Editorial Content for The Sins of the Mother
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Reviewer (text)
At an early age, Olivia Grayson assumed command of a home products company called The Factory. Under her supervision as CEO, The Factory grew to a worldwide empire worth billions, and Olivia celebrated one success after another. As with any success, however, there was a price to be paid.
While Olivia climbed the corporate ladder, the care of her four children was left predominantly to her mother, Maribelle, and her husband, Joe. While Maribelle and Joe loved the children deeply, the kids were scarred by a childhood with a mother who was largely absent. Now that they are all adults, it's time for Olivia to face the consequences of her past choices.
"THE SINS OF THE MOTHER is classic Danielle Steel at her best.... Steel's latest novel allows readers to journey across the world without ever leaving their easy chairs and provides a feel-good read that will leave them with a smile on their faces."
Each year, in an effort to connect more deeply with her children and grandchildren, Olivia plans a stupendous two-week vacation that is as extravagant as it is exotic. This year, the vacation will be spent aboard a luxury yacht that will dock at several points in the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, not everyone looks forward to this annual trip as much as Olivia does.
Olivia's two sons, Phillip and John, who work with their mother at The Factory, are usually eager to make the pilgrimage. Unfortunately, their wives are not as keen to attend. Liz, Olivia's eldest daughter, is beset with insecurities and shame due to the choices she's made in life, and Cass, Olivia's youngest daughter, refuses to take part in the family vacation in any fashion. With Maribelle happily ensconced in a home for senior living and Joe dead from a heart attack suffered while Olivia was away on business, Olivia is left to sort out her complicated familial relationships on her own.
Fortunately, the grandkids are always keen on a family get-together and lighten the mood significantly, even as the adults battle their own demons from the past. The days are spent shopping, eating and enjoying the abundant water sports available on this year's vacation and the nights include dining and dancing in top-notch locales.
As several serious situations arise with her children and grandchildren, Olivia does her best to help them resolve their issues without overstepping the sometimes considerable boundaries between them. This year, though, may be just the one where her adult children begin to understand their mother better and cut her some slack for the choices she made while they were growing up.
THE SINS OF THE MOTHER is classic Danielle Steel at her best. We are immediately immersed into a world of wealth and privilege where most people act honorably and lead lives that most of us are unacquainted with. Here, she allows us a glimpse into the price that the rich and famous pay for their success and touches our heartstrings with the emotional stories behind those choices. Steel's latest novel allows readers to journey across the world without ever leaving their easy chairs and provides a feel-good read that will leave them with a smile on their faces.
Teaser
Everything Olivia Grayson touches in the business world turns to gold. Now, though, she reflects upon her life and wishes she'd invested in her family as much as she did in her business. Eager to atone for past sins, Olivia does her utmost to support each of her children as they struggle through mid-life crises. Together, the Grayson dynasty will confront conflicts past and present as Olivia takes them on a climactic family vacation.
Promo
Everything Olivia Grayson touches in the business world turns to gold. Now, though, she reflects upon her life and wishes she'd invested in her family as much as she did in her business. Eager to atone for past sins, Olivia does her utmost to support each of her children as they struggle through mid-life crises. Together, the Grayson dynasty will confront conflicts past and present as Olivia takes them on a climactic family vacation.
About the Book
Every woman makes choices. And no one has made more difficult choices than Olivia Grayson. The enormously successful businesswoman missed out on much of her children’s lives while she built her legendary home-furnishings empire. In Danielle Steel’s character-rich new novel, Olivia faces the past, tries to balance the present, and makes amends where due, while still running her vastly successful business.
THE SINS OF THE MOTHER
As a way of making up to them for time lost, Olivia spends months every year planning a lavish holiday that everyone in her family will enjoy. This summer she has arranged a dream trip in the Mediterranean on a luxurious yacht, which she hopes will be the most memorable vacation of all. Her lavish gesture every year expresses her love for them, and regret at all the important times she missed during her children’s younger years. Her younger daughter, Cassie, a hip London music producer, refuses the invitation altogether, as she does every year. Her older daughter, Liz, lives in her mother’s shadow, with a terror of failure as she tries to recapture her dream of being a writer. And her sons, John and Phillip, work for Olivia, for better or worse, with wives who wish they didn’t. In the splendor of the Riviera, this should be a summer to remember, with Olivia’s children, grandchildren, and daughters-in-law on board. But as with any family gathering, there are always surprises, and no matter how glamorous the setting things don’t always turn out as ones hopes.
Family dynamics are complicated, old disappointments die hard, and as forgiveness and surprising revelations enter into it, new bonds are formed, and the future takes on a brighter hue. And one by one, with life’s irony, Olivia’s children find themselves committing the same “sins” for which they blamed their mother for so many years. It is a summer of compassion, important lessons, and truth.
THE SINS OF THE MOTHER captures the many sides of family love: complex, challenging, funny, passionate, and hopefully enduring. Along the way, we are enthralled by an unforgettable heroine, a mother strong enough to take more than her fair share of the blame, wise enough to respect her children for who they really are, and forgiving enough to love them unconditionally.
