The Gifted School
Riverhead Books
July 2, 2019
Fiction - Contemporary
⭐️⭐️⭐️
What does it mean to be “gifted”? Is it book smart? Street smart? A savant?
Rose, Samantha, Lauren, and Rose are best friends, bonded together when they met at a “mommy and me” swim class after their kids were born. Eleven years later, their friendships are solid, nothing can break them apart, right?
When the announcement about a public school specifically designed for enhanced learners is coming to their small Colorado town, they are excited to watch as their children shine. As the admissions process begins for the Gifted School, tensions begin to rise. Assumptions are made. Feelings are dismissed and their children become the kindling of a fire they never realized was there.
Can these women work through their insecurities within their own lives and finally let the truth be revealed? Or will their friendships be crushed by the competition the new school has rooted within each of them?
In The Gifted School, Bruce Holsinger writes from the perspective of several characters. This technique brings a thought-provoking take on parenting, the comparisons made, and the pressures put on our children. As a reader and a parent, one can reflect on their actions and how it can affect not only our adult relationships, but our children as well.
However, these different perspectives and jumping around from one to the other, made the story slightly difficult to follow. Plus, the timeline was a little scrambled, causing the reader to question what is happening when. In addition, the amount of profanity was considerable and unwarranted in order to get the point across. Therefore, a rating of 3 out 5 stars is given.
As a word of caution, this book does have several issues it touches on that may be alarming to some. If triggered by drug and alcohol abuse, shoplifting, suicidal thoughts, bullying, or infidelity please be careful.
All in all, an intriguing look into the pressures parents put on themselves and our children. Would recommend to any parent with exceptional children, as do we not all have them?