relatable and most of them are appealing enough to capture a reader's interest.

I felt that the reveal of the big secret being kept by the health resort was a bit of a let down and that the book lost its way somewhat at that stage. I also felt that the ending was rather unsatisfactory. We were given a glimpse of the future for some characters but not others and there was too much ambiguity about some of the things hinted at. It also felt a bit rushed to me.

Despite this, I did enjoy the book and it did hold my interest. If you're a fan of this genre, it's worth giving it a try.

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This was a completely different read - I am not sure what genre I would put it under but a good story. I loved the beginning and I loved the way the ending came together, the middle was completely bizarre but still compelling reading. The characters were fantastic - so well written I feel like I would recognise them on the street! Some wonderful humour. Another great read from Liane Moriarty.

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This book turned out to be anything but what I expected!

As the title suggests, the story focuses around nine strangers who sign up for a 10 day health retreat in the middle of nowhere at the exclusive Tranquillam House. Owned and ran by ex-corporate executive Masha whose own health problems were the catalyst to her starting her unique getaways. She is ably assisted by Yao, the paramedic who saved her life, and her trusty PA from her corporate days, Delilah. They now act as personal wellness consultants and are on hand to welcome the new set of guests.

All nine guests have their own reasons for attending the retreat -

Frances is a romance novelist who has been badly burned by an online catfishing scam, as well as having her latest manuscript refused and starting to show signs of starting the menopause. Her friend had recommended this retreat as a place where she could heal and find her balance again.

Married couple and recent lottery winners, Ben and Jessica who have drifted apart since the win and are in desperate need of some marriage guidance.

Napoleon, his wife Heather and their daughter Zoe. They spend each January away from home in an attempt to escape the anniversary of Zoe's twin brother taking his own life.

Divorced mother of four, Carmel is still struggling to come to terms with her husband leaving her and, after struggling as a single Mum, needed to get away as he finally took the children on the dream holiday they had always talked about going on.. with his new wife.

Divorce Lawyer Lars is well-practiced in health retreats having done most of them. He is struggling with his partners wishes to have a baby when he really doesn't want one.

Lastly, retired sportsman Tony. Despite a brilliant sports career and having a successful business afterwards, Tony is miserable. His wife left him, his kids barely talk to him and his dog has just died. He is hoping the retreat will be the boost he needs to get him back on track.

It does not take long after they are all checked in for them to realise that Tranquillum House is not your average Spa. From the mandatory smoothies and noble silences to the starlight meditation sessions, it was definitely not turning out to be what they thought they had signed up for.

Told from a total of twelve character perspectives, it could have got a little overwhelming, but I found the story flowed really well and each character was given enough time to get to know them and understand their parts of the story. Like I said at the beginning, this story went a way that I was not expecting and despite being a touch on the far-fetched side, was enjoyable nonetheless!

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This may come as a bit of a surprise considering the genres I usually read but boy, do I love me some Liane Moriarty. I was very excited to hear she had a new book coming out and couldn’t wait to get stuck into it.

Nine Perfect Strangers is rather hard to put a label on. It’s contemporary fiction in the way Liane Moriarty does best, but there’s also a touch of the psychological thriller vibe to it and it had me hooked from the start.

That was mainly due to the fabulous character of Frances, whom I adored from the minute I met her. Frances used to be a bestselling romance author but now she’s lost her way a little bit. Suffering from a bad back, a broken heart, menopausal symptoms and an awful paper cut, she checks herself into Tranquillum House for some pampering and a ten day cleansing. But not even the imaginative Frances could possibly predict the challenges that lay ahead.

There are quite a few characters in this delightful story. On top of the nine guests, we also meet the owner and her staff. Each one of these characters is so brilliantly introduced that it never gets confusing at all, even with chapters switching back and forth between them. Some are likeable from the start, some take a little getting used to but each one comes across as highly realistic and believable.

The guests are there for very different reasons and some parts made me feel quite emotional. It’s not all doom and gloom though. There are some fantastically witty moments and retorts, which made this a highly entertaining and enjoyable read. Even though some of the events involving the owner may have gone slightly over the top, I was so engrossed that it didn’t bother me at all.

I loved Nine Perfect Strangers from the outset. It may not quite have turned out the way I expected it to but I had a fabulous time meeting these characters, sympathising with them, rooting for them and it all leads to a wonderful conclusion. I have no doubt this one will do well and I look forward immensely to whatever Liane Moriarty comes up with next.

