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Best Women's Literature & Fiction

Before We Were Yours: A Novel
But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family's long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption. Based on one of America's most notorious real-life scandals--in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country--Lisa Wingate's riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong. "Lisa Wingate takes an almostunthinkable chapter in our nation's history and weaves a tale of enduring power.That Georgia Tann and her Memphis Tennessee Children's Home Society couldactually exist, unraveling the lives of countless children, stealing their pastsand changing their futures, will give you chills. - Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of Circlingthe Sun "A powerful taleof family, of sisters, of secrets kept and secrets shared. - Susan Meissner, author of Secrets of a Charmed Life " Before We Were Yours , Lisa Wingate's heart-racing tale of a family ripped apart by the TennesseeChildren's Home Society scandal, r. ang so true I couldn't sleep until I knewtheir fate. . [Lisa] Wingate is a master-storyteller, and you’ll find yourself pulled along as she reveals the wake of terror and heartache that is Georgia Tann’s legacy.” — Parade. It is almost a cliché to say a book is ‘lovingly written’ but that phrase applies clearly to Lisa Wingate’s latest novel, Before We Were Yours . This story about children taken from their parents through kidnapping or subterfuge and then placed for adoption, for a price, clearly pours out of Wingate’s heart. “This story is heartfelt and genuine, especially as Wingate explores the idea of home and family from a youngster’s point of view.” — Historical Novels Review. “Lisa Wingate takes an almost unthinkable chapter in our nation’s history and weaves a tale of enduring power. But the real feat of this stirring novel is how deeply Wingate plunges us into the heart and mind of twelve-year-old river gypsy Rill Foss. Rill’s utterly singular voice will stay with you long after the last page is turned, as will Wingate’s courage to follow her anywhere. Vivid and affecting.” —Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of Circling the Sun. I’m still basking in the afterglow, in shock at the true-crime elements, in awe at the journey of these characters who seem to have immortal souls.” —Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.
Reviews
"It follows the story of the Foss children in the '30s and Avery Stafford in present day, and brings to light a horrifying and shameful real-life scandal. Avery Stafford finds a puzzling photograph that leads her into an ever more confusing story of secrets and lies inside her upright, respected family."
"This is the first book I've ever read by Lisa Wingate, but having read it I will search through her other titles."
"Children were stolen, warehoused in homes until they could be adopted into "high class" families. When the mother and father return to their houseboat the other five children have been stolen by the authorities."
"I found the story of the Foss children sort of predictable and obligatory, and I had Avery's story-line figured out about 1/4 of the way in. The story of the Tennessee Children's Home is horrifying, even more so that it's based on true incidences, but I feel that Wingate relied too heavily on stock characterization."
"I do remember hearing the name Georgie Tan years ago, and plan on doing some searches to find out more since reading this book."
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Little Fires Everywhere
– Paula Hawkins. From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You , a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. With brilliance and beauty, Celeste Ng dissects a microcosm of American society just when we need to see it beneath the microscope: how do questions of race stack up against the comfort of privilege, and what role does that play in parenting? “Delectable and engrossing…A complex and compulsively readable suburban saga that is deeply invested in mothers and daughters…What Ng has written, in this thoroughly entertaining novel, is a pointed and persuasive social critique, teasing out the myriad forms of privilege and predation that stand between so many people and their achievement of the American dream. This is a book that believes in the transformative powers of art and genuine kindness — and in the promise of new growth, even after devastation, even after everything has turned to ash.” — Boston Globe “[Ng] widens her aperture to include a deeper, more diverse cast of characters. Though the book’s language is clean and straightforward, almost conversational, Ng has an acute sense of how real people (especially teenagers, the slang-slinging kryptonite of many an aspiring novelist) think and feel and communicate. She toggles between multiple points of view, creating a narrative both broad in scope and fine in detail, all while keeping the story moving at a thriller’s pace.” — LA Times “Riveting…unearthing