Against All Odds by
Danielle Steel
(A huge thanks to Pan Macmillan India for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.)
The story of a long-widowed proprietor of a top flight haute couture resale shop and her four adult children, who, in their search to find the right partners for themselves, encounter and struggle with some very difficult and modern problems facing young people today. A novel that will hit home for a lot of people; not only those seeking or building committed relationships, but the parents who stand on the sidelines as their children wend their way through sometimes painful relationships until they find the right one.
The story is filled with flawed but realistic characters, That's not to say I liked them all! I liked the very reasonable Kate who is the mother of four adult children. She is responsible and worries about her children all day. I enjoyed reading about her business and how she ran her second hand clothing store, "Still fabulous". I also liked Grandma Lou and enjoyed reading about her trips across the world.
While I started out with liking Izzie, Kate's eldest daughter I soon grew weary of her. She makes the bad choices even when she can see they aren't good choices and I just wanted to reach into the book and give her a good shake. Justin was one of my favorite characters and I loved how responsible he was. I also loved Julie who was dorky and adorable! I'm afraid there wasn't enough of Willie in there for me to have any particular feelings about him. I must say hough that while I liked these characters, there were times when they said some random stuff that made me mad or confused; like when grandma Lou says only straight couples break up and not gay couples. I was pretty confused by that dialogue of hers.
The plot is realistic. It's about the problems Kate's children face in their lives due to having made the bad choices and how Kate deals with it. The mother-child relationships in the story have been wonderfully written. Kate being torn between wanting to support her children's decisions and also wanting to warm them about the risks in their decisions was so realistically portrayed. The problems characters face in this story are also realistic and things that happen to many people in life. I did feel at times that certain problems were solved too easily but still I liked the realistic portrayal of contemporary issues. Danielle Steel sure knows how to weave multiple plot-lines into one solid one.
This is my second book by the author and I must say I enjoyed the writing a lot more than before. The words flow fluidly and even when there isn't much happening plot-wise, the writing keeps up a good pace. I liked how past stories in the lives of the characters was interspersed with the story without seeming heavy or choppy. I especially loved reading about the clothes that went into Kate's shop, "Still Fabulous". As a lover of fashion, i really enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of the vintage clothes!
- Most characters
- The various familial relationships that are explored
- The relatable scenarios
- The plot
- The writing
- Certain things said by characters
- The slow plot advancement at times
A wonderfully written tale of parenthood and the problems adults face in life. The story revolves around the love a mother has for her children and how she deals with them making the bad choices.
Actual Rating - 3.5
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