Family Album

Rating:
Summary: YUCK! of an otherwise fine story.....
Review: This would be my last DS book I read. I admire the lady but somehow she always manage to cheapen her characters. The plot starts with the heroine Faye Price, fabulous movie star, climbing her success in Hollywood while meeting her future beau, Ward Thayer in Guadalcanal. He was a liutenant then, but he's heir to a shipyard tycoon. Until this part, I totally love the plot. They finally get married and have 5 beautiful children and start a journey as a rich family in Beverly Hills. Since the husband never has to work in his life and loves buying Faye baubles, they soon went bankrupt and the heroine has to work her way up again while the hubby paralyzes his fear of failure with girls and booze. The family manages to claw their way back to Beverly Hills, but the children start to lead different lives as they grow older. The oldest (Lionel) is gay, the second one (Greg) is a football jock, the next (Val and Van) are twins with totally different characters and the baby (Anne) is always depicted crying her eyes out. Poor Anne has the weakest character. She runs away with the "peace" crowd in SF at 14 and gets pregnant in a commune (it's just a nasty depiction of gang rape), and eventually gave up his son. Along the way she befriends a girl and her rich dad, and from there the plot goes Lolita. This I don't get, a flower child who ends up wearing Gucci and fur coats!
I love the part when DS shows how Faye struggles to bring her family together, but somehow when she gets back her stardom she is no longer a doting mother anymore. The family is very liberal in letting their children sleep around with anyone who crosses his/her path, morality is not a priority... I used to admire DS writing, but NOT her promiscuity, however noble she tries to describe it. The gay plotline of Faye's oldest son is supposed to be a tearjerker, although I cringed when reading all the promiscuity depicted in this book. However, it's really beyond gross for a 14 y.o falling in love with a 47 y.o man. I can imagine myself falling in love with Kevin Costner when I was 12, but that was when he had hair and Sean Young was hot. Add to that, this old man is portrayed as a doting father of Anne's best friend, but when his daughter is away for Christmas break, the 47 y.o manages to invite Anne for a "pajama party". How yucky can you get? DS, HOW COULD YOU!!!
Maybe in her lifetime, DS has met characters like these, or she herself has experienced it, but I think the intimate plot between an old man with an underage girl is tacky. It just encourages more pedophiles to do what they're not supposed to do.
Anyways, I have to say, DS always begin her storyline beautifully, and almost always manage to end it cheaply. Sorry guys, but please stay away from this book, or if you're really interested, read it and burn it...