Customer Reviews

Little Bitty Lies: A Novel

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Your husband of 20 years leaves you --- but not before mortgaging your house to the hilt, emptying all your bank accounts, cashing in your insurance policies, and (the nerve!) pocketing your diamond engagement ring.

Up until now you have led a storybook life, while marriages all around you are splitting up in vast numbers. You are too proud to become just another statistic --- or even worse, another tale in the gossip mill. So what do you do? Well, if you're Mary Bliss McGowan, in LITTLE BITTY LIES by Mary Kay Andrews, you lie, of course! To start, you tell everyone that your husband is away on an extended consulting trip. Then you stage his death (a tragic boating accident in Cozumel). And then the lying escalates; one lie leads to another, and to another, and to another. It's a recipe for disaster.

Come to think of it, LITTLE BITTY LIES is an awful lot like Mary Bliss's specialty: chicken salad.

The main ingredient is chicken, or Parker, her yellow-bellied husband who poached the family nest egg and then cowardly abandoned his wife and daughter, not to be seen again until the end of the novel.

Toss in nuts, plenty of nuts. There are her dearest friends, Katherine and Charlie Weideman, the on-again, off-again middle-aged couple; Eula, the crazy mother-in-law who indulges in Paxil and gin cocktails; Randy, the nearly divorced neighbor who would probably like to live up to his name but doesn't know how; and Nancye, the town hot tamale.

Add water chestnuts, a bit of unexpected "crunch" to the story: Matt Hayslip, the undercover private eye whose keeping Mary Bliss on her toes (even though he'd prefer to keep her on her back).

Throw in mandarin oranges, with the juice, and you've got Dinky Davis, the coppertoned Cozumel stand-in who mixes too much liquid refreshment with his work.

A pinch of salt and pepper, maybe a dash of ginger --- a confused 17-year-old daughter Erin -- to add a bit of spice.

And, finally, the mayonnaise, the glue that holds it all together: Mary Bliss herself. Consummate housekeeper, extraordinary chef, Southern belle and devoted mother, Mary will stop at almost nothing to keep her family, or at least the image of her family, in tact.

Toss, mix, blend, and toss again, and not only do you have a summertime favorite salad, but also one heck of a fun story. LITTLE BITTY LIES is at times riotous, heart-wrenching, romantic, ridiculous, impossible, and touching --- but never boring.

Pour yourself a glass of iced tea (Mary Bliss would recommend sun-brewed) and enjoy.

--- Reviewed by Roberta O'Hara

With a main character named Mary Bliss you are handed a quirky clue of where this story, by a skillful and adept author is headed!
While Mary Bliss is busy worrying about her friends, whose marriages are falling apart, she is stunned to find out that her own marriage has taken an unbelievable turn when she discovers a note from her husband. Mary Bliss attempts to avoid the embarassment and humiliation by telling just one "little" lie, which snowballs into a series of events that must all be hidden by more lies. On top of having no money to pay her bills and taking a part time job just to buy food, she must deal with a cantankerous, nasty mother-in-law and the sudden secretive behavior of her teen-aged daughter.
As always Mary Kay Andrews crafts an endearing tale dealing with serious issues and yet woven with her delightful sense of humor, it is a delight to read!!

This is the untimate housewife's revenge. After years of creating the perfect home for her husband, Mary Bliss comes home to find that the rat has drained their accounts, put the house in hock up to its shingles, and taken off for parts unknown. How she survives is a wonderful romp through matrimony and suburbia (with a sidetrip to Mexico thrown in for the hell of it!) But then, this talented author could even make the Atlanta phone book sound funny. Highly recommended.

A terrific read. I thoroughly enjoyed Savannah Blues, but I must admit that Little Bitty Lies is better. I try not to purchase too many hardcover books because of the price, but Mary Kay Andrews is definitely on my hardcover book list. It was worth every penny, a delightful read. I plan to try the Chicken Salad recipe for my next party. I cannot wait for her next book. Whether she's writing as Kathy Hogan Trocheck or Mary Kay Andrews, this lady is one HECK of a talent. Thank you for the hours of enjoyment with Callahan Garrity and your lovely Southern ladies.

