Excellent heartbreaking tale of two women born many years apart but still linked by family and a love of art. When Morgan is set to be released on parole from prison for a crime she didn’t commit, she is shocked to find the terms of her parole include restoring a painting she is totally unfamiliar with. The past and present blend seamlessly in this beautiful tale of love, loss, and forgiveness. Highly recommended.

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain is an historical fiction with a mysterious twist. The book is told from the perspectives of two interesting characters set in the same small town, but in different timelines. It is an engaging story that explores many themes and will surprise the reader at the end.

Both Anna and Morgan are characters that are intriguing to read about. Morgan is a young adult who is struggling with many issues, including trying to discover who she is in 2018. In contrast, Anna is a confident young artist in 1940 dealing with a small town who is not ready for her feminism. As the story unfolds, these two perspectives give a gripping look at women’s lives in juxtaposing timelines.

❀ RELEVANT ISSUES

Each of the timelines deal with issues that are relevant and important today. Topics such as racism, substance abuse, and mental illness are explored in the novel, and at times can be quite shocking. Also, the fact that the story spans almost 80 years is a real eye opener.

❀ PAGE-TURNING MYSTERY

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the story is the mysterious canvas that Morgan is restoring. The way art ties the whole book together, and creates a mystery surrounding Anna and her life creates a real page-turner. It becomes a connection that ties everything together.

❀ INTERESTING TWIST

Big Lies in a Small Town is a book that will satisfy many readers. It has a bit of everything, including an interesting twist at the end. This is the first Diane Chamberlain novel that I have read and I am excited to try more of her work. A perfect read for the start of a new year.

As always Diane Chamberlain doesn't disappoint! A really good read and well worth a buy for all Diane's fans !

Rated 3.5 - BIG LIES IN A SMALL TOWN by Diane Chamberlain is a good rendering of a dual timeline that works seamlessly to move the story forward. I love books about artists. In this one, we get two artists – one modern day and one from the 1940s.

Dual timelines are a favorite storytelling method for me as a reader. Because I read so many, I’m thrilled when one works as seamlessly as this one. How the timelines collided and melded was especially good at forming the mystery and resolution. I also enjoyed the use of historical research and inheritances to allow the characters to discover past secrets.

As a painting is restored by Morgan, who is recently paroled from prison, the mystery of Anna is revealed. What happened to this young woman so full of hope? Morgan is an interesting character, struggling with what put her in jail, and then what got her out. Will she be able to make her life whole again?

This novel was intriguing enough to keep me reading, but it didn’t make me want to rush to the end until very late in the novel. The pacing slowed, which made me drag my feet, always hoping for anticipation to pull me forward. It finally picked up at 84%, allowing the pieces of the mystery to fall into place, which also made me rush to the end.

What I enjoyed most was learning more about art restoration. As an artist, I enjoy the joy of creation, not just with your own work, but the appreciation for the masters. That awe and wonder was excellently portrayed through Morgan. There is also a touch of romance, so for those who have a preference – it’s romantic, but the story is more about an artist’s salvation.

Although most of the lingering mysteries behind Anna’s and Morgan’s lives were tied up, there was one issue with Morgan that wasn’t resolved. That left the book open-ended, feeling as if it needed one more chapter. Normally, I don’t mind subtle cliff-hangers used to make you think, but this one made the book feel incomplete. That’s because this one event was always on Morgan’s mind and very much a part of her healing. I understand it was the last thing she needed to do, but I needed to know the result.

For those vividly affected by violence against women, this story may trigger you. It’s not overly depicted, but violent enough that I need to warn you that it’s part of the content. It’s not pretty, but very important to the novel’s progression.

I was also disappointed by the lack of remorse toward the end of the novel, as if a crime hadn’t been committed because the reasoning behind it was sound, as well as deserved. Understandably, the crime was reasonable, but I expected long-term guilt to finally culminate in demonstrated regret.

I get it that it sometimes takes a village to write a novel, so I always feel bad when a book doesn’t move me as a reader in the way everyone hopes. This one just didn’t do it for me. I was engaged enough to keep reading, but I didn’t feel the characters’ emotion as much as I should. And that minor cliff-hanger clinched my rating. I needed more.

