COMING OUT

Author: Danielle Steel ISBN: 044024207X 6/2007 FICTION Publisher: DELL

Olympia Crawford Rubinstein has a busy legal career, a solid marriage, and a way of managing her thriving family with grace, humor, and boundless energy. With twin daughters finishing high school, a son at Dartmouth, and a kindergartner from her second marriage, there seems to be no challenge to which Olympia cannot rise. Until one sunny day in May, when she opens an invitation for her daughters to attend the most exclusive coming-out ball in New York—and chaos erupts all around her. One twin’s excitement is balanced by the other’s outrage; her previous husband’s profound snobbism is in sharp contrast to her current husband’s flat refusal to attend. For Olympia’s husband, Harry, whose parents survived the Holocaust, the idea of a blue-blood debutante ball is abhorrent. Her daughter Veronica, a natural-born rebel, agrees—while Veronica’s identical twin, Virginia, is already shopping for the perfect dress. Then there’s Olympia’s ex, an insufferable snob, who sees the ball as the perfect opportunity for a family feud. And amid all the hubbub, Olympia’s college-age son, Charlie, is facing a turning point in his life—and may need his mother more than ever. But despite it all, Olympia is determined to steer her family through the event until, just days before the cotillion, things begin to unravel with alarming speed. From a son’s crisis to a daughter’s heartbreak, from a case of the chicken pox to a political debate raging in her household, Olympia is on the verge of surrender. And that is when, in a series of startling choices and changes of heart, family, friends, and even a blue-haired teenager all find a way to turn a night of calamity into an evening of magic. As old wounds are healed, barriers are shattered and new traditions are born, and a debutante ball becomes a catalyst for change, revelation, acceptance, and love.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

I haven't read a Danielle Steel book in years. When I was a young bride, I lived for every new release. I'd save until I could afford to buy every new one, and then I'd devour it from cover to cover, often reading each book two or three times. But we get busy and times change, and I have to admit that I haven't read perhaps the last three dozen of this wonderful author's releases.

Well, times have changed again. COMING OUT has reminded me why I always loved Danielle Steel's novels, why I waited anxiously for them to be released and enjoyed them so fully. This prolific writer does tell a good story, one that pulls the reader into her world. From the first page of this novel, I was pleasantly entranced. And when this book was done, I was annoyed. Yes, I'll admit that, too. I was upset that it ended, I had enjoyed it that much.

I believe COMING OUT is the story of almost every woman. The characters are so credible they could be any family. The heroine, Olympia, is a woman similar to so many of us. She is adept at juggling career and family, friends and obligations, while still finding time to make everyone at least somewhat satisfied-most of the time. Too, she stands up for what she feels is important, not only for herself but for every one of those nearest and dearest to her. She loves unconditionally and is truly a modern heroine. I loved her and her quirky, yet endearing family. While she urges them to be the best they can be, still allowing them the freedom to be themselves, she guides her family on a fast-paced, yet loving, path through the world.

The debutante ball Olympia encourages her twin daughters to attend is symbolic on so many levels. It shows there is a connection between the past, present and future, one that although sometimes forgotten or overlooked, is never to be ignored. Every family has its own traditions, its own "coming out", when child becomes woman and steps closer to the role of those that came before her. Every family has its own celebrations, too, the nights when all is forgotten except the joy of living and being together.

COMING OUT by Danielle Steel is an excellent, emotionally charged novel that illustrates the passion and love, as well as the compassion and understanding, that goes into keeping a strong family united. I loved this book, and very much look forward to catching up on all the stories by this wonderful author that I've missed. Danielle Steel is still one of my favorite storytellers, hands down.

Kay James