The title intrigued me as our oldest daughter was labeled "gifted" at the end of kindergarten when the school psychologist said she was doing visual perception tasks and math skills tasks at the 6th grade level. She also read by just picking up a book one day at age 4 and just starting to read. She was part of the "learning enrichment program for gifted students" from grades 1-6th grade and of course was placed in all honors classes or AP classes from 7th-12th grade. She does not take after me! However, I am happy to report that most of the parents I met while she was in the gifted program at our public school, were NOT like the ones in this book.
STORY SUMMARY
The community of Crystal, Colorado has good schools, safe neighborhoods, imposing homes and a beautiful landscape in the Rocky Mountains. Four young couples, and their children, are nearly destroyed though, by their own competitiveness when an exclusive school for gifted children opens up.
The 4 moms (Rose, Samantha, Azra, and Lauren) have been best friends for 11 years. They have struggled together through marital woes, parenting and the stresses that brings, and their careers. Now, as their children head off into the middle school years, their individual talents, abilities and interests become more and more distinct. But the group of families remain tightly knit. Rose is married to Gareth and has one daughter named Emma Q. Samantha is married to Kev and has one daughter named Emma Z. Azra is divorced from Beck and they have co-parenting duties of their twins, Aiden and Charlie. Lauren is a widow with a teen daughter named Tessa and her 11 year old son Xander.
Until the Crystal Academy is announced. This is to be an exclusive school for the exceptionally bright and gifted. It will be a public magnet school. And the children will have to test and have a portfolio depicting their own special talent or gifted area in order to be considered for acceptance. Not all students will get in.
The parents shock themselves with the lengths they are secretly willing to go to in order to pursue the prestige and recognition of being accepted into Crystal Academy. Long-buried secrets and resentments begin to surface among these 4 families. Even among the children and the spouses, tensions rise.
And the most shattering secret of all still waits to be exposed. And one of the children will be the one to expose it.
MY THOUGHTS
This book is perfect for our current culture in America. It is a riveting look at just how competitive some parents are in regards to their child(ren). This story also points out the disparities between the "Haves" and the "have-nots". It touches on the very privileged vs the more lower middle class. It touches on whites vs other races.
Some of the themes in this book besides the parent-child relationship are: friendships, betrayal, forgiveness, single parenthood, divorce, adultery, drug addiction, cheating.
I loved the character development and that each chapter was a different voice of the 4 women, men or children.
This book also touches on parents who over-protect or over stride (think helicopter parenting) and it touches on anxious children or children who are over booked with extracurricular activities. It explores the concept of the elusiveness of happiness.
This book made me anxious in spots......I wanted to have each and every parent sit through one of my own parenting classes I used to teach in an inner city crisis center!! They were just so clueless about their own child!
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older (due to some mature content).
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this an 8.
2 comments:
Sounds like a very interesting book, especially since some of my children were in "gifted programs" and I have various opinions of those. I hope you are enjoying your week off.
Sounds like an interesting one.
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