I’m not sure why I thought a Danielle Steel book post 1990’s would still be good. I heard rumours that she was using ghost writers at one point. I’m pretty sure she didn’t write this bag of shite which is called “The Sins of the Mother”

Olivia Grayson was a force to be reckoned with, like no other, and God help the person who thought they could put something over on her, and expect her not to respond. That day would never come, no matter what the cost to her. Olivia Grayson was an honorable woman. And for the rest of the afternoon, she worked like a demon at her desk, just as she did every day, and had for nearly fifty-two extraordinary years. It was everything she loved best in life. She thrived on hard work and always had. She knew that would never change.

This is a book which seems to have been written by a fan-fiction enthusiast. The sentences are short and at least 3 boring chapters are dedicated to how amazing of a woman Olivia is and how boring her husband was and what an empire she built on her own with nothing but her wits (and one inherited business please!)

I had to chuckle when I saw what type of man this “strong and independent” woman chose for herself.

He was a man of sound morals and good values. He wasn’t an exciting person, but she could tell that he was a kind man. He walked her home after dinner that night and kissed her for the first time.

And she (the ghost writer) spends so much time praising this business in such bland words I keep thinking of those pay-per-word articles you sometimes see published as advertising

She dreamed of setting up stores based on their successful model around the world. And she managed to keep their quality high, their designs appealing, and their prices on the cutting edge. Ansel Morris’s hardware store, expanded into an old factory outside Boston, had become a world event.

Repetitive was one thing, boring was another but this book was absolutely inane to a point where I was thinking it’s not even good for the charity bin. There’s a few twists and turns as life throws (as it usually does) an affair or two, kids and a work-life-balance to be envied. But I absolutely hated reading all about it. Take the following quote for example. It contains such short sentences.

“I don’t know if he’s in love or having an affair, but I hardly recognized him. He looks crazy about her. She looks very young and she’s very pretty.” But now she was even more worried about him. If his wife found out, it was liable to get ugly. And expensive.

No long paragraphs, no descriptions. God, I miss Margaret Atwood talking about affairs and women in business. Here’s a sample from one of my favourite books and you can tell for yourself which one is the better writer… Woman Boss – Quote from Robber Bride (Margaret Atwood)