When an author causes me to invest so much emotion in a character or situation I must compliment them on their success. A good book doesn't always have loveable characters doing "the right thing," and leave me with a warm fuzzy. The thing that disgusts me so thoroughly about these people (yes, people, not characters) is that they are so wealthy and have so many opportunities for good that they don't even consider. The plot is a great example of absolute power corrupting absolutely.

The plot is simple, the old man is a grand old Hollywood movie star called "Duke." He is a womanizer and his mistress, Caroline, moves into the house with his wife, Minnie, and adult children Peter and Laura. The two have a son, Hunter. A short time later Peter and his wife Claire have a daughter, Sienna, who is absolutely the only light in grandpa's eyes to the exclusion of the rest of the family. This rankles Peter and Caroline, and hurts everyone else. When Duke dies Caroline, Hunter, and Sienna's golden hours end. The rest of the book centers on Sienna and her efforts to become adored again; a term she doesn't really understand.

The sharply contrasting images of Hollywood and the English countryside, mansions and dairy farms, loving parents and familial dilettantes are the battlegrounds wherein the characters are broken down and cobbled back together. The pieces don't fit back together so well when they are done, but you can still tell from what mold they were cast.