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.

I was totally captivated by this split-time story by Diane Chamberlain. It tells the separate stories of an artist and an art restorer. Morgan Christopher has been given the daunting task of restoring a mural in a matter of a few weeks. As she struggles to meet the challenge of having it restored quickly, she starts to uncover some of its history. The mystery surrounding the mural's creation and the disappearance of its artist was an instant hook for me. I was invested in both stories, which is unusual for me. Usually I enjoy the historical setting more than the contemporary setting. Ms.Chamberlain skillfully handles topics of abuse and violence with a delicate pen. Her research into the historical setting of a small North Carolina town and race relations in 1940 as well as art restoration is impeccable. I loved the author's message of making amends for the mistakes in the past, and then looking forward to the future.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

There were a lot of family dynamics in this book, shrouded in a little mystery which is the signature style of this author. She did not disappoint. This book pulls you in and is a real page turner.

I haven't read many books by Diane Chamberlain, but very much liked the ones I have read. This one was no exception. These are the stories of two young women living in very different times, yet with a mysterious bond that's revealed as we learn their stories. Chamberlain takes us back and forth in time in Edenton, NC, a small coastal town that does, indeed, have its share of secrets and lies. She gives us a feel for what small town life might've been like in 1940, the good and the bad. And there's a nice mystery involving the young woman who disappeared after moving from New Jersey to North Carolina in late 1939 to paint a historical mural for the post office in Edenton, and disappears before she can complete it. I very much enjoyed this book and look forward to many more reads from Diane Chamberlain.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

Diane Chamberlain takes us back in time where we meet Anna who has won a contest to produce a mural for the post office in a small southern town. Then she brings us forward to meet Morgan who is consigned to restore the old mural for exhibit in a current-day gallery. Both of the characters are so clearly defined by the author that it is easy to engage with them through their interwoven stories. Throughout the novel, historical and artistic aspects of the mural project, hints of racial tensions in a small town as well as the details of the two women's lives are carefully drawn into an engrossing plot which never flags and has an ending that doesn't disappoint.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for offering me an opportunity to read and honestly review this work. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will miss Edenton and these characters!

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for an ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a fascinating read. Chamberlain does a wonderful job creating characters and delevoping a plot line with twists and turns. I enjoyed the art element of the story and the time the story took place in. The chapters alternate between past and present. I really fell into this story and was so satisfied with the ending, but still wanting more. I recommend this for those who love Kristen Hannah and Kate White.

This is the second novel that I read by Diane Chamberlaine and I definitely enjoyed this one so much more. This story was told in a dual timeline, present time and in the past (trying to decipher what happened). I honestly enjoyed the historical part of the book the most. I wanted more of Anne Dale, that portion of the book was fascinating. To relive the 1940's in what was an early glimpse of feminism, a woman teaching art and following their dreams (I am all for it). The present time story, Morgan Christopher, an artist trying to start over was just okay. The story line with a romance twist was a bit too much, but again I was fascinated by Anne Dale's story.

I loved this book. The 2 different points of view really flowed well together. I loved all the characters. This author has an amazing story telling ability and I'm excited to check out more from her. I will definitely recommend this book.

I loved the way the author alternated between 2018 and 1940. She was very descriptive and the characters were well developed. I just wanted this to be more of a mystery. It really reads like literary fiction rather than a mystery. The outcome was a bit predictable as well. I will seek out more books from this writer merely because she writes so well but I will be skeptical if the book is classified as a mystery.

Told from two women’s perspectives and two different time periods: Anna, an artist, in 1940 and Morgan in 2018 who has taken the fall for a crime she didn’t commit. As the story weaves between these two characters and their time periods, we see the challenges they face. Bit by bit as Morgan uncovers the mural physically, we are given glimpses into Anna’s life as she painted the mural in 1940. Ms. Chamberlain’s writing makes it easy for readers to follow each character in their time period. She has a way of keeping you guessing until the very end!

