Excellent storytelling! This story unfolds bit by bit, where each chapter gives you a little more insight into the mystery and a new piece of the puzzle. Engrossingly told in two different timelines, eventually each bit fits together to a very satisfying conclusion. Leaves you wanting more.
WHAT A FANTASTIC BOOK!! 5 Golden Stars!!
This is a page turner you will not want to put down. It takes place in North Carolina and is an unusual story of two young female artists; Anna Dale in 1940 and Morgan Christopher in 2018.
You follow Anna as she is commissioned to paint a mural in an old post office in Edenton. It was never finished.
78 years later Morgan was paroled from prison for a crime she didn't commit. She was named in the will of a well known Black artist to restore the mural by a certain date. She had no idea of how to restore art and didn't know why she was chosen.
The history of these two women and why they were chosen for these tasks is the heart of this awesome novel. It is poignant and heartbreaking as it all meshed togther beautifully and had a gratifying and sweet ending.
I whole heartedly recommend you read this book. I loved every minute of it.
This is a page turner you will not want to put down. It takes place in North Carolina and is an unusual story of two young female artists; Anna Dale in 1940 and Morgan Christopher in 2018.
You follow Anna as she is commissioned to paint a mural in an old post office in Edenton. It was never finished.
78 years later Morgan was paroled from prison for a crime she didn't commit. She was named in the will of a well known Black artist to restore the mural by a certain date. She had no idea of how to restore art and didn't know why she was chosen.
The history of these two women and why they were chosen for these tasks is the heart of this awesome novel. It is poignant and heartbreaking as it all meshed togther beautifully and had a gratifying and sweet ending.
I whole heartedly recommend you read this book. I loved every minute of it.
I liked the characters but could sort of see some of the twists coming. The alternating chapter voices of present and past made it a quick read.
It's been years since I read a Diane Chamberlain novel, but when I heard high praise from trusted recommendation sources, this went on my reading radar.
Big Lies in a Small Town is a very well executed dual timeline novel. Both stories are set in North Carolina, one featuring Anna in 1940 and the other featuring Morgan in 2018. Both focus on a mural created for a post office as a WPA project. I was particularly intrigued by the art restoration info included in Morgan's story.
Big Lies in a Small Town is a very well executed dual timeline novel. Both stories are set in North Carolina, one featuring Anna in 1940 and the other featuring Morgan in 2018. Both focus on a mural created for a post office as a WPA project. I was particularly intrigued by the art restoration info included in Morgan's story.
The historical context for Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain is a 1930s Works Progress Administration program to produce artwork for government buildings. Anna Dale is selected to paint a mural for Edenton, North Carolina. Decades later, Morgan Christopher is hired to restore the mural. The story is slow to build, but there is an "aha" moment when it comes together. The book keeps me reading until the very last page to see every connection. In fact, I turn the last page to see if there is more. That, for me, is the sign of a great read.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2020/06/big-lies-in-small-town.html
Reviewed for NetGalley.
Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2020/06/big-lies-in-small-town.html
Reviewed for NetGalley.
Wow! This is an excellent book! Told in 2 different timelines with in depth characters (Anna in 1939/1940 and Morgan in 2018) that came to be part of my heart. It is compelling and fascinating! Great reading!
Very good story. Morgan is released from jail early to restore an old badly damaged art mural that was painted 80 years earlier as part of a nationwide post office mural project. She discovers untold secrets and an old mystery in the small NC town while doing her restoration. Alternating chapters are of the original artist and her story and what happened in the past. Good story, good characters. Morgan is also battling her own past issues while learning about the past of the original artist Anna. Not as much a mystery, but a good fiction with good characters and the dramas of their lives.
Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain is an intriguing story. I like how the story is laid out in the two different timelines. As Morgan Christopher works on the mural, we get to follow Anna as she works on creating it. It was interesting learning about the mural competition along with what it took to create a mural and restore one. This is the first novel I have read by Diane Chamberlain and it will not be my last. I thought it was well-written with developed characters and a lovely, Southern setting. The descriptions allowed me to imagine the setting and the characters. I could picture the small Southern town with its âpowerfulâ men (to me they were overweight men who were indulging the little lady) and uptight ladies who did not appreciate Anna's unique artistic ways. I felt for Morgan who took the rap for a crime she did not commit because love led her astray. I thought the author captured the feel of the south in the 1940s. I found it humorous how scandalized people were when Anna wore trousers. I liked the two mysteries in the story. We wonder what happened to Anna and why was Morgan chosen to restore the mural. I became engrossed in the story because I was eager to learn the answers. There is some offensive language along with violence (murder, violence against a female) as well as racism and alcoholism (so you are forewarned). I enjoyed how it all came together in the end (just as I hoped it would). Big Lies in a Small Town was a fascinating story with an ending that did not disappoint.