Even though the end was disappointing, I’m still glad I took the time to read this novel. The racism depicted during the 40s was well done, as much as the turn of events in modern day made me hopeful. This book is about forgiveness and celebrating each other for who we are under the color of our skin. That’s the kind of positive message I need in my reading.

Review by Dorine, courtesy of TheZestQuest.com.

Oh. My. Gosh! This was such an amazing story. I loved everything about it. Diane has a way with words that can create an interesting world, a world with unforgettable characters and fabulous story lines.

The mural that Morgan is working on, the mural that got her out of prison, is a puzzle to another woman's life. As Morgan restores the mural, the reader learns about Anna Dale and the life she lived, not all of it good or easy, by any means. I loved watching her story unravel and having it be revealed to us.

Diane Chamberlain writes such engrossing stories and this is one that will definitely go to the top of my list of 'must-read' recommendations.

A historical fiction with a twist of mystery, this book goes back and forth in time between Anna Dale in 1940 and Morgan Christopher in 2018 working on a mural for small town Edenton, North Carolina.

Morgan is released from prison when she agrees to restore the original mural from 1940 as part of her parole. After she begins her work, Morgan becomes fixated on the mysterious story of the original artist Anna Dale as she uncovers the sinister secrets behind the mural.

This one was a slow burn, giving little hints of things to come, but it picked up in the last third of this 400 page novel. It covered heavy topics such as rape, alcoholism, and racism in 1940’s South.

I enjoyed the story, but I had a hard time connecting with the characters even though they were well formed; their motivations and interactions with secondary characters fell flat for me.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy

This book really blew me away. This was my first book from Diane Chamberlain, but it will not be my last.

Splitting the storyline between 2018 and 1940, the author weaves a beautiful story out of complex and controversial material. We open with a young, white artist who is in jail, the reason which doesn't come out right away. She is approached by two African American women with a strange request: to restore a long forgotten mural that has been moldering away since the 1940s. If she agrees to this, she will be let out on early release, and upon the completion of the restoration she will be free, and not have to return to prison. Having no experience in art restoration, she still agrees to do the job, but it confused as to why she was even chosen. And a mystery starts to unravel. Who was Anna Dale? And what happened to her?

In 1940, Anna Dale has won a commission to paint a mural in the Edenton, North Carolina post office. With no family, and no prospects, she moves to the small southern town, and convinces them that she can represent them fairly. But as time goes by, she realizes that there are currents flowing through Edenton...prejudices, hatred, resentment, and fear. As she gets further along in the draft of the mural, she gets caught up in these currents. Then one day, Anna Dale is gone. What happened to the artist, and how does the mural play it's part in the mystery?

I will say that I am usually good at sussing out the "who done it" in books, but Diane Chamberlain got me with this one. A fabulous read, well researched, with lots of rich characters and crisp dialogue. 5 stars!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Firstly, I am a huge fan of Diane Chamberlain’s. I have read several of her books and enjoyed every single one. “Big Lie’s” did not disappoint!

The Prologue of the book creates a foreshadowing of an undercurrent to occur throughout the book. Each chapter is written from a different character’s perspective and changes between 1939 and current day, 2018. Anna Dale, an artist, in 1939 and Morgan in current times. Jesse Williams is a black child with a strong interest in art. They each had their own “demons.”

There is a twist of a mystery included while the reader is trying to understand the events in 1939 when told from the current day chapters. The mural Anna Dale creates included bizarre anomalies establishing clues to the mystery. I learned about art with the creation of a mural and its restoration in an interesting way. There is a touch of romance to keep the plot flowing. Race relations, racial bias, rape, adoption, processes in art, life after prison, and mental illness all are touched upon in this novel. Parallel stories are interwoven throughout the book that kept me captivated. In this book, it shows there is a lesson for all: “Stop worrying and enjoy work and life.”

I highly recommend this book. Pick it up and start reading. You won’t want to stop and you won’t regret it.

Diane Chamberlain killed it with this book! It's such an incredible read and had me on the edge of my seat the entire read. I loved the flow of the book and I loved the complicated women in this story. Highly recommend! I enjoyed it so much, I want to look into her other books as well!

A perfect read!