Anna and Morgan live years apart, and Chamberlain artfully weaves their two narratives together. This is one of the writer's strongest books, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

In 2018 twenty-two-year-old Morgan Christopher was sitting in prison for when a stranger pays her a visit with an opportunity to get out of jail. But there is a catch, she is willing to help Morgan get out on parole, but in exchange, Morgan must move to Edenton, North Carolina to restore a mural that is to be hung in the art gallery funded by Lisa's recently deceased father, the great artist, Jesse Jameson Williams. Morgan has no idea why Jesse Jameson Williams chose her for this project, she had completed three years of art school before the accident that sent her to jail, but she does not understand how he even knows her name. She has an unrealistic deadline, but she is going to do her best to meet it or face the consequences.

In 1940 twenty-two-year-old Anna Dale is floating through life after her mother's suicide. She was just as surprised as anybody when her submission for a mural contest was selected and she finds herself in Edenton, North Carolina to paint a mural for the post office wall. Edenton is a quaint little town, but it is a far way from the progressive hometown Anna left behind in New Jersey. She is working hard and putting in a lot of hours to get the mural finished. But then something tragic happens that will change Anna's life forever.

Two women decades apart have one thing in common -finishing the mural. Anna Dale was a strong, independent, progressive young woman looking for ways to work through her grief. Morgan is the complete opposite of Anna. She was raised by people who didn't know how to love her and betrayed by a boyfriend she trusted. I liked and respected both women immensely, they both had challenges in their lives unique to their time. Like Anna having issues because of her gender. And Morgan having to deal with an ankle monitor that monitored her alcohol consumption. The story moves back and forth between the two women and you get lost in their stories. I spent most of the book trying to figure out their connection between the two women because you knew there would be one. However, even I was surprised by the way things played out. CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS

Bottom Line - I have said for years that Diane Chamberlain is just as good, if not better, than Jodi Picoult. Big Lies In A Small Town just backs up my statement. It is smartly written and tackles topics that are, unfortunately, just as relevant today as they were in 1940.

Details:

Big Lies In A Small Town by Diane Chamberlain
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Pages: 400
Publisher: St. Martin's
Publication Date: 1/14/2020
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley the book in exchange for a review.

I have been a huge fan of Diane Chamberlain for over ten years now, but I found that with this novel, the characters felt very one-dimensional.

I loved this new story by Diane Chamberlain. I think this book will appeal to anyone who is familiar with Chamberlain's work and anyone who hasn't read her.
The story is told alternating between Anna and Morgan's point of view between the now and then. It's a wonderful story about friendship and what people will do for family and friends.

It's spring in North Carolina 1940. The children head to the creek . They come across a dead man. They wouldn't tell anyone because it would mean trouble,they are black and the dead man white. Then it goes to a jail in North Carolina 2018.Morgans been in for two summers for a DUI. She is to be released if she restores a mural. Anna is the original artist. I liked the going back and forth between Anna and Morgan. It was mystery what happened to Anna,why never finished mural and why Jesse had the mural.

Once again Diane Chamberlain does not disappoint. I have read all her books and have loved all of them even though they are all different. From the first page to the last I was totally engrossed and did not want the novel to end. I highly recommend this novel as a must read.

I’ve read and enjoyed quite a few Diane Chamberlain novels over the years but I think this one is my new favourite of hers. I’ve been in a reading slump in recent weeks but this book grabbed my attention from the first chapter and I got swept up in this story. The novel follows two women in two different timelines and we gradually learn each of their stories. Often in a novel with two timelines I feel more invested in one than the other but this book had me equally gripped by both, the pacing is perfect and each story is gripping. I loved leaning about Anna, a young artist in the 1940s who moves to a small town to paint a mural after winning a contest. She has to battle prejudice from being female, and the way the locals think she’s ousted their entrant in the contest. In the present day Morgan is released from prison early in order to restore a mural, even though she knows very little about art restoration. This was such a good read and I definitely recommend it.

This book is split into two stories that are intertwined. It is told from the points of Anna and Morgan.

