The Well-Read Society discussion

This is the discussion post for those who have read June's book of the month Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

If you haven’t finished it yet, please know that the questions and comments will contain spoilers . You are also free to reply to other people, interact, agree or disagree as long as you keep it respectful (no hate speech or aggressiveness will be tolerated).


1. Do you agree with the way Mia chose to handle her pregnancy with Pearl? What do you think of her decision to keep the details of the pregnancy from Pearl?

2. Do you agree with the court ruling about May Ling staying with her new family ?

3. Izzy is a complex character. What did you think of her behaviour and actions throughout the course of the book ?

4. Besides motherhood / family, is there any other theme(s) that you felt were very present while reading ? If so, what are they and what do you have to say about it

5. How would you rate the book on a scale from 1 to 5 / out of 5 stars ?

We cannot wait to read all your replies and discuss the book further during the livestream (info coming soon, follow our INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT for updates !)

1. No, I don't. I think that Mia should have told Pearl the whole story earlier though I can imagine that finding the "right time" for that is not easy.

2. To be honest, I was really conflicted about that and saw the rest of the events which happened coming. So, I can't give a satisfying answer to that...

3. I actually really liked Izzy's character. She was the only Richardson family member who was willing to change her current way of living and was brave enough to do so. Surely, she was rebellious and exaggerated things too but I believe that this was necessary.

4. I felt that art was a theme often discussed and mentioned in the novel and I liked that aspect a lot. Furthermore, the themes of growing up, racism and justice were frequently addressed,

5. I rated the book with a 4.5 star rating.

my whole review for this book on my blog

#1. The situation with Mia and her pregnancy is a tough one. I feel for the couple who she was a surrogate for, that had to be heartbroken. I also can 100% see where Mia was in her mind. She was doing this thing to make money to be able@to continue art school and her creative career. She didnt see it as an emotional thing. When that baby comes though it’s a different story, that person comes from your body. It’s something almost indescribable. That person was created inside of you and is part of you in every way. So I can understand her reaction and wanting to keep pearl, the piece of herself outside of her body. I do think that she should have found a way to tell pearl though. The way she was forced to tell her seemed crappy to me. As if she wouldn’t have told her unless she felt forced to. Im sure that would be a hard conversation to find a time to ha e though.
#2 I do not agree with the court ruling. I think that Bebe did not have the same resources and connections and station in life to be able to fight for herself. From the get go she was in for a crappy ride, she had no support for herself or her child and she was obviously dealing with postpartum depression/anxiety with no one to turn to. When she came out of her haze she realized she made a mistake. This all just highlights the unfair and biased world we live in. She is seen as “bad” because she struggled and didn’t have enough of anything and was foreign but the rich white family was the perfect fit for a child.
3 Izzy is one of the characters that I persons identified with the most. She seems to see through people’s bullshit and she doesn’t adhere to the norms that she is “supposed “ to be adhering to. I do think that she could be impulsive and a bit short/snarky but that is also a teenage thing. She wanted to feel wanted and she found that with Mia. I get that her mother lived in fear of losing her but her fear is what ultimately pushed her daughter away from her.
#4 art is obviously a theme, the kind Mia does as well as Mrs Richardson. Mia made art that spoke to her and her soul. Mrs Richardson always wanted to follow her passion and write what she felt but never did and adhered to the script she was told to keep. It’s a battle between self exploration and finding a place to be.
#5 I would rate this book a 4.5. I really liked it and I am still processing. The story was captivating and emotional.