Nine Perfect Strangers Explained

Nine Perfect Strangers
Author:Liane Moriarty
Country:Australia
Published:2018
Pages:464
Isbn:978-1-4328-5900-8
Preceded By:Truly Madly Guilty
Followed By:Apples Never Fall

Nine Perfect Strangers is a 2018 novel by Australian author Liane Moriarty. It was published on September 18, 2018 by Macmillan Australia.[1] It is a New York Times Bestseller.

Synopsis

Nine people from different walks of life attend a pricey 10-day "Mind and Body Total Transformation Retreat" at a place called the Tranquillum House run by a mysterious Russian woman named Masha. Throughout the course of their retreat they realize that each of them are battling their own demons and all of them are subjects of an experiment.

Characters

Tranquillum House staff:

The nine strangers:

  1. Frances Welty, a novelist struggling with her professional and personal life
  2. Tony Hogburn, a former American football tight end struggling with his addiction to food, tv and alcohol
  3. Jessica Chandler, a wealthy lottery winner and social media influencer, married to Ben
  4. Ben Chandler, a wealthy lottery winner, married to Jessica
  5. Carmel Schneider, a single mother of four children whose husband left her and soon after started a relationship with a younger woman
  6. Lars Lee, a divorce attorney
  7. Napoleon Marconi, Heather's husband and Zoe's father, a high school teacher grieving the death of his son
  8. Heather Marconi, Napoleon's wife and Zoe's mother, mourning the death of her son
  9. Zoe Marconi, Napoleon and Heather's daughter, grieving the death of her twin brother

Reception

The book received mixed reviews.[2] Patty Rhule of USA Today gave the book two out of four stars, and said that it "does not match up to her captivating previous books." Specifically, she criticized the book for spending too many pages on character development.[3] In contrast, Lisa Scottoline of the New York Times said that all the characters are "fully realized, with compelling lives, relationships and motivations" and that the novel is "thought-provoking, but never pedantic" as it "raises fascinating questions about our relentless quest for self-improvement."[4]

It was 2018 Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist: Best Fiction.

Television adaptation

See main article: Nine Perfect Strangers (TV series). In January 2020, it was announced that the novel would be adapted into a television series, which premiered on Hulu in 2021. The series was co-written by David E. Kelley, John-Henry Butterworth, and Samantha Strauss and starred Nicole Kidman as Masha and Melissa McCarthy as Frances.[5] On 27 May 2020, Manny Jacinto was cast in the role of Yao.[6] The cast also includes Luke Evans as Lars, Melvin Gregg as Ben,[7] [8] Samara Weaving as Jessica,[9] Asher Keddie as Heather,[10] Grace Van Patten as Zoe,[11] Tiffany Boone as Delilah,[12] Michael Shannon as Napoleon,[13] Regina Hall as Carmel, Hal Cumpston as Zachary[14] and Bobby Cannavale as Tony.[15] The series was directed by Jonathan Levine.[16] Filming began in August 2020, in Byron Bay, Australia.[17] [18]