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My favourite of hers yet.
Nine strangers spending time in a health resort. Nine strangers, each with their own reasons and demons for being there. Tranquillum House sounds perfect but it’s not at all what they expected.
I loved this book. The first half we meet the characters and are slowly drawn into their stories. Although it was a slower pace, I didn’t find that it dragged and I became engrossed in their world. But the second half.... well, I was not expecting the turn of the book and I loved every minute of it. Although I’m not sure I would like to experience the type of therapy they did.
I also really appreciated the last couple of chapters, I think that was the icing on the cake for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy to read.

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Big Little Lies was some of the best television I saw last year, and when I backtracked to the book I could see why Reese Witherspoon had been so inspired to adapt (and, imo, slightly improve) it. So it was a no-brainer to request author Liane Moriarty’s new book, Nine Perfect Strangers, when it appeared on NetGalley.

Tranquillum is a health resort which promises to improve your life, changing it for the better in just ten days. Too good to be true? It’s alluring enough for a group of strangers to each head there, hoping to fix their marriages, their careers, or just themselves. At first the spa treatments and meditation, fasting and tai chi, are all par for the course. But Tranquillum’s owner, Masha, has some dark secrets in her own past…

Chapters switch points of view between the different guests, Masha and a few members of staff, giving different layers of insight into events that brought everyone together and add to their reasons for signing up for a ‘transformation’. Background is layered through the ongoing story, adding mini ‘reveals’ to rather more mundane mysteries that are every day – if not entirely ordinary – lives.

I thoroughly enjoyed Nine Perfect Strangers (although argument on the title, as they aren’t all strangers – there’s a couple and a family ;)). The mystery wasn’t quite what I’d guessed, but also didn’t surprise me too much – to be honest, it wasn’t quite as thrilling or shocking as I expected. In lesser hands that probably would have ruined the book for me, but the strength here is bigger than just the plot line. The characters are well-sketched – you don’t get too much time with any of them, considering – really drawing you in to their lives, their woes, and the reasons for them being here. In fact, almost 10% of the book is the ‘after’, which you’d think would be padding, but by this point I really wanted to know what happened to everyone.

So, perhaps not quite what I was expecting but thoroughly engrossing. I even quite fancy a spa/meditation/wellness retreat myself – although, probably not one like this ;)

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This was a cool storyline and the characters were great, you could relate to every single one of them to be honest! I love Liannes books and this one didn’t disappoint either.

Nine people check into a health resort all for different personal reasons, they don’t exactly get what they bargained for!! It’s a really interesting book with lots of little stories from each character all interwoven into one really. I couldn’t imagine staying there I’d go insane, it’s hard to explain what the book is about really I guess you’ll have to just read it and find out, you won’t be sorry you did. It’s funny in parts as well as quite sad too and deals with some emotional topics, all done exceptionally well by the author.

In all a really good book, I finished it within the day!

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I loved Big Little Lies so I was thrilled to get my hands on a copy of Nine Perfect Strangers - and it didn't disappoint! I love Liane's writing, brimming with characters I recognise from real life (ouch!) and chock full of funny lines - the kind of thing we all think, but aren't brave enough to say out loud!

The story is about nine, not remotely 'perfect' strangers who meet up at a radical new health resort hoping to completely overhaul their lives. All have suffered some kind of loss in their life, from loss of a loved one to loss of self, and they mostly blame themselves. Each chapter is told from a different viewpoint but it is so skilfully done you don't become confused as to who is who. Yet despite the humour, some serious issues were touched upon in a sensitive way: dealing with grief, divorce, self-image, substance addiction, etc.

My favourite character was Frances, a middle-aged romantic novelist, whose confidence has been undermined after receiving a particularly vicious review. This is probably because I felt Frances was basically me! She thinks the same way, reacts the same way, even loves the same brand of chocolate! Although I suspect many women reading this book will feel the same way! This is a particular skill of this author, to create well-rounded, thoroughly believable characters we all recognise, can connect with and want to root for.

I absolutely adored Nine Perfect Strangers. I've recommended it to all my friends, and even read bits aloud to my long-suffering husband. One of my favourite books this year!


Thank you to Liane Moriarty and Michael Joseph (Penguin) for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

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