Study Guide

Big Little Lies Chapter 5

By Liane Moriarty

Chapter 5

Meet Celeste. She's tall, rich, beautiful, but she feels a little…off.
She describes this as "forgetting how to be." But the feeling fades whenever she gets one-on-one time with her bff, Madeline.
Too bad there's an interloper at the coffee shop today. Celeste is really disappointed that Jane is there.
Jane looks strange, thinks Celeste. European, maybe? An au pair? She's so very young. And she has a weird habit of constantly chewing gum.
Celeste gives Madeline some crystal champagne glasses as a b-day present. Like we said, she's super rich.
Madeline, in classic Madeline form, introduces Jane and Madeline and wastes no time telling them all about what to expect out of Pirriwee Public.
Madeline, after all, has a teenage daughter and a second grade son. She's been there, done that.
Here are the Rules According To Madeline:
1. There's a ton of school politics.
2. The Blond Bobs—a group of helicopter moms with blond bob hairdos—rule the school.
3. Keep an eye out for Renata. She's not a Blond Bob, but she does have a lot of power. It seems that Madeline and Renata butted heads over a gifted-and-talented field trip to see a local theater production.
Celeste interrupts: she forgot the champagne! Madeline needs to christen her new champagne flutes with some bubbly.
Madeline suggests a little breakfast champagne cocktail. And because it's Madeline's birthday, she gets her way.
The chorus of gossips is back.
They're talking about how Jane, Madeline, and Celeste were spotted together at kindergarten orientation.
Because rumors have a tendency to spiral out of control, their champagne brunch is remembered as getting totally wasted before picking their kids up from school.

Big Little Lies Chapter 5

By Liane Moriarty

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