the ways that race, class, motherhood and belonging intersect to shape each individual…Perhaps Ng's most impressive feat is inviting the reader's forgiveness for Mrs. Richardson –– a woman whose own mission for perfection, and strict adherence to rules ultimately become the catalyst for the maelstrom that ensues.” —Chicago Tribune. - The Skimm “Sharp and entertaining—you can’t look away even when things are crashing and burning (literally)—and it possibly ranks up there with all-time great suburbia fiction, like Jeffrey Eugenides’s The Virgin Suicides .” — Goop. Its story unspools all the raw, knotted tensions that go into making a family…Choosing a rambling van over a 401(k) isn't a sign of delinquent parenting in Ng's universe; it's just one of a series of possible paths, with its own unique pleasures and pitfalls.” – Refinery29. “Fans of novelist Celeste Ng’s debut, Everything I Never Told You , and devotees of her resistance-ready Twitter feed can rejoice…The story drifts effortlessly between characters; each is full and memorable as they coax the novel to its fiery climax. “Ng’s taut class drama is calibrated for fireworks.” – New York Magazine , Books to Read This Fall “Written with deep empathy and vivid characters who feel true to life, Little Fires Everywhere is a captivating, insightful examination of motherhood, identity, family, privilege, perfectionism, obsession, and the secrets about ourselves we try to hide.” – Buzzfeed. “There are few modern writers as brilliant at capturing the complexities of a family as Celeste Ng…The book is smart, nuanced, and exhilarating—but more than anything, Little Fires Everywhere is a gorgeous exploration of motherhood in its many forms, and the many different paths that women travel to get there.” — Shondaland.com. “Engrossing…Ng’s characters are authentic and complex, but it’s her confident narration that will invite readers to settle in for the ride—a storyteller who knows what she's doing is at the wheel…With each revelation, Little Fires Everywhere grows more propulsive and insightful, boring through the placid surface of American suburbia.” — Dallas Morning News. “Ng has one-upped herself with her tremendous follow-up novel… a finely wrought meditation on the nature of motherhood, the dangers of privilege and a cautionary tale about how even the tiniest of secrets can rip families apart… Ng is a master at pushing us to look at our personal and societal flaws in the face and see them with new eyes… If “Little Fires Everywhere” doesn’t give you pause and help you think differently about humanity and this country’s current state of affairs, start over from the beginning and read the book again.” --San Francisco Chronicle. “Ng’s talent for depth of story and character development shines and will stay with you long after you’ve finished the book.” — Richmond Times-Dispatch “Immersive and thought-provoking…Hang on and prepare to be mesmerized as you meet two families in idyllic Shaker Heights, Ohio.” — The Missourian. “A multilayered, tightly focused and expertly plotted narrative…A deeply impressive novel with the power to provoke and entrance.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune “One of the best novels of the fall is an emotional tale about motherhood, class and so much more… Everything I Never Told You , was good, but this is better.” —AARP.org “Mesmerizing…The result is a deftly woven plot that examines a multitude of issues, including class, wealth, artistic vision, abortion, race, prejudice and cultural privilege.” —BookPage “Ng’s best-selling first novel Everything I Never Told You proved her deft hand at crafting family dramas with the deep-rooted tension of a thriller, a skill she puts to pitch-perfect effect in her latest entry…that is equal parts simmering and soulful.” —HarpersBazaar.com “A quiet but powerful look at family, secrets, and running from the past. “An intricate and captivating portrait of an eerily perfect suburban town with its dark undertones not-quite-hidden from view and a powerful and suspenseful novel about motherhood…Ng explores the complexities of adoption, surrogacy, abortion, privacy, and class, questioning all the while who earns, who claims, and who loses the right to be called a mother…an impressive accomplishment.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review). “Ng’s stunning second novel is a multilayered examination of how identities are forged and maintained, how families are formed and friendships tested, and how the notion of motherhood is far more fluid than bloodlines would suggest…[A] tour de force.”— Booklist (starred review). “This incandescent portrait of suburbia and family, creativity, and consumerism burns bright…. As in Everything I Never Told You , Ng conjures a sense of place and displacement and shows a remarkable ability to see—and reveal—a story from different perspectives. -- Peter Ho Davies, author of The Fortunes "As if it wasn't totally obvious from her stunning first novel, Little Fires Everywhere showcases what makes Celeste Ng such a masterful writer.
Reviews
"The first 100 pages (one-third of the total book) just cover a lot of character study and plot set-ups. The plot focus about a Chinese baby abandoned at a fire station and the subsequent court battle when the single mother surfaces six months later to try to reclaim her daughter from the family in the process of adopting her, was really, really well done."
"Moreover, as the story progresses, it mines the undercurrents and conflicts unfolding in the neighborhood, and the inexorable events that ensue when an itinerant mother-daughter move in and casually defy every rule in the well-ordered, tony Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland. Elena Richardson was an ambitious journalist, but subverted her talent and success (now writing trivial articles for the community paper) after marriage to her attorney husband. She inherited property from her parents in the modest part of town and now rents it out to less fortunate individuals with, what she believes, is strong character and willing submission to Shaker Heights principles. Mia repurposes objects into unique formats and themes, photographs them, and uses techniques that reflect her perceptions of the world around her, which invites the reader into startling and intimate motifs. She furnishes a sly portrait of suburbia, where the cracks and fissures that aren’t present in the manicured houses and streets are nevertheless rupturing the very misguided families that the rules aim to defend."
"This long part took place right at the point of the book where something interesting was about to happen, and it took a while to get back into the story."
"I hadn’t read a fiction book in and while and I saw this book listed on just about every recommendation."
"The story begins with a mother and daughter abruptly leaving the staid suburb of Shaker Heights, while their landlords find their own house burning to the ground, and one of their children missing. The themes of family ties, loss of children, and conformity versus artistic abandon were woven through the story with delicate skill."
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Darker: Fifty Shades Darker as Told by Christian (Fifty Shades of Grey Series)
E L James revisits the world of Fifty Shades with a deeper and darker take on the love story that has enthralled millions of readers around the globe. The result was the sensuous romance Fifty Shades of Grey and its two sequels, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed , a trilogy that went on to sell more than 150 million copies worldwide in 52 languages.
Reviews
"I love the Fifty Shades of Grey series, which is told from Ana's point of view. I also always wanted to know about the helicopter crash and then his conversation with his mother after she finds out about Elena so I particularly enjoyed those scenes."
"EL James has made millions on the books and movies, it's not fair to readers to pay $10 for books that add little to the book's we have already read."
"It lets you see his growing up, the way he learned to relax around his new family, the turmoil with his birth mother, even though it wasn't all bad, (I really don't like that she called him Maggot), but despite all that I think she loved her son, she just couldn't protect and provide for him no more than she could for herself."
"Very good read and well written for the side of christian."
"My favourite part was at the very end when his mother grills him about what went on with Elena."
"I really wanted to read the last book Freed told by Christian before the last movie was released."
"Reading the second book in the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy in Christian's pov was really good as puts pieces together that the reader simply does not know."
"His compassion is so amazing and it makes you love him more."
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Best Contemporary Women Fiction

Stillhouse Lake (Stillhouse Lake Series Book 1)
Though still the target of stalkers and Internet trolls who think she had something to do with her husband’s crimes, Gwen dares to think her kids can finally grow up in peace. Rachel Caine is the #1 internationally bestselling author of more than fifty novels, including the New York Times bestselling Morganville Vampires and The Great Library young adult series. She’s written suspense, mystery, paranormal suspense, urban fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal young adult fiction.
Reviews
"Her ability to weave suspense put me on edge, my muscles tense in anticipation. We rarely see things from the perspective of the killer's family in the aftermath of his destruction. This is a fascinating look at human nature, both in the family's desperation to come to terms with the new reality of their lives and in the way society judges, condemns, and persecutes them. Second, the entire plot relies on us believing that Gina never, not even once, stepped into her garage, which was her husband's workshop and, apparently, killing ground. I don't know whether this is coming from the publishers or a segment of authors trying to push the purchase of followup books. Cliffhangers feel too much like extortion - buy the next book or you'll never know what happens with these characters you're already invested in."
"Great opening scene, having Gina and her two young children in the car, unable to return home because their street is blocked by emergency vehicles. The children are scared when a policeman pulls their mom out the car. We watch as Gina, whose name is now Gwen, does everything possible to protect her children from knowing the depth of their father's depravity and how many sick people spew their hatred at Gwen on the internet years after she had been found innocent of any wrong doing."
"She spends a year fighting accomplice charges and then flees, having to move and uproot her children and constantly stay on the run to avoid the threats she continues to receive on a daily basis- against her and her children. People write nasty things of what they would do to her and her children and she has no choice but to reinvent herself and remain on the move."
"This was my Kindle First pick for June, and it is exactly what it claims to be - a psychological thriller."
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Best Women's Divorce Fiction

Rich People Problems: A Novel
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Kevin Kwan, bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians (soon to be a MAJOR MOTION PICTURE starring Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh and Gemma Chan) and China Rich Girlfriend , is back with an uproarious new novel of a family riven by fortune, an ex-wife driven psychotic with jealousy, a battle royal fought through couture gown sabotage, and the heir to one of Asia's greatest fortunes locked out of his inheritance. “[A] hilarious family drama… This delightfully wicked family saga will have you laughing over your summer daiquiris at the long-buried secrets of Asia’s most privileged families and their rich people problems.” — Redbook Magazine, “20 Summer Beach Reads to Stock Up On Now” “There are a lot of lines in Kevin Kwan’s forthcoming novel Rich People Problems that will make you both roll your eyes and chuckle at the pure absurdity of the characters… Pure entertainment. In Rich People Problems —Kwan’s third installment in his Crazy Rich Asians series—even more insane family hijinks unfold when greed and jealousy get fortune-hungry schemers up in a wild tizzy.
Reviews
"Having read the first two books and devoured them I was very excited when I heard there was a third addition to the series."
"I love love love this series, but this one is by far my favorite."
"This third book in the trilogy doesn't disappoint."
"I looked up beach reads for 2017.This book was on all of the lists."
"If you're a fan of the Real Housewives franchise, you'll love this book."
"I liked this third China Rich book a lot."
"This is a continuation of the family life of Crazy Rich."
"If you're looking to be entertained with salacious juicy details, balanced out with historical, cultural and linguistic references, then this is the book for you!"
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Best Women's Domestic Life Fiction

Before We Were Yours: A Novel
But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family's long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption. Based on one of America's most notorious real-life scandals--in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country--Lisa Wingate's riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong. "Lisa Wingate takes an almostunthinkable chapter in our nation's history and weaves a tale of enduring power.That Georgia Tann and her Memphis Tennessee Children's Home Society couldactually exist, unraveling the lives of countless children, stealing their pastsand changing their futures, will give you chills. - Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of Circlingthe Sun "A powerful taleof family, of sisters, of secrets kept and secrets shared. - Susan Meissner, author of Secrets of a Charmed Life " Before We Were Yours , Lisa Wingate's heart-racing tale of a family ripped apart by the TennesseeChildren's Home Society scandal, r. ang so true I couldn't sleep until I knewtheir fate. . [Lisa] Wingate is a master-storyteller, and you’ll find yourself pulled along as she reveals the wake of terror and heartache that is Georgia Tann’s legacy.” — Parade. It is almost a cliché to say a book is ‘lovingly written’ but that phrase applies clearly to Lisa Wingate’s latest novel, Before We Were Yours . This story about children taken from their parents through kidnapping or subterfuge and then placed for adoption, for a price, clearly pours out of Wingate’s heart. “This story is heartfelt and genuine, especially as Wingate explores the idea of home and family from a youngster’s point of view.” — Historical Novels Review. “Lisa Wingate takes an almost unthinkable chapter in our nation’s history and weaves a tale of enduring power. But the real feat of this stirring novel is how deeply Wingate plunges us into the heart and mind of twelve-year-old river gypsy Rill Foss. Rill’s utterly singular voice will stay with you long after the last page is turned, as will Wingate’s courage to follow her anywhere. Vivid and affecting.” —Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of Circling the Sun. I’m still basking in the afterglow, in shock at the true-crime elements, in awe at the journey of these characters who seem to have immortal souls.” —Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.
Reviews
"It follows the story of the Foss children in the '30s and Avery Stafford in present day, and brings to light a horrifying and shameful real-life scandal. Avery Stafford finds a puzzling photograph that leads her into an ever more confusing story of secrets and lies inside her upright, respected family."
"This is the first book I've ever read by Lisa Wingate, but having read it I will search through her other titles."
"Children were stolen, warehoused in homes until they could be adopted into "high class" families. When the mother and father return to their houseboat the other five children have been stolen by the authorities."
"I found the story of the Foss children sort of predictable and obligatory, and I had Avery's story-line figured out about 1/4 of the way in. The story of the Tennessee Children's Home is horrifying, even more so that it's based on true incidences, but I feel that Wingate relied too heavily on stock characterization."
"I do remember hearing the name Georgie Tan years ago, and plan on doing some searches to find out more since reading this book."
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Best Women's Friendship Fiction

Orphan Train
Christina Baker Kline’s Orphan Train is an unforgettable story of friendship and second chances that highlights a little-known but historically significant movement in America’s past—and it includes a special PS section for book clubs featuring insights, interviews, and more. With compassion and delicacy Kline presents a little-known chapter of American history and draws comparisons with the modern-day foster care system.” (Library Journal). “In ORPHAN TRAIN, Christina Baker Kline seamlessly knits together the past and present of two women, one young and one old. “I loved this book: its absorbing back-and-forth story, its vivid history, its eminently loveable characters. I loved Molly and Vivian, two brave, difficult, true-hearted women who disrupt one another’s lives in beautiful ways, and loved journeying with them, through heartbreak and stretches of history I’d never known existed, out of loneliness toward family and home.” (Marisa de los Santos, New York Times-bestselling author of Belong to Me and Falling Together).
Reviews
"Told in beautifully evocative prose, the story unfolds in alternate perspectives, revealing what has happened to each of them, and how the parallel lines of their lives now converge to spotlight the similarities between them. And as I neared the end of Orphan Train: A Novel, I really could not have imagined a more beautiful or satisfying conclusion, and with it came a feeling that these characters would live on in my memories. What up until this moment has felt like a random, disconnected series of unhappy events she now views as necessary steps in a journey toward...enlightenment is perhaps too strong a word, but there are others, less lofty, like self-acceptance and perspective...." It is impossible to read this story and not take away from it the knowledge that wonderfully unexpected moments can happen in a life, even in one that is full of turbulence, pain, loss, and the sense of being an outsider."
"And for those who feel that they are best left to deal with these social issues, I suggest you research the orphan trains because their solution was to take the children into various cities and give them away to anyone who wanted a child. The "father" is pleasant to her and sees the good in Molly but the "mother" would rather she be gone and in all truth is only doing the foster thing for the money it brings into the household. Most of the other characters, though fade into the background as the story focuses on Vivian and Molly and how the two of them reconcile their pasts which are not as different as they might think. Once the book hit the point in the story that moved it to the present it was as if all the rich detail that made the first part so compelling went out the window."
""Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline chronicles the story of two orphaned children, Molly, a modern day girl and Vivian, who lives in the same town but is 74 years older than Molly. The book alternates between the orphan train years of Vivian and the present day years with Molly's hard times in foster care and Vivian's memories that surface as the two women work on the packed attic."
