Moral Compass by Danielle Steel – a Review

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Description:
Saint Ambrose Prep is a place where the wealthy send their children for the best possible education, with teachers and administrators from the Ivy League, and graduates who become future lawyers, politicians, filmmakers, and CEOs. Traditionally a boys-only school, Saint Ambrose has just enrolled one hundred and forty female students for the first time. Even though most of the kids on the campus have all the privilege in the world, some are struggling, wounded by their parents’ bitter divorces, dealing with insecurity and loneliness. In such a heightened environment, even the smallest spark can become a raging fire.

One day after the school’s annual Halloween event, a student lies in the hospital, her system poisoned by dangerous levels of alcohol. Everyone in this sheltered community—parents, teachers, students, police, and the media—are left trying to figure out what actually happened. Only the handful of students who were there when she was attacked truly know the answers and they have vowed to keep one another’s secrets. As details from the evening emerge, powerful families are forced to hire attorneys and less powerful families watch helplessly. Parents’ marriages are jeopardized, and students’ futures are impacted. No one at Saint Ambrose can escape the fallout of a life-altering event.

In this compelling novel, Danielle Steel illuminates the dark side of one drunken night, with its tragic consequences, from every possible point of view. As the drama unfolds, the characters will reach a crossroads where they must choose between truth and lies, between what is easy and what is right, and find the moral compass they will need for the rest of their lives.

Review:

Moral Compass by Danielle Steel is another one of her wonderful emotional standalone novels.  The above description is perfect to lead into this storyline. ‘Saint Ambrose Prep is a place where the wealthy send their children for the best possible education, with teachers and administrators from the Ivy League, and graduates who become future lawyers, politicians, filmmakers, and CEOs. Traditionally a boys-only school, Saint Ambrose has just enrolled one hundred and forty female students for the first time.’

We get to meet many of the staff, as well as the students (boys) returning after summer vacation.  We learn about the wealthy parents, and the students who stood out.  We also meet Vivienne, an 18-year-old senior, who misses her friends, as she has moved from Los Angeles to New York and is enrolled in Saint Ambrose Prep.  Vivienne is pretty, smart and slowly makes friends with a few of the girls, but finds herself becoming friends with two of the most popular senior boys, Chase and Jamie. 

One evening after Halloween, Vivienne is walking and comes upon the boys drinking Tequila.  Both Jamie and Chase invite her to join them. They all become drunk on the Tequila, including Vivienne, who becomes under the influence of alcohol poisoning.   Chase and Jamie are best friends, and both like Vivienne, and soon a fight occurs; while the fight is going on, one of the other boys takes advantage of the inebriated girl and rapes her.  The other boys are shocked, not to mention drunk, and though they pull the boy away, they make the mistake of covering it up and leaving the girl unconscious (from the Tequila poisoning).

What follows is a criminal investigation, as we watch two cops on the case, use forensic evidence to discover the boys involved in the drinking, and the rapist.   We get to see the procedures, as well as the charges against the boys, and the families coming forth to protect their sons.   Vivienne does recover, and also keeps quiet, as she feels only one person was guilty and did not want them to go to jail and ruin their lives.  As things continue to unfold, I did like when two of the boys decide to go past their parent’s decision and tell the truth, which brings most of the others to do the same, with the exception of the rapist.

Moral Compass is a very compelling story that was very well written by Danielle Steel, and covers moral topics such as underage drinking, sexual assault, and things that change the course of the lives of so many innocents.   There were a lot of interesting characters throughout, such as the parents of the boys (some good and some belligerent), Vivienne; the school teachers and management, and the two investigators, who were very good.   Moral Compass was a very good story, which I suggest you read.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher