“Big Lies in a Small Town” by Diane Chamberlain
“Big Lies in a Small Town” by Diane Chamberlain
“When I read Diane Chamberlain’s books, I feel like I am safe and warm – and all is right with the world. With each book, I feel like I know the characters and that they are sitting next to me, telling me their story. This book, like Chamberlain’s others, is fabulous!-Green Gables Book Reviews
Everything is perfect about this book. The setting, the style it is written in, the era’s, and the story. The way the two stories flow is amazing. This is a book I will remember.
“Big Lies in a Small Town” centers around the lives of two women. Morgan, who is in prison for a crime she did not commit. Her life has been put on hold, her dreams of being an artist taken away. She feels she has no one. When two strangers show up to visit with an offer to get her out of prison, she can’t say no. But, what did she get herself into?
In 1939, Anna has no one. Her family is gone. She is alone and must find her own way. She needs a job and when her art wins a contest that will take her to North Carolina to paint a mural for the post office, she goes. She has no idea how the decision will change the course of her life.
The condition of Morgan’s release from prison is for her to restore an old mural. Morgan doesn’t know how to do this, but she has been chosen for the task-and it gets her out of prison. When she sees the condition of the mural, she does not know how she will be able to do it within the time allowed! It is dirty and in very bad shape. When Morgan starts cleaning it, she cannot believe what she finds.
Anna is settling in. She’s a little afraid of being in the old Warehouse alone, where the town has set aside for her to work. But the town has accepted her and she is a bit famous. There is a dark cloud, though, a local man, Martin Drapple, also entered the contest-but Anna, an outsider won instead. Anna is realizing that some people don’t want her in their town.
Morgan is lucky to have found Oliver, who is teaching her about the restoration. She is painstakingly cleaning the mural, inch by inch. When more and more pieces are revealed, she begins to wonder what happened to Anna. Why is the mural so different than her submission to the art council?
Anna knows she is in over her head. She reaches out to the local school and soon has student helpers. She never thought having Jessie as a helper would cause so much life long pain, for both of them.
As Morgan works on the mural, she feels close to Anna. She wonders about Anna’s life and where she is now. She’s done research and Anna seems to have simply disappeared. She continues to wonder how she was chosen for this project.
You will love reading this book! The ending will surprise you-and it is wonderful!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release of “Big Lies in a Small Town.”
File Size: 4520 KB
Print Length: 400 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press (January 14, 2020)
Publication Date: January 14, 2020
Sold by: Macmillan
Language: English
ASIN: B07TBW8RLR
Releases on January 14, 2020. Pre-order here! (Commissioned ink)
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