I used to LOVE Danielle Steel books- my go to for guilty pleasure reading... back in the 90s! I don't know if my taste/ standard for fiction has improved or the quality of DS's books have declined- drastically. I still keep picking up and reading her books hoping that this next book just might do her earlier works justice. But every time recently, they have disappointed.
One of the main peeves is her repetitive style of writing. She repeats the same idea over and over again as if the reader is slow and doesn't get it the first 5 times she mentions that Olivia was driven but a loving mother, that her mother didn't mind, she loved taking care of her children, that her husband was so loving and didn't mind being the wind beneath her wings. They're not even difficult concepts that the reader might need a couple of renditions to grasp. It sort of feels insulting of the reader's intelligence.
It irked me that problems were resolved so easily for all the characters. Besides the minor conflicts over which any respectable protagonists must endure and triumph, the victories just came so easily. It only took minor conflicts and short tense moments then all of it was resolved. For example, Liz's attempt to sell her manuscript not only lands her a fat book deal (the most lucrative deal the agent has been able to land) but a movie deal AND hot agent to boot! Yes, Liz has failed in her many previous attempts to write a successful book, but now that the tide has turned, nothing seems to go wrong in her life.
There is very little character development. Perhaps the fault lies attempting to cover so many characters. To do each character justice, only a saga might have been better suited (and with much less repetition of the same sentence!) Not much insight into the motivations, thoughts, inner mind of the character was presented. For example, it was hard to buy that John, who seems so laid back and understanding (I was especially fond of his reaction to finding out about Olivia's affair), would react in such a shocking way to his son's news. The names he called his son! It just didn't seem in character with how he had been portrayed. Philip's wife was off-the-charts Machiavellian and self-centered that frankly, it was hard to buy.
This book, like many of DS's books, is full of the lifestyle of the uber rich. In this point, she did not disappoint. I love reading and fantasizing that one day I too might be able to visit those cities and restaurants and hotels that only the super rich frequent.
I wished there was less coverage of each character and more depth.