Three reasons to read this novel:
#1: it’s by the amazing author, Diane Chamberlain. (That should be the only reason you need to read this!) ;)
#2: it’s a POV between two woman, connected to an amazing author who brings them together after his death.
#3: the story pulls you in, you will want to read until the very last page.

It’s so amazing what an Art Mural that was painted in such a different time era where white people should only count on black people being their slave. But one lady, Anna had high hopes for a black student who loved learning about art. The friendship between the two really made the story for me.

I've read only a few books by author Diane Chamberlain.Each book has caught my attention and left me wanting to read more of her works. Thus far, this book is my favorite.

This is the story of two young women. In the past, Anna Dale, an artist. In the present, Morgan Christopher, an art student who is also in prison when we first meet her.

Morgan has been given a job to do that she doesn’t feel and, in fact, is not qualified to attempt. She is given the choice of staying in prison and serving her time or doing the work, by an impossible date in Edenton.

The work is to restore that of a mural painted by Anna Dale, which was lost and recently discovered.

We “hear” the story of Anna and see how Morgan becomes more and more compelled to bring Anna’s work back to its glory, though it is more than a bit strange.

We learn about these two young women, their dreams, their new relationships and their old ones.

There is heartache and laughs but above all, there is a compelling story. While it is fictional, I felt like I knew these two women by the time I had finished reading the book.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

Rating: 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 shining stars

The latest book by Diane Chamberlain is a winner. I really enjoyed it! It is a bit of a mash-up of different genres, but it all works well together. While it is categorized as Women’s Fiction, it contains a dual-timeline story so there is historical fiction from the 1940’s. There is also a mystery embedded in the story. I was going to say that this was just a fun read, but honestly, a good portion of the time I was on the edge of my seat to find out what would happen next. It was fun, but it was not an easy breezy chick-lit book.

We meet a talented just-out-of-art-school artist in the 1940’s. Anna Dale is from New Jersey and she won an art competition to paint a mural for the Post Office in Edenton, NC. At 22, this is her first big commission, and she wants to get it just right. Her story is a bit of a fish-out-of-water story. The townsfolk persuade her stay in Edenton and complete her mural there instead of returning to New Jersey. She knows nothing of the race relations issues and the unwritten code that guides how blacks and whites interact.

The second storyline is set in 2018. In it, we meet Morgan Christopher. She is called from her cell in the women’s prison in North Carolina to meet with unexpected visitors. The pair of visitors inform her that per the terms of a famous artist’s will, she will be released from prison if she agrees to work on restoring Anna Dale’s mural in time for the planned gallery opening in two months. Morgan had taken the fall for a drunk driving charge for her law school bound boyfriend. He was driving, and caused an accident. The driver that he hit was seriously injured. Morgan was studying Art in college before the accident. However, she knows nothing about art restoration.

Anna’s story is probably the more compelling of the two stories, or it is at least the story with the most drama. Why did Anna’s mural go missing? Where has it been all these years? What happened to Anna after her time at Edenton? Anna befriends a young black artist who is helping on the project. The once friendly town quickly reverses judgement on Anna and turns away from her. She is no longer the darling artist-in-residence. Then she starts seeing more of the truth behind the closed doors of the town, and she starts incorporating the truths in her mural.

With two months and a gigantic mural (12’ x 6’) to restore to meet the gallery opening deadline in 2018, Morgan feels like she is in over her head. However, she feels grateful to be out of prison, and willing to work hard and learn the craft as quickly as possible to restore the canvas by the deadline. She makes friends with the construction crew, and the new gallery manager. The manager, Oliver, teaches her the basics of the art restoration process and she is on her way. After completing the initial cleaning stage, strange details emerge from the painting. The cleaner she get the mural, the more mysterious symbols and objects she finds. What are the meaning of oddities? Where did Anna Dale go? Why were these things included in the mural? Can she meet the restoration deadline?

This book kept my attention, and kept me reading long past times when I should have stopped. I am rating this 4.5 stars, but bumping it up to 5 stars because I just enjoyed it so much. It is a historical fiction, and mystery combined. I will gladly recommend this book to readers who like either of these genres. Not all the subjects covered in the book are light, but they are real. It didn’t feel contrived, and the pieces came together in a surprising way at the end.