Mary Bliss is concerned about all of the divorces in her neighborhood, especially that of her best friends Katherine and Charlie. She is completely surprised when her husband Parker takes off will all of their assets, leaving her under a pile of bills in an about to be foreclosed on home. Her daughter is either distant or angry and she is responsible for her semisenile cantankerous mother in law. The obvious solution (to her), is to have Parker declared dead and use his insurance money to keep their heads above water. Unfortunately, a former cop and supposed tennis partner of Parker's is taking a very close interest in Mary Bliss, both personally and professionally.

I really enjoyed this author's first book and was happy to find a second. Her characters find their way out of difficult situations in very unusual and amusing ways. I hope she publishes another one soon.

I LOVED this book. Mary Kay Andrews is bound to hit to bestseller list and perhaps this is the book that will do it for her. Little Bitty Lies reads very quickly, and that was because I found it difficult to stop reading before I finished it. Mary Bliss and Katherine are wonderful characters, and show friendship at its finest. I wanted to slap Erin, slug Parker and smooch Matt, all great characters. The book has sex, love, friendship, money, humor in addition to a great chicken salad recipe (and yes, I've tried it, and it's super). A fast, fun, frolicky read that is a perfect summer book. Another winner from Mary Kay Andrews. Keep 'em coming, Mary Kay! Eager readers everywhere will be panting waiting for your next one.

This is a wonderful book!Being from metro Atlanta, I identified with the characters and places the author based the story on.
THe book was really well written and each page leads you into the next,holding your interest right up til the very end.
I read this book in 24 hours and really enjoyed it --already looking for her other books. There are very few authors who are able to blend fiction with humor without losing the reader and Mary Kay Andrews has done an excellent job.

Rather than admit to her friends and neighbors that her husband Parker left her (and drained their accounts), Mary Bliss does what any self respecting southern belle would do - pretend he is dead and collect the life insurance. With the help of her eccentric best friend Katherine (who is nursing who own wounds of abandonment), the two women set out to create a fake diving accident with the help of a shady con man.

She does not count on nosy investigator, Matt Hayslip coming into the fold. Or her babbling mother in law who just might be in contact with Parker. Or her newly separated neighbor wanting to be more than neighbors. Or con-man Dinky Davis coming back for more.

Just what's a girl to do when she digs a hole this deep? "Little Bitty Lies" is a humorous tale of one woman's quest to not be idle gossip, only to wreak more havoc on her life, and learn that her perfect marriage was just an illusion.

Just great reading. One of the most delightful books I've read this year. Full of southern charm and a cast of characters you want to meet. Mary Bliss and Katharine will have you laughing out loud. Their solution to Mary Bliss's problems will remind you of Lucy & Ethel...but with a southern twist. Loved Savannah Blues too. Can't wait for the next one!!

...in a very long time. I stayed up to finish this one and then lay awake thinking about all the wicked plot twists.

Mary Kay Andrews takes on the clichés of suburban life and shows the pain of keeping up appearances. Husbands wandering off with trophy girlfriends? Check. Bad 'tude adolescents? Double check. Acquaintances who slip in the gossip knife along with the funeral food? Oh, yeah. One's most personal financial information -- a horrific reverse -- becoming fodder for the country club set? OW-EEEEEE!

From these every day tragedies Andrews weaves an engaging, character driven story that is just believable enough to keep from becoming totally madcap. She throws in a cuckolded husband, an unexpected pregnancy or two, and a narrative that will have you looking at food display people in a whole new light.

There are certainly elements of fairy tale in this, but go ahead and suspend disbelief long enough to let yourself contemplate how things OUGHT to work out. You'll have a blast. I did.