In 1940 Anna Dale won a contest to paint a mural for the post office in a small town. She uproots her life and moves there to get a feel of the town and the history. She gets mixed reviews from the town, some people are thrilled to have her while others think a local artist should have won. She asks for some of the local high school students for help. Two young men end up being her helpers, one white and one black. Tragedy strikes and it changes all three of their lives.

Morgan is in prison for a crime she didn’t commit. Her art degree is on hold and she is lost. When two women come to visit her in prison. They offer her a deal that she can get out on parole if she can come and restore Anna’s mural. It is to be a focal point in a new art gallery by a recently deceased artist. He specifically requested Morgan to be the one to restore it. When Morgan sees the mural she is completely shocked at the content and also wonders what happened to the original artist.

I really enjoyed this book. I read it in one sitting. It was well written and the characters are well thought out.

Big Lies is my third book by Diane Chamberlain and it's safe to say that she is a go-to author for me at this point.

I want to read her backlist and will definitely look out for her future novels too. She has such a talent for drawing you deeply into a story and caring about the characters. I also always learn something from her. I really appreciate her focus on racial issues too. She doesn't come at you with a forced narrative, but simply sheds light on how things really were/are and she always has a character willing to sacrifice to do the right thing.

The only issue I had with this book is that it goes back and forth between a current day character (Morgan) and a past character in the 1940s (Anna), and sometimes it was confusing because their stories were so similar. But overall, this was another great story by Diane Chamberlain and I absolutely recommend it.

Trigger warnings: alcoholism, drunk driver car accident, rape, murder

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my gifted copy.

Title: Big Lies in a Small Town
Author: Diane Chamberlain
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (January 14, 2020)
400 pages
4⭐s
Description :
North Carolina, 2018:
Morgan Christopher's life has been derailed. Taking the fall for a crime she did not commit, her dream of a career in art is put on hold―until a mysterious visitor makes her an offer that will get her released from prison immediately. Her assignment: restore an old post office mural in a sleepy southern town. Morgan knows nothing about art restoration, but desperate to be free, she accepts. What she finds under the layers of grime is a painting that tells the story of madness, violence, and a conspiracy of small town secrets.

North Carolina, 1940:
Anna Dale, an artist from New Jersey, wins a national contest to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. Alone in the world and in great need of work, she accepts. But what she doesn't expect is to find herself immersed in a town where prejudices run deep, where people are hiding secrets behind closed doors, and where the price of being different might just end in murder.

What happened to Anna Dale? Are the clues hidden in the decrepit mural? Can Morgan overcome her own demons to discover what exists beneath the layers of lies?

My Review:

Wow, just wow!!!!! This book really took my breathe away. I have read a few books by Diane Chamberlain and she sure does not disappoint. As soon as I saw this one I knew I had to read it. Diane Chamberlain writing is very vividly detailed and i always feel like I am there in the story as I read.

This book was about decades-old disappearance,small town secrets, and one woman’s quest to find the Truth. Told from two points of view; Ana Dale and Morgan Christopher. Little by little we learn more about these two women’s lives in different timelines with the story taking place in Edenton, North Carolina.
Anna: who's a artist in 1939-1940 , who created a WPA post office mural in NC but mysteriously disappeared before completing the mural. Morgan ; who is a former art student, current prisoner in 2018. She has a problem with alcohol and she was involved in a bad car accident and lost her freedom. She has been in prison serving her sentence in Raleigh, NC until she's offered a deal. A famous artist, Jesse Williams requested for her to restore a post office mural done by a female artist

This book had it all wrapped in a nice tight bow and touched on alcohol dependency, the prison system, injustice, sexual and physical abuse and redemption.
You just didn’t know what was going to happen next. I was turning the pages as fast I could and was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what happened next. There were characters in this book that I loved and others I don't like so much. What a twist at the end!!!!! It through me for a loop. What an amazing end to an amazing book. This one will stay with me for a long time.

Between the plot, characters and all the twists in this book it made it an easy and fast read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.

Thank you to NetGalley ,the publisher and the author for the chance to read for an honest review !