Coming out - Danielle Steel

Olympia Crawford Rubinstein has a busy legal career, a solid marriage, and a way of raising her five thriving children with grace, humor, and boundless energy. With twin daughters finishing high school, a son at Dartmouth, and a kindergartener to see through first grade, there is no challenge too great for Olympia—until one sunny day in May, when she opens an invitation for her daughters to attend the most exclusive coming-out ball in New York... and chaos erupts. Not that Olympia isn’t excited at the prospect of one last coming-out ball, but she never counted on her current husband’s refusal to attend.

For Olympia’s husband, Harry, whose parents survived the Holocaust, the idea of a blue-blood debutante ball is abhorrent. Her daughters, Veronica, a brilliant high achiever, and her identical twin, Virginia, are eagerly shopping for the perfect dress. But there’s Olympia’s ex-husband, a blue-blood and now married to a perfect Southern trophy wife and socialite, who also has his opinion on the matter. Olympia’s teenage son, Charlie, is facing a turning point in his life—a mid-year move and much more than the usual teenage angst. And just when it seems like things can’t get worse, the eldest daughter arrives with bad news from her Ivy League college. Desperate to maintain a sense of normalcy and stability, Olympia turns to her husband and children with a determination to make everything work. But that determination only leads to more complications, as everyone in the family begins to unravel with alarming speed.

From a son’s crisis to a daughter’s heartbreak, from a mother’s disillusion to a political debate raging in her household, Olympia is on the verge of a breakdown. And then, at the height of the turmoil, an unexpected visitor arrives, bringing a life-altering crisis and change for the entire family, even as they race to a blue-blooded coming-out ball. All find a way to navigate the turbulence with grace, humor, and a will to survive. And, amidst heartache and loss, new bonds and new futures are born. And one ball becomes a catalyst for change, revelation, acceptance, and love.