Taylor and Nathan Young had the perfect life. Living in a
five million dollar house designed and furnished by Taylor
in the most perfect and enviable taste. Wardrobe to die for.
Three adorable daughters and a host of very socially elite
friends who shared her interests in volunteering for
fundraising events. Who would know that lurking beneath
Taylor's perfect appearance is the insecure girl formerly
known as Tammy Jones. Her flight toward perfection leaves
her stressed and harried but this is how they all live isn't
it? At first glance Taylor seems to be very one dimensional
with all her energies directed toward her volunteer
responsibilities. Household and family chores are provided
through the hired help. All she has to do is keep up her
youthful appearance and her life with Nathan will continue
in perfection. However the Young's perfect world is about to
crumble like a house of cards with the simple pronouncement
of "your cards been declined" the four words no upper
mobile, fashion and social conscience woman ever expects or
wants to hear.
Waiting for the next shoe to drop Taylor retreats to the
sanctity of her bed in her extravagant lingerie. But when
she is left to provide basic needs for her daughters, in the
unexpected absence of Nathan, with no cash, no checking
account, no credit cards -- she has to draw on strengths and
resources hidden deep within. She quickly realizes that she
does not have the luxury of escaping into food and shopping
obsessions that have plagued her most of her life. As her
support group starts to diminish she is also faced with the
realization that those she called friends were not willing
to overlook the financial straits she faced. Their respect
for her diminished on a plane with her financial future.
Armed with a new found inner strength Taylor becomes
proactive in order to save her family. As her independence
and resolve increases her relationship with Nathan gets even
more strained. Now she is also faced with helping her
husband recover from his own sense of failure.
At first glance Jane Porter has created a very unlikable
character in Taylor Young as she flits from one self
indulgence to another. You are immediately aware that her
value is based on what she creates for others. She judges
herself solely on how well she accomplishes each fundraising
and volunteering task. She is so one dimensional that you
want to dismiss her. But then Porter allows you to grow with
Taylor as she must grow when faced with life's curves. And
you are also made painfully aware that Taylor's problems are
all too real in this world of amazing debt and the harsh
choices people face when reality hits home. No easy
solutions, just hard work and inner strength will hopefully
bring resolve to the Young families problems. Good lessons
for us all.
As a young California girl growing up in a blue collar
neighborhood, Taylor Young dreamed of being popular,
beautiful, and acquiring a wardrobe to die for.
Not to
mention marrying a handsome, successful man and living
happily ever after in a gorgeous house with three wonderful
children.
Now, at 36, Taylor has reached the pinnacle of her
dreams, but is it all about to unravel?
As the new school
year approaches, Taylor prepares herself for playing the
perfect alpha mom: organizing class activities,
fund-raising, and chairing the school auction. But the
horror! Her archrival, bohemian mom Marta Zinsser, is named
Head Room Mom of Taylor's daughter's fifth grade class.
As
tensions rise at committee meetings and school activities,
the two rivals seem to be destined for a final
confrontation. But as Taylor plans her next move, she is
floored by a more serious blow at home-her husband has been
secretly unemployed for the past six months. With her posh
lifestyle crumbling, Taylor struggles to maintain her alpha
image-but could Marta, who cares little about appearances,
be her only true friend?