Book Appointment Now
Both Nicole Kidman and Lily Collins have publicly sung the praises of Big Little Lies
Even if you haven’t yet cracked the spine of “Big Little Lies,” there’s a good chance you’ve witnessed its ripple effect. Liane Moriarty’s twisty tale of schoolyard politics and buried secrets became one of the peak TV era’s biggest hits — thanks to two women who fell hard for the book. It caught the attention of Reese Witherspoon, whose Hello Sunshine production company had begun turning women-led novels into prestige watches. After devouring the book, she passed it to Nicole Kidman (a bibliophile whose favorite books make for an emotional reading list) who was equally enthralled.
“Reese and I got on the phone and we went, this is fantastic,” Kidman recalled on the “Books, Beach, & Beyond” podcast. Before long, the pair had an idea for an HBO series. Kidman then sought out Moriarty directly to get her approval for the project, noting that she wanted to do the story justice. “[W]e’ll honor everything you’ve written and we won’t mess around in terms of time,” Kidman recalled telling the author. That guarantee would soon evolve into one of the decade’s most celebrated TV dramas, starring both Kidman and Witherspoon. It’s no surprise, then, that “Big Little Lies” remains one of the most successful picks from Reese’s Book Club that made it to the screen.
Lily Collins, meanwhile, came to the book purely as a reader. “The drama kept unfolding until the last page,” the “Emily in Paris” star told Red magazine, later adding, “Smart and honest, I found myself involved in all of the women’s lives and read it in two days flat!” Clearly, Moriarty’s particular brand of compulsively readable storytelling cuts through even the busiest Hollywood schedules.
