A bland, forgettable tale full of platitudes and clunky exposition, Danielle Steel's latest bestseller-to-be follows Annie Ferguson, who inherits her sister's three children when she dies in a plane crash. Annie does her best to raise them and manages to build a career for herself as a promising architect, even if 
it means putting much of the rest of her life on hold. Once the children are grown, Annie realizes that there are a slew of other problems facing them--abusive relationships, culture clashes, and the painful process of finding one's way in life--and as Annie gently leads her inherited brood through the gauntlet of growing up, she finds her own happiness. The treacle factor is front and foremost as Steel demonstrates, again, why she's not known as a prose stylist, although there's a glimmer of a good plot.
From Manhattan to Paris and all the way to Tehran, Family Ties is a novel that reminds us how challenging and unpredictable life can be, and that the powerful bonds of family are the strongest of all.
Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites