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Best Mothers & Children Fiction

Little Fires Everywhere
– Paula Hawkins. From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You , a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. “Witnessing these two families as they commingle and clash is an utterly engrossing, often heartbreaking, deeply empathetic experience…It’s this vast and complex network of moral affiliations—and the nuanced omniscient voice that Ng employs to navigate it—that make this novel even more ambitious and accomplished than her debut…Our trusty narrator is as powerful and persuasive and delightfully clever as the narrator in a Victorian novel…It is a thrillingly democratic use of omniscience, and, for a novel about class, race, family and the dangers of the status quo, brilliantly apt…The magic of this novel lies in its power to implicate all of its characters—and likely many of its readers—in that innocent delusion [of a post-racial America]. She toggles between multiple points of view, creating a narrative both broad in scope and fine in detail, all while keeping the story moving at a thriller’s pace.” — LA Times “Riveting…unearthing the ways that race, class, motherhood and belonging intersect to shape each individual…Perhaps Ng's most impressive feat is inviting the reader's forgiveness for Mrs. Richardson –– a woman whose own mission for perfection, and strict adherence to rules ultimately become the catalyst for the maelstrom that ensues.” —Chicago Tribune. “Like Sue Monk Kidd or Madeleine Thien, Celeste Ng has a carpenter’s sure touch in constructing nested, interconnected plots…There are few novelists writing today who are as wise, compassionate and unsparing as Ng, about the choices you make, the ones you don’t, and the price you might pay for missed lives.” — Financial Times. “Like Everything I Never Told You , Ng’s excellent debut, the book plots its way into a smart, accessible conversation about race and class. “Ng writes with the wisdom of a hundred lives lived, churning out complex characters mostly sympathetic, sometimes loathsome, but all startlingly human.” — HarpersBazaar.com. “Fans of novelist Celeste Ng’s debut, Everything I Never Told You , and devotees of her resistance-ready Twitter feed can rejoice…The story drifts effortlessly between characters; each is full and memorable as they coax the novel to its fiery climax. “Couldn’t be more timely… Little Fires Everywhere might just be the signpost that we need, pointing a way forward with the gentle suggestion that sometimes doing the right thing means breaking some rules.” – Paste “Compelling… Little Fires Everywhere invests all of its emotional energies in the relationship between mothers and their children…in Ng’s precisely rendered perfect suburb.” – Vox. “Ng’s taut class drama is calibrated for fireworks.” – New York Magazine , Books to Read This Fall “Written with deep empathy and vivid characters who feel true to life, Little Fires Everywhere is a captivating, insightful examination of motherhood, identity, family, privilege, perfectionism, obsession, and the secrets about ourselves we try to hide.” – Buzzfeed. “There are few modern writers as brilliant at capturing the complexities of a family as Celeste Ng…The book is smart, nuanced, and exhilarating—but more than anything, Little Fires Everywhere is a gorgeous exploration of motherhood in its many forms, and the many different paths that women travel to get there.” — Shondaland.com. “Ng’s uncanny ability to embody multiple viewpoints makes for a powerful, revelatory novel.” – BBC.com, Ten Books to Read in September. “Ng has one-upped herself with her tremendous follow-up novel… a finely wrought meditation on the nature of motherhood, the dangers of privilege and a cautionary tale about how even the tiniest of secrets can rip families apart… Ng is a master at pushing us to look at our personal and societal flaws in the face and see them with new eyes… If “Little Fires Everywhere” doesn’t give you pause and help you think differently about humanity and this country’s current state of affairs, start over from the beginning and read the book again.” --San Francisco Chronicle. “Ng’s talent for depth of story and character development shines and will stay with you long after you’ve finished the book.” — Richmond Times-Dispatch “Immersive and thought-provoking…Hang on and prepare to be mesmerized as you meet two families in idyllic Shaker Heights, Ohio.” — The Missourian. “A multilayered, tightly focused and expertly plotted narrative…A deeply impressive novel with the power to provoke and entrance.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune “One of the best novels of the fall is an emotional tale about motherhood, class and so much more… Everything I Never Told You , was good, but this is better.” —AARP.org “Mesmerizing…The result is a deftly woven plot that examines a multitude of issues, including class, wealth, artistic vision, abortion, race, prejudice and cultural privilege.” —BookPage “Ng’s best-selling first novel Everything I Never Told You proved her deft hand at crafting family dramas with the deep-rooted tension of a thriller, a skill she puts to pitch-perfect effect in her latest entry…that is equal parts simmering and soulful.” —HarpersBazaar.com “A quiet but powerful look at family, secrets, and running from the past. “Ng’s stunning second novel is a multilayered examination of how identities are forged and maintained, how families are formed and friendships tested, and how the notion of motherhood is far more fluid than bloodlines would suggest…[A] tour de force.”