The Whittiers: The heartwarming new novel about the importance of family from the billion copy bestseller

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Lyle, worried about his two children, bringing them to the mansion every other week, and doing everything he could to finalize his divorce. Gloria was a successful lawyer, who had no relationships with others. Caro and Charlie, were running a fashion business, which were long hours, and more funds were needed to help promote their work. Benjie was at times hard to handle, but the love of his family always helped him; he also had two cute dogs. Annabelle was the wild one, always staying out all hours, until she needed help from her family.

The future of the family – and also their home – is now in question. The house is a refuge providing comfort . . . but each of them will learn that to move forward and face their challenges, they must be true to themselves and come together to support one another. In every family, each member has their own personal struggles. The Whittiers are no exception. Lyle is successful but has an unhappy marriage. Gloria is a genius on Wall Street but lonely. Twins Caroline and Charlie work all hours on their growing fashion brand, but have no time to enjoy life and discover who they really are. Benjie has personal challenges and requires additional support. And rebellious Annabelle has fallen in with a bad crowd. Preston and Constance Whittier have built a happy life together with a brood of six children raised in a beautiful historic Manhattan mansion. Now, with a nearly empty nest, it’s easier than ever for the Whittiers to maintain their tradition of a solo romantic “wintermoon” ski trip. In every family, each member has their own personal struggles. The Whittiers are no exception. Lyle is successful but has an unhappy marriage. Gloria is a genius on Wall Street but lonely. Twins Caroline and Charlie work all hours on their growing fashion brand, but have no time to enjoy life. Benjie has personal challenges and requires additional support. And rebellious Annabelle has fallen in with a bad crowd.

But with this year’s trip comes tragedy, and suddenlythe Whittiers’ adult children find themselves reuniting in the family home without their parents for the first time ever.The oldest, Lyle, is reaching a breaking point in his marriage and must decide whether a divorce would be best for him and his two children. Gloria’s big job on Wall Street has kept her single at thirty-nine, and growing ever more cynical. The twins, Caroline and Charlie, moved out long ago to start a fashion business that may now be faltering. Benjie, with special needs, is hit hard by the loss of his parents and needs his siblings’ help. And Annabelle, the youngest, drops out of college and starts to spin out of control. I do believe this author has potential, because something about the writing seemed like it could be interesting, I just wish there was an interesting plot as well. I see the author has written a ton of books maybe that's the problem I don't know. As with many of Steel's novels, "The Whittiers" revolves around characters who are wealthy and live charming lives. However, what sets this book apart is its focus on family dynamics and the unexpected challenges they face. The Whittier siblings find themselves divided on how to handle major family issues, but their love and loyalty to one another shine through, making this a heartwarming story.

Preston and Connie Whittier have spent their lives in successful lucrative careers and raising their six children. But with this year’s trip comes tragedy. Suddenly, their adult children find themselves reuniting in the family home without their parents for the first time ever. The oldest, Lyle, is reaching a breaking point in his marriage and must decide whether a divorce would be best for him and his two children. Gloria’s big job on Wall Street has kept her single at forty, and growing ever more cynical. The twins, Caroline and Charlie, moved out long ago to start a fashion business that may now be faltering. Benjie, with special needs, is hit hard by the loss of his parents and needs his siblings’ help. And Annabelle, the youngest, drops out of college and starts to spin out of control.Each face challenges, come together and follow a journey of self discovery while dealing with grief. Everything is explained at least 4 times. In case you didn't know Gloria is 39. And yes, the sister Gloria who is 39, is also 39. Oh and then entered Gloria, the sister, aged 39. That's pretty much the first half of the book. There were 6 siblings after all, lots of ground to cover. The entire purpose of the book seemed to have a political agenda to it, but not enough to convince the reader or get the reader to fall in love with the characters. If I had to rate it out of five stars, I would give it one. The Whittiers" by Danielle Steel is a comforting and enjoyable read. Steel's books have always been like literary popcorn for me, providing a bubble bath for my brain. Out of all her books in 2022, this one stands out as the best.

Story centers on the close knit ‘Whittier family’: parents Preston and Constance and their six adult children: Lyle is the oldest at 42, Gloria 39, twins Charlie and Caroline 33, Benjie 28 and Annabella is 21.

This is a warm, touching novel that reveals the resilience and loving support of a family on the heels of a tragic loss. At a time when the news headlines carry daily reminders of the sad state of human interactions, this story provided a much-needed, heart-warming respite. Connie and Preston Whittier raised their six children in a once-grand Manhattan mansion. The children are now adults, but the house remains the heart of the family and somewhere they all love to return to, particularly in times of stress. But on Connie and Peter’s annual skiing holiday in Europe, an avalanche hits their resort, resulting in tragedy. There may be some spoilers but it's not like anything substantial happens in this book so whatever: But with this year’s trip comes tragedy, and suddenly the Whittiers’ adult children find themselves reuniting in the family home without their parents for the first time ever. The oldest, Lyle, is reaching a breaking point in his marriage and must decide whether a divorce would be best for him and his two children. Gloria’s big job on Wall Street has kept her single at thirty-nine, and growing ever more cynical. The twins, Caroline and Charlie, moved out long ago to start a fashion business that may now be faltering. Benjie, with special needs, is hit hard by the loss of his parents and needs his siblings’ help. And Annabelle, the youngest, drops out of college and starts to spin out of control.

The Whittiers by Danielle Steel is another one of her wonderful standalone novels. The Whittiers is a fantastic family-oriented story line. We meet the entire family from the start, with the parents, Preston and Connie, as well as their children, Lyle (oldest at 42), Gloria (39), twins Charlie and Caro (33), Benjie (28- autism spectrum) and Annabelle (youngest at 21); as they all celebrate Christmas every year. They are a very close-knit family, with only Amanda, Lyle’s wife being an outcast, only caring about money. After the holidays, Preston and Connie always go away to Europe for an annual vacation, with this year going skiing to France. In every family, each member has their own personal struggles. The Whittiers are no exception. Lyle is successful but has an unhappy marriage. Gloria is a genius on Wall Street but lonely. Twins Caroline and Charlie work all hours on their growing fashion brand, but have no time to enjoy life and discover who they really are. Benjie has personal challenges and requires additional support. And rebellious.As excellent and well known Danielle Steel is as an author, in my opinion her latest novel "The Whittiers" is not one of her best works. The main idea of the book was ambitious but not all that well developed. To summarize, the story follows a total of six siblings and their various storylines in the aftermath of a tragedy (respectfully, I won't divulge the details any further than this for those who decide to read the book).