Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

If you like pina coladas...and getting caught in the rain...

Seriously, I thought I should be sitting on a beach sipping an umbrella drink as I soaked in the sun and the fluffy, yet disturbingly seductive nature of Liane Moriarty's fiction. 

A few weeks ago I met a woman on a chairlift who said her book club selected books based on where they wanted to travel -- i.e. a Frank Lloyd Wright story led to a tour of his architecture in Chicago.  With aspirations to do the same, if anyone wants to head to the land of Oz with me to see where Pirriwee Beach might exist, I am so there...especially if we could tour further north of Sydney to hit up Byron Bay.


For now, we'll convene closer to home to discuss Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.

Discussion questions:

1. What did you like / dislike?
2. Who did you think was dead?
3. Who did you think had an affair?
4. Madeline prizes her abilities to describe people (Blond Bobs) and know what's best for people (Abigail).  Is it believable that she would never suspect Celeste and Perry's secret?
5. What do you think of Celeste's idea that Perry's violence is a mental illness?
6. What do you think about how Liane Moriarty pairs scenes of violence -- i.e. Celeste and Perry's fight with Jane and Ziggy in the bathtub.  Are we meant to draw similarities?  Or similarities through Jane's fears about Ziggy?
7. What do we make of Bonnie?  Is she believable?
8. What do you make of the theme of beauty in this book?  Compare the natural beauty of their surroundings with the women's physical beauty.  Does beauty (like the playground and Celeste's looks) always cover up or distract from harsh realities?

Follow-up:

G'day!

Wow, I'm glad it wasn't raining like this last night when we were all walking/biking/driving to Corinne's! 

It was so nice to see so many of you last night around Corinne's extended dining room table for a lively discussion of Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.  We recommend checking it out if you haven't and then sampling the HBO series as you compare and contrast the stories.  Try watching it with your husband if you dare!

We will take a break in May for a social night and then reconvene on June 14th for a discussion of Faithful by Alice Hoffman.

Hope to see you!  Also, below is the recipe for the spinach balls.  Hope you enjoy!

Spinach Balls
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 t. each of garlic salt and MSG (I've never used MSG; you can increase the garlic salt instead if you like to 1 teaspoon)
1/2 t. each of thyme and pepper (could use Italian seasoning instead of thyme)
1 1/2 sticks melted butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 packages chopped spinach - cooked and drained well (squeeze out extra liquid by pressing spinach between paper towels)
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 c. Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing (not the large cubed variety)

Mix ingredients in order listed above.  Refrigerate (just so mixture isn't quite as gooey). Shape in balls.  Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees. May be frozen before baking.  Makes about 72.

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