— Booklist (starred review). “This incandescent portrait of suburbia and family, creativity, and consumerism burns bright…. As in Everything I Never Told You , Ng conjures a sense of place and displacement and shows a remarkable ability to see—and reveal—a story from different perspectives. -- Peter Ho Davies, author of The Fortunes "As if it wasn't totally obvious from her stunning first novel, Little Fires Everywhere showcases what makes Celeste Ng such a masterful writer. Celeste Ng is a powerful and poignant writer whose attention to detail is pitch-perfect. An Amazon Best Book of September 2017: With her first two novels, Celeste Ng has established herself as a writer of rare sensitivity and talent. Ng is a master of family and societal dynamics, shifting perspectives, and the secrets that we try to protect—and readers who loved her debut will recognize the author in this second novel, even as she continues to stretch herself as a writer.
Reviews
"The first 100 pages (one-third of the total book) just cover a lot of character study and plot set-ups. The plot focus about a Chinese baby abandoned at a fire station and the subsequent court battle when the single mother surfaces six months later to try to reclaim her daughter from the family in the process of adopting her, was really, really well done."
"Moreover, as the story progresses, it mines the undercurrents and conflicts unfolding in the neighborhood, and the inexorable events that ensue when an itinerant mother-daughter move in and casually defy every rule in the well-ordered, tony Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland. Elena Richardson was an ambitious journalist, but subverted her talent and success (now writing trivial articles for the community paper) after marriage to her attorney husband. She inherited property from her parents in the modest part of town and now rents it out to less fortunate individuals with, what she believes, is strong character and willing submission to Shaker Heights principles. Mia repurposes objects into unique formats and themes, photographs them, and uses techniques that reflect her perceptions of the world around her, which invites the reader into startling and intimate motifs. She furnishes a sly portrait of suburbia, where the cracks and fissures that aren’t present in the manicured houses and streets are nevertheless rupturing the very misguided families that the rules aim to defend."
"This long part took place right at the point of the book where something interesting was about to happen, and it took a while to get back into the story."
"I hadn’t read a fiction book in and while and I saw this book listed on just about every recommendation."
"The story begins with a mother and daughter abruptly leaving the staid suburb of Shaker Heights, while their landlords find their own house burning to the ground, and one of their children missing. The themes of family ties, loss of children, and conformity versus artistic abandon were woven through the story with delicate skill."
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Best Single Women Fiction

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: A Novel
Smart warm uplifting the story of an out of the ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes the only way to survive is to open her heart Meet Eleanor Oliphant She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she s thinking Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza vodka and phone chats with Mummy All this means that Eleanor has become a creature of habit to say the least and a bit of a loner But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office When she and Raymond together save Sammy an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk the three become the kinds of friends who rescue one another from the lives of isolation they have each been living And it is Raymond s big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is the story of a quirky yet lonely woman whose social misunderstandings and deeply ingrained routines could be changed forever if she can bear to confront the secrets she has avoided all her life But if she does she ll learn that she too is capable of finding friendship and even love after all.
Reviews
"She lacks social skills and tends to spout off facts to people just having conversations. Things start to change in her life when her company’s IT guy, Raymond, and Eleanor help an old man who has passed out in the street. In the beginning, I thought that I didn’t care too much for her but as time went on and she opened up, well, I fell in love with her."
"There has been a wonderful glut recently of captivating book titles featuring quirky characters (A MAN CALLED OVE, THE CURIOUS CHARM OF ARTHUR PEPPER, LILLIAN BOXFISH TAKES A WALK, BRITT MARIE WAS HERE), a lot of which are of a similar genre that I love. There is dialogue between characters but the most insightful parts are when we are reading Eleanor's thoughts and see how, as the plot unfolds, she is faced with decisions and choices that upend her very existence."
