We Were Liars Author:E. Lockhart Welcome to the beautiful Sinclair family. No one in the family is a failure. No one is a psycho. No one is a criminal. The Sinclairs have vacationed on private Beechwood Island for generations. Not one of Granddad's precious daughters has ever missed a summer, nor have any of his grandchildren. Until Cadence Sinclair Eastman. Two years ago s... more »he fell in love and had a serious accident. Now she is fragile. Cadence thought she knew her own story, but now, back on Beechwood Island, she suspects that she knows nothing. In fact, nothing is what it seems.« less
A friend gave me this book. I would not have picked it up myself given that it is YA. But that's silly of me. This book was riveting! So haunting, so mysterious, so clever. I won't say anymore other than read this book! I loved it, was glued to it and finished it in a day and a night. Please read it.
This is the first book in a long time that made me cry. I have really liked the other books I have read by Lockhart, but none of them were quite as shocking as We Were Liars. I stayed up late and went to work tired to finish this book, and the ending has haunted me ever since. This is one of those books that sticks with you long after the last page is turned.
I loved the relationships between the characters. The Liars perfectly showcase young love, the power of friendship, and what summer vacation really means. The family issues addressed in the novel were also wonderfully done. Coming from a small family, the Sinclairs were everything I expect being part of a big, affluent family must feel like: the pressure, the petty arguments, always having someone to turn to, always fighting with someone.
More impressive than the relationships between the characters is the connection Lockhart is able to build between the characters and the reader. I was able to see a little bit of myself and my past in Cady every step of her journey. I have loved and lost. Ive had friends that were like family. Ive had family that felt like strangers. Ive failed to meet expectations. Ive been let down a hundred thousand times by people I loved. Ive misjudged myself and others. Ive made horribly stupid mistakes Ill remember for the rest of my life. For this reason, as I read the book, her pain was my pain, and her happiness was my happiness.
I only have two real complaints with this book. The first is the title. I am not sure it really fits the group very well. Maybe I missed something, but they didnt seem to do anything in the novel to merit the label The Liars, nor do I remember anyone referring to them as such. The second complaint I have is with the big twist at the end (no spoilers, promise). While it was very shocking and I didnt see it coming, I think the main reason for that is because it didnt make a whole lot of sense and previous events were not explained more thoroughly to make the twist at all believable.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. The characters were wonderful, the story was well-paced, and the setting makes it an absolutely perfect summer read. I just wish the twist at the end, while shocking, didnt feel like such a cop out. If you enjoy contemporary, mystery-like reads with strong characters and beautiful prose you need to go pick this up right now.
The Sinclair clan summer every year on Beechwood Island in Massachusetts. There are many houses and each family habitates in each house. There are Harris & Tipper, who are the oldest. They live in the biggest house.
There are 3 daughters by Harris & Tipper. There are two sets of cousins, the older and the younger. Cadence, Mirren, Johnny and Gat are the oldest group and they call themselves the Liars.
There is much haggling among the sisters about who should inherit what. It causes unrest sometimes and worries the younger group of Liars.
This book was incredibly well-written. Lockhart writes in a way that I only hope to one day. It's beautifully descriptive, raw, and honest; yet also dramatic, twisty, and confusing in all the right ways. The romance is neither cheesy nor predictable, and it's safe to say you'll have many literary double-takes. When you read the book's description, you assume you're getting a classic mystery and an interesting story. (I am not one for mystery reads myself, and picked this on a whim.) However, everything about it makes you want to keep reading, regardless of your typical choice of genre. A lovely read that will surprisingly require some deeper thinking.
