I think I’ve mentioned before that I tend to be a person who tends to always read a book before seeing the movie and/or TV series that is based on it. Big Little Lies has been a TV show (and judging by the latest awards season – a good one) for over a year and I’ve only just finished the book. I’ve just finished it, and I’m having trouble writing exactly how I feel about it. If I was to say I loved it that would be a little lie. If I say I hated it that would be a big lie. And yet, here I am unsure about what to tell you.

Big Little Lies centers on a group of three women who each have young children in the same Kindergarten class. Madeline, who takes no shit from anybody, but who has an ex-husband who has moved his new wife and their daughter to town and enrolled her in the same class. Celeste who seems to have it all – beauty, wealth, a doting husband, and twin boys, but is there something else going on with Celeste? Jane is new to town, and a young single mom of a son named Ziggy (aside – seriously – that’s the kids name). Over a twisted ankle and some champagne, the three women form unlikely bond that sets the stage for all the drama that follows. Oh calamity.

I actually tried to read this book last year and didn’t get very far into it before giving up. I’m not sure what it was about the book that I had trouble with – maybe it’s because I couldn’t relate to the characters on a personal level? They’re all moms and I’m not lucky enough to be one. Maybe it was the stylistic approach to using gossipy conversations between other moms in the class to move story lines ahead. Is it possible moms are that catty and judgemental of each other? Whatever it was I gave up about a quarter of the way through, but added it back to my hold list at the library once the HBO show started getting all the press.

Having now finished it I can say that I sort-of liked it. The beginning is a bit slow, but the story picks up as you get further into the book. I will say that I accurately predicted most of the plot twists at the end, but maybe some of them were more surprising to other readers? If you’ve read the book, did you predict the outcomes? Did you like the book? Have you seen the mini-series because I do plan on watching it soon.