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Nine Perfect Strangers

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For the TV series, see Nine Perfect Strangers (TV series).
Nine Perfect Strangers
First edition (Australia)
AuthorLiane Moriarty
Published2018
Publication placeAustralia
Pages464
ISBN978-1-4328-5900-8
Preceded byTruly Madly Guilty 
Followed byApples 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

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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

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Tranquillum House staff:

  • Masha Dmitrichenko, the Russian founder of the wellness resort called Tranquillum House
  • Yao, one of Tranquillum House dedicated employees
  • Delilah, one of Tranquillum House dedicated employees
  • Jan, a massage therapist who works for Tranquillum House

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

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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

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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

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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.

References

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  1. ^ "Nine Perfect Strangers". Goodreads. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
  2. ^ Scottoline, Lisa (November 21, 2018). "Liane Moriarty's New Novel, Set at a Spa, Features Some Killer Treatments". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020 – via NYTimes.com.
  3. ^ Rhule, Patty. "Liane Moriarty's 'Nine Perfect Strangers' seems a little too familiar: Review". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2020-03-04. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  4. ^ Scottoline, Lisa (2018-11-21). "Liane Moriarty's New Novel, Set at a Spa, Features Some Killer Treatments". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-04-28. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  5. ^ Porter, Rick (7 January 2020). "Melissa McCarthy to Star With Nicole Kidman in Hulu's 'Nine Perfect Strangers'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  6. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (27 May 2020). "'Nine Perfect Strangers': Manny Jacinto Joins Nicole Kidman & Melissa McCarthy In Hulu Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  7. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (26 June 2020). "Luke Evans Joins 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Hulu Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  8. ^ Petski, Denise (1 July 2020). "Melvin Gregg Joins 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Hulu Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  9. ^ Hockey, Maddison (16 July 2020). "Home And Away's Samara Weaving has scored a huge Hollywood role opposite Nicole Kidman". TV Week. Archived from the original on 20 July 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Exclusive: Asher Keddie On Her Big Hollywood Break". Marie Claire. Archived from the original on 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  11. ^ Petski, Denise (2020-07-20). "Grace Van Patten Joins 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Hulu Limited Series". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2020-07-20. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  12. ^ Spivey, Kemberlie. "Tiffany Boone Joins Hulu Limited Series 'Nine Perfect Strangers'". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2020-07-27. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  13. ^ Thorne, Will (2020-07-31). "Michael Shannon Joins 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Cast at Hulu". Variety. Archived from the original on 2020-07-31. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  14. ^ Petski, Denise (2020-10-22). "Elizabeth Mitchell Joins 'Outer Banks'; 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Casts Hal Cumpston". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  15. ^ Petski, Denise (2020-08-06). "Bobby Cannavale Joins 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Hulu Limited Series". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2021-09-15. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
  16. ^ Petski, Denise (2020-07-29). "'Nine Perfect Strangers': Jonathan Levine To Direct Hulu Limited Series". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2020-07-29. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
  17. ^ "Listen: 'The Alienist' Star Luke Evans Talks New 'Beauty and the Beast' Songs for Prequel Series". Variety. 16 July 2020. Archived from the original on 20 July 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  18. ^ "NSW shoot for 'Nine Perfect Strangers' confirmed, spending more than $100 million". IF Magazine. 2020-07-19. Archived from the original on 2020-07-19. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
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