Truly Madly Guilty

Liane Moriarty had me a little worried with this book. For the majority of the first half of the story, I felt like I was in the dark, walking cautiously around waiting for a light to shine and show me the way. Then, the second half happened and that flash of light appeared and made things so much more clearer.Seriously, the second half of the story really saved this book for me. The first half didn’t really engaged me. Having the narrative perspective shift from the different characters and jump timelines, kinda gave the story a disjointed tone. It took me a time to get used to the shifting and time changes and that happened once I saw that Moriarty was trying to relate the aftermath of the events of the barbecue while also building up that curiosity regarding that day. And while she did succeed on that end, not knowing exactly what happened until later on in the book, left the first half as a confusing bunch of narratives that seemingly had no purpose or connection. It made it hard for me to get interested in what was going on with all the characters. So my reading of the first half was one of indifference. The one thought that kept running in my head was that the payoff better be good considering the build up towards the barbecue.Once you get to the second half and finally know what exactly happened, then the things you read in the first part made sense. Moriarty used the first part to help establish not only the characters themselves but more importantly the relationships (or lack thereof) between the players which would play a part in the upcoming second act. Finally knowing what happened (which is a pretty serious event), gave the story that spark it was lacking when we didn’t know what happened back in the beginning. Knowing the source of conflict and guilt (the title now makes sense and highly appropriate), gave context to the current situations and emotional state all the characters are in. It made them and their story more interesting. And this is where Moriarty really shines and what made her other works good. She’s able to get to the heart of the story, focusing on the characters themselves and their inner turmoil. And I enjoyed how she managed to give every character some amount of guilt and was able to make it all connect to one another.I consider myself a patient reader, who is willing to wait through a slow/mediocre beginning with the hope that the book gets better. While there have been times that it doesn’t pay off, more often than not, my patience gets rewarded. Fortunately, this book was on in the pay off pile. The second half saved this book for me. While it had pockets of interest (e.g. Erika’s hoarding mother and the exploring the possible cause, how it manifests in a person and the impact it has on the family especially the children of hoarders), it lacked the energy that was existed in the second half once you knew exactly what happened. Once that context was provided, it clicked everything in place and not only do you see where everything and everyone fits in, it made the story interesting and engaging. If the whole book was basically like the first act, this would probably be just a good/average read which is disappointing considering the author.

Another great story by Ms. Moriarty! I just love her books so. Here's why this one is so great...1. The characters are very deeply constructed. The reader really gets a great sense of who they are without a lot of "this is what happened in the past" kind of back-storytelling. All of the details are gently woven into the story along the way to help explain motivation, emotion, and drive. Clementine is one of the main characters in this book. She is a professional cellist. Being a professional musician myself, I really appreciated the research that was done and the complete understanding of what it is like to live and breathe this lifestyle. Yes, it's a lifestyle. There are no days off from practicing and maintaining our endurance and technique. I couldn't believe when Ms. Moriarty even talked about "the wolf!" Yes! That is a very specific detail of cello playing! Clementine's preparation and feelings about auditioning and performing in general were spot-on. Erika is another character who's mother is a hoarder. That complicated relationship is explored on all levels and is also spot-on.2. The storylines are not at all outlandish. What happens in this book can and does happen to everyone. Some things are mundane, some things are big. But everything is relatable to every reader, either personally or through knowing someone else. I think that's what grabs my attention - I want to see how my experience is the same or different so I feel more connected.3. The chapters are told from different perspectives, and sometimes out of time sequence. I find that this is a fantastic storytelling technique that works perfectly for Ms. Moriarty's style. Hearing different versions and sides of an event gives a nice 360º view of the truth. It's what keeps me hooked!I read this book the week of the November 2016 USA Presidential Election. I needed this book!!! I needed the distraction, I needed the pull to a reality that wasn't mine, and I needed the escape. Upon reflection, I would have still loved this book. But I read it during a time where it was nice to shut off the tv, get away from the internet, and read a truly wonderful book. My only regret was that I couldn't stay home from work, curled up in bed, so I could just plow through in one day. Fans of Ms. Moriarty will enjoy. New readers - this is a great book to start with!! Then go read her other books.

Great, interesting book! Have already read Big Lillte Lies and was absolutely in love with the book! This one is quite similar, so if you liked the previous one, definitely get Truly Madly Guilty too!

Adorei!! A escritora é uma das minhas favoritas e o livro é fantástico!! Já havia encomendado a vcs outros livros dela!! E são todos ótimos!!

Liane Moriarty has always been extraordinary in writing about the complexity and more strikingly, rawness of human emotions, but this book really takes the cake! It's not a comedy, nor is it a mystery, or even romance. It's just, life… in its sometimes irritating, sometimes comforting and other times shocking manifestation! What I truly enjoy, however, is Liane Moriarty showing us how more often than not, a simple commitment -- the willingness and dediction -- is all it takes to start making things right again!

I t is a beautiful book about two friends who despite their jealousies are as close as sisters.It brings out human emotions and delves deep into relationships between family members and friends forming a cohesive societal pattern.A lovely read for all ladies who are like glue holding families and friendships together.

I wish I hadn't read the reviews for this book before I actually read it. This is a very typical Liane Moriarty book: all of them have a major event that is gradually revealed as the book progresses (what was the husband's secret? Why was the anniversary a big deal? What was the big little lie? What did Alice actually forget? What were the three wishes... and so on) and this is no different. Why were so many people who read this book fixated about the barbecue? There's so much more to this book than that: the gradual unwinding of the complex, diverse characters; the snippets of their lives that build up their stories; key events... and yes, the actual events of the barbecue (but, in some ways, although the major event of the book - and I'm not giving anything away by saying that - actually a minor part of the story). I enjoyed this book tremendously and I very much recommend it. I found it well written, I enjoyed the way that the story unfolds - in the same way that I had in other books by this author. I'm not usually great at writing reviews, but I felt compelled to in this case, because I felt that many of the other reviews were really quite unfair. I hope this review helps those that are undecided due to the number of poorer reviews to actually give it a go.