‘Thank-You’ to NetGalley; the publisher, St Martin’s Press; and the author, Diane Chamberlain for providing a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Diane Chamberlain is a master of weaving a story from start to finish with intricate characters, descriptions and a jaw-dropping plot. Big Lies in a Small Town takes us to the quaint southern town of Edenton, NC, trading narrations from 2018 to the 1940’s, between Morgan and Anna. Young woman with troubled pasts looking to find themselves. And they do, through art and one looking for the other. A true page turner and another Diane Chamberlain must read!
#bigliesinasmalltown #dianechamberlain #releaseday
I was so happy to receive this ARC from #netgalley and St Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Big Lies in a Small Town is the tale of Morgan Christopher and Anna Dale. Morgan, a young woman with a troubled upbringing finds herself in prison for a crime she didn't commit. She is soon granted the opportunity of a lifetime, a chance at freedom and redemption. She doesn't know why or even how, but a now deceased artist from Edenton, North Carolina, has specifically requested her to restore an old mural. The mural is set to be a prominent addition to an art gallery there, but what she doesn't know is the mural, and the small town itself, holds a huge secret. Enter Anna, an artist, who in 1940 has won the opportunity to paint a mural for the post office wall in Edenton. Having just lost her mother, and finding herself alone, she quickly accepts. She soon finds herself immersed in a completely different world, one filled with prejudices. Anna's choices leave many among the townfolk disgruntled, and one fateful night will change everything. This is a sweeping saga of how accepting the past is important, in order to create a better future.

The alternating plots in this book is one of the things I loved most! Chamberlain does an amazing job at giving just enough detail that it slowly unravels the mysteries surrounding the two women. The character development is phenomenal, as I felt so invested in the characters' stories. They became like friends to me and I found myself wanting to know where it would lead. Big Lies in a Small Town is the perfect mix of history and mystery, with a little sprinkle of romance. The following quote sums up the story quite nicely: "You have to make peace with the past or you can never move into the future."

If you love inter-woven stories with a hint of mystery than this is definitely for you. This book does touch on several topics that could be difficult for some readers, including, murder, rape, and alcoholism. I will definitely be checking out more of Chamberlain's work after reading this one.

A huge thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Emotional, heart breaking, and riveting are just a few of the words I would use to describe her latest winner of a book. It's absolutely unputdownable and deserves a prominent spot on your keeper shelf. You will love this gem of a book. It will linger with you long after read the last page. Happy reading!

Happy PUB DAY to Big Lies in a Small Town!

This book was provided to me by @stmartinspress through #netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Yes, yes and another yes! I absolutely loved this book. It was part historical fiction, part murder thriller, part romance and a little bit of domestic violence. I will warn you all that there are some explicit themes in this book that include non-consensual sex, racism, domestic abuse and substance abuse. Ok I have warned you all so read at your own risk.

This book is about Morgan a 22 year old artist that has been in prison for a crime she did not commit. Her fate changes when she gets bailed out by Lisa a black lawyer who claims that her father’s last wishes were that she restores a mural that he has left in her possession. Confused as to why her father would choose her she agrees to the restoration but the entire time wants to figure out what does she have to do with any of this and who was the original artist. Through the restoration process Morgan learns more and more about the artist Anna Dale whom was said went mad and died, but Morgan is determined to find out what really happened.

This story is told in two different timelines, but it flowed very easily. The characters were pretty solid but not memorable. The story’s mystery does captivate the reader from the first page; a sign that I am going to be hooked. I quickly became enamored with the pages and needed to know what happened. Next, at around 50% of the book I started to drift interest and then BAM STUFF.JUST.STARTED.HAPPENING. I def didn’t see any of it happening and boy did it make me angry and scream. The second half of the book was wild and although I did predict the ending, it was a very enjoyable book. Highly recommend. I give this one a sold 4 stars. One star was taken off due to the lack of character development and some questions were left unanswered.

This was my first Diane Chamberlain read, and she did not disappoint! I love how she uses a dual timeline to tell the story of Morgan Christopher, a young lady in 2018 North Carolina who is currently serving a prison sentence, and Anna Dale, a young lady who lived in North Carolina in 1940. The story weaves their lives together through an old post office mural. Anna painted it and Morgan has been commissioned to restore it. As Morgan learns during the restoration, there is much more to the painting than what is first seen. The more Morgan works, the more clues she uncovers to a time of racism, secrets and crime.

