#11 in Drama & theatre
Little Fires Everywhere
- 384
- Pages
- about 7 h
- Reading time
- NYT bestseller · 81 weeks on the list, peaked at #1
- Reese's Book Club
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About the book
Little Fires Everywhere is the second novel by the American author Celeste Ng. It was published in 2017 by Penguin Press. The novel takes place in Shaker Heights, Ohio, where Ng grew up. The novel focuses on two families living in 1990s Shaker Heights who are brought together through their children. Ng described writing about her hometown as "a little bit like writing about a relative. You see all of the great things about them, you love them dearly, and yet, you also know all of their quirks and their foibles."
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.9 across 1,211 ratings. With that many, the reader vote carries 87% of the weight and the score stays at 7.9 — the Drama & theatre average of 7.9 barely moves it.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 7.8 | 49 | 4% |
| Hardcover | 7.9 | 1.2K | 96% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“actually pretty good! I originally DNF'd this like a year ago as I found the first half very slow and overly detailed and it felt like it was not the genre that I thought it would be. When I was sick earlier this month, I wanted to read something that I didn't have to pay close attention to, so I started back where I left off, unsure whether I would re-commit or not. I'm glad I did. For sure the pacing is not for me, and it made me wish that I was a faster reader (or instead reading the audiobook where I could speed it up) but after the 60% mark this really gets going and I was suitably hoo…”
“Very well written novel about the various forms and features of motherhood, although the message is a little heavy-handed, and the suburban mom character approached caricature at times. It would provide plenty of fodder for a book club discussion because the reader's own experiences with motherhood will color her view of each character's actions and decisions. Not as good as Ng's debut novel, Everything I Never Told You but definitely a strong sophomore effort.”
“I expected much more from this book. With everyone raving about it, I thought I'd be hooked from the start. The plot doesn't really start until about 120 pages in. Up until then, I wasn't invested in any part of the book. It definitely picks up and gets better as it goes on, but I wish it was more interesting from the start.”
Frequently asked
What is Little Fires Everywhere rated?
7.9 out of 10, from 1,211 reader ratings across 2 independent sources.
Is Little Fires Everywhere worth reading?
Readers give it 7.9/10 from 1,211 ratings, which puts it ahead of 81 % of the Drama & theatre shelf.
How long does it take to read Little Fires Everywhere?
About 7 hours at an average reading pace — 384 pages.
Where does Little Fires Everywhere rank?
#11 in Drama & theatre on the current snapshot.
Was Little Fires Everywhere a bestseller?
Yes — 81 weeks on the New York Times list, peaking at #1. Sales are shown here but never scored.
How long is Little Fires Everywhere?
It has 384 pages — longer than 54% of the ranked books in Drama & theatre.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Drama & theatre — with scores between 7.9 and 8.0, closest to this book.