"I should note that this is not an exciting, adventure-filled tale full of lofty thoughts and delightful characters that race through life and blast off into the sunset. The way she skillfully weaves Eleanor’s tattered and dark and mysterious life into something vital is at the core of why this tale matters. We learn early on that Eleanor has a very scared face, that she lives alone, works as an accounts receivable clerk in an office and routine and order rule. I’ve been so busy with work and—She cut across me, nice as pie on this occasion, switching her accent to match mine. Not only does she lack a clue as to how humans interact socially, she has pretty much simply given in to the fact that she will most likely always live alone. You try, and you fail, and your world collapses around you, burns down to ashes.”. Though the ending seemed pretty pat, by the time you get there, you are ready for some happy. Author Honeyman manages to NOT show any self-pity toward her quirky character and the sudden twist at the end, well, it will make you wonder."
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Best Sisters Fiction

The Nightingale: A Novel
A #1 New York Times bestseller, Wall Street Journal Best Book of the Year, and soon to be a major motion picture, this unforgettable novel of love and strength in the face of war has enthralled a generation. France, 1939 - In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gäetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can … completely. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France―a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. “A hauntingly rich WWII novel about courage, brutality, love, survival―and the essence of what makes us human.” ― Family Circle. “Expect to devour The Nightingale in as few sittings as possible; the high-stakes plot and lovable characters won’t allow any rest until all of their fates are known.” ― Shelf Awareness. Miriam Klein Kassenoff, Director of the University of Miami Holocaust Teacher Institute. “A hauntingly rich WWII novel about courage, brutality, love, survival―and the essence of what makes us human.” ― Family Circle. " Tender, compelling ...a satisfying slice of life in Nazi-occupied France." “Expect to devour The Nightingale in as few sittings as possible; the high-stakes plot and lovable characters won’t allow any rest until all of their fates are known.” ― Shelf Awareness.
Reviews
"I searched and found the once read story of the Belgium, Andree de Jongh who actually did what the fictional character Isabelle did in the novel. Much, much, much of the book parallels de Jongh's true story - the description of the heroine; the number of people (118 by de Jongh and 117 by Isabelle) escorted through this escape route: this escape route having a code name (Nightingale in the book and Comet in real life); the description of the airmen's instructions on the train and staying behind the heroine when they walked in German occupied cities; de Jongh's/Isabelle father executed by firing squad; the reaction of the airmen to this female who was going to be the one who to lead them out of France; de Jongh's/Isabelle's invisibility to the Germans because she was "just" a woman: collaborating with the British to fund the escape of airmen from France; de Jongh's/Isabelle's capture in the Pyrenees by the Nazi's then interrogation and Nazi's disbelief and rejection of the idea that a woman was capable of doing this; and de Jongh's/Isabelle's imprisonment in Ravensbruck women's concentration camp. I searched the book, several interviews with the author and Ms. Hannah website and there was no mention of specific name "Andree de Jongh.""
"The Nightingale opens with this amazing first line: “If I have learned anything in this long life of mine, it is this: In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are.” - pg 1. This story is about what it’s like to be a woman during war. The author says on her website that “In war, women’s stories are all too often forgotten or overlooked.” I had never thought about how true that really was until I read this book. Andree de Jongh and her corresponding character in the book were themselves inspired by a real nurse named Edith Cavell who served during World War I. You should read about her too :). I love pictures and the author has some beautiful pictures of places that inspired the locations in her book."
"I didn't have the heart to read all the ways WWII had tried to destroy them. I read most of it in 2015, put it aside for a little bit of "lighter reading", and then went back to it when I felt I'd be strong enough to handle what I was sure to be my emotional devastation. Kristin Hannah has given the world of fiction true heroines."
"I admit I am not good about writing book reviews even though I read them. This is the best book I have read in a long time."
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