My actual rating of this book is 4.5!

I loved the story, the two main characters that alternate between 1940 and 2018 every other chapter.....and absolutely loved the ending!
This is the first book that I've read by Diane Chamberlain, but it certainly won't be the last. From a slow start this unique story, which is set in North Carolina, tells the story of two admirable women.
Anna is the artist who, in 1939 wins a competition...to paint a mural depicting life in the town of Edenton.
In the present day, Morgan is serving a prison sentence for a crime she didn't commit, but is offered the chance to be released from prison in exchange for restoring the mural.
The story deals with racism, equality, abuse, mental illness, secrets and injustice.
The time shift is easy to deal with - alternate chapters switch from one to the other predictably.
I wholeheartedly recommend that you read this book - heartwarming for the humanity of the characters.
Thank you, Net Galley, for allowing me to read it in return for an honest review.

Big Lies in a Small Town


And immersing and intriguing tale of two women artists and a 1940 mural depicting life in the small Southern town of Edenton, North Carolina.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Two female artists both work on the same mural over seven decades apart in a small southern town. In 1939, Anna Dale, a young artist living in New Jersey, wins a national competition to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. She travels to NC to learn more about the town and it’s people. There she meets Jesse Williams, a young black art student with tremendous talent. Jesse assists Anna with the mural, but the Jim Crow Southern town folks do not approve of Jesse and Anna working together. She also meets experienced Edenton artist Martin Drapple, who was expected to win the mural competition, but was beat out by this young woman. The town was appalled. Just as Anna was completing the mural something terrible happens and the mural disappears along with Jesse Williams and Anna Dale

In 2018, Morgan Christopher has been released early from prison, for the sole purpose of restoring and completing that same mural started by Anna Dale. Jesse William’s has recently past away but his will specified that Morgan must work on the mural and must have it completed by August 5, 2018. If she meets the deadline she’ll receive $50,000. If not...Anna goes back to prison and Lisa, Jesse daughter will lose her house. Why would Jesse Williams request that Morgan work on the mural? They had never met, and her previous art work was nothing stellar. And to make matters worse she had absolutely no experience in art restoration. What happened to Anna Dale and where had the deteriorating mural been all this time?


REVIEW
Big Lies in a Small Town is an intriguing and immersing tale of two female artists and a mural. It a gripping story of conflict, prejudice, opportunity and is full of art, mystery and intriguing characters. It’s a great page turner. It’s is also a wrenching look at prejudice, alcoholism and mental illness.

Author Diane Chamberlain skillfully transports us back and forth between 2018 and 1940 and the lives, conflict and stress of both Anna and Morgan. My favorite part of the book was the vivid descriptions of the mural making it incredible easy to visualize. I can easily picture the the beautiful colors in the women’s dresses in the center of the mural surrounded by an African American women with her apron full of peanuts, a neat row small cotton mill houses, a lumberjack in the forest, and a fishermen hauling in nets of shiny herring.

Author Diane Chamberlain is a New York Times Best Selling author who has written over 26 novels. Her writing has been influenced by her former career as a social worker and psychotherapist.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you have ever read a book by Diane Chamberlain, you know she is an extremely gifted storyteller. Her newest title, Big Lies In A Small Town, is no exception. Her story lines are so intriguing it keeps you pulled in the entire time.

This story revolves around two women from different time periods, both centered around a 12x6 foot mural at a local post office set in Edenton, North Carolina. The original artist, Anna, painted it in 1940 but never finished it after she vanished. Now, 78 years later, a young artist named Morgan Christopher is given parole in exchange for agreeing to restore the mural. But Morgan doesn’t have any restoration background and is willing to do what she can to stay out of jail for a crime she didn’t commit. Told in alternating perspectives from Anna and Morgan, I found it extremely easy to keep up with both time periods.

A tad slow in the beginning that covered a lot of art history, I got so hooked on the mystery surrounding Anna and how Morgan was chosen to be the one to restore the mural. Even though I know nothing about art or art restoration, Chamberlain did a nice job explaining all of the details. Once things started coming into place regarding the mysteries between the two women, I couldn’t put it down.

Chamberlain did an outstanding job with this story which involved racism, prejudices, crime and punishment and family issues.