Inspiration

In the book, Moriarty used and discussed the famous line "Reader, I married him" from the beginning of Chapter 38 of Jane Eyre. The line is discussed in chapter 12 and other chapters.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Nine Perfect Strangers . . 13 July 2023 . 27 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220927184116/https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40867163-nine-perfect-strangers . live.
  2. News: Liane Moriarty's New Novel, Set at a Spa, Features Some Killer Treatments. Lisa. Scottoline. The New York Times . November 21, 2018. NYTimes.com. May 17, 2020. April 28, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200428040018/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/21/books/review/liane-moriarty-nine-perfect-strangers.html. live.
  3. Web site: Liane Moriarty's 'Nine Perfect Strangers' seems a little too familiar: Review. Patty. Rhule. USA Today. 2020-05-17. 2020-03-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20200304083418/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2018/11/05/liane-moriartys-nine-perfect-strangers-little-too-familiar-book-review-big-little-lies/1687969002/. live.
  4. News: Scottoline. Lisa. 2018-11-21. Liane Moriarty's New Novel, Set at a Spa, Features Some Killer Treatments. en-US. The New York Times. 2020-07-13. 0362-4331. 2020-04-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20200428040018/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/21/books/review/liane-moriarty-nine-perfect-strangers.html. live.
  5. Web site: Melissa McCarthy to Star With Nicole Kidman in Hulu's 'Nine Perfect Strangers'. Porter. Rick. 7 January 2020. The Hollywood Reporter. live. 20 July 2020. 3 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200603205920/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/melissa-mccarthy-star-nicole-kidman-hulus-nine-perfect-strangers-1267674.
  6. Web site: 'Nine Perfect Strangers': Manny Jacinto Joins Nicole Kidman & Melissa McCarthy In Hulu Limited Series. Andreeva. Nellie. 27 May 2020. Deadline Hollywood. live. 20 July 2020. 28 May 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200528033125/https://deadline.com/2020/05/manny-jacinto-cast-nine-perfect-strangers-hulu-limited-series-nicole-kidman-melissa-mccarthy-david-e-kelley-1202944896/.
  7. Web site: Andreeva. Nellie. 26 June 2020. Luke Evans Joins 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Hulu Limited Series. 13 July 2020. Deadline Hollywood. en. 27 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200627064348/https://deadline.com/2020/06/nine-perfect-strangers-luke-evans-nicole-kidman-melissa-mccarthy-hulu-limited-series-1202970365/. live.
  8. Web site: Petski. Denise. 1 July 2020. Melvin Gregg Joins 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Hulu Limited Series. 13 July 2020. Deadline Hollywood. en. 1 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200701214957/https://deadline.com/2020/07/melvin-gregg-nine-perfect-strangers-hulu-limited-series-1202975173/. live.
  9. Web site: Home And Away's Samara Weaving has scored a huge Hollywood role opposite Nicole Kidman. Hockey. Maddison. 16 July 2020. TV Week. 20 July 2020. 20 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200720222143/https://www.nowtolove.com.au/celebrity/celeb-news/samara-weaving-nine-perfect-strangers-64622. live.
  10. Web site: Exclusive: Asher Keddie On Her Big Hollywood Break. 2020-07-22. Marie Claire. en-us. 2020-06-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20200608220336/https://www.marieclaire.com.au/asher-keddie-exclusive-nine-perfect-strangers. live.
  11. Web site: Petski. Denise. 2020-07-20. Grace Van Patten Joins 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Hulu Limited Series. 2020-07-22. Deadline. en. 2020-07-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20200720164913/https://deadline.com/2020/07/grace-van-patten-nine-perfect-strangers-hulu-limited-series-1202989607/. live.
  12. Web site: Spivey. Kemberlie. Tiffany Boone Joins Hulu Limited Series 'Nine Perfect Strangers'. 2020-07-27. Forbes. en. 2020-07-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20200727173114/https://www.forbes.com/sites/kemberliespivey/2020/07/22/tiffany-boone-joins-hulu-limited-series-nine-perfect-strangers/. live.
  13. Web site: Thorne. Will. 2020-07-31. Michael Shannon Joins 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Cast at Hulu. 2020-07-31. Variety. en. 2020-07-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20200731182315/https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/michael-shannon-cast-nine-perfect-strangers-hulu-1234722388/. live.
  14. Web site: Petski. Denise. 2020-10-22. Elizabeth Mitchell Joins 'Outer Banks'; 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Casts Hal Cumpston. 2021-09-22. Deadline. en-US.
  15. Web site: Petski. Denise. 2020-08-06. Bobby Cannavale Joins 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Hulu Limited Series. 2020-08-06. Deadline. en. 2021-09-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20210915165934/https://deadline.com/2020/08/bobby-cannavale-nine-perfect-strangers-hulu-limited-series-1203006348/. live.
  16. Web site: Petski. Denise. 2020-07-29. 'Nine Perfect Strangers': Jonathan Levine To Direct Hulu Limited Series. 2020-07-31. Deadline. en. 2020-07-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20200729170709/https://deadline.com/2020/07/nine-perfect-strangers-jonathan-levine-direct-hulu-limited-series-nicole-kidman-bruna-papandrea-1202997988/. live.
  17. Web site: Listen: 'The Alienist' Star Luke Evans Talks New 'Beauty and the Beast' Songs for Prequel Series. Variety. 16 July 2020. 20 July 2020. 20 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200720023539/https://variety.com/2020/tv/podcasts/luke-evans-beauty-and-the-beast-songs-disney-plus-the-alienist-1234707329/. live.
  18. Web site: 2020-07-19. NSW shoot for 'Nine Perfect Strangers' confirmed, spending more than $100 million. 2020-07-22. IF Magazine. en-US. 2020-07-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20200719220403/https://www.if.com.au/nsw-shoot-for-nine-perfect-strangers-confirmed-spending-more-than-100-million/. live.