INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER“Wise and addictive… The Gifted School is the juiciest novel I’ve read in ages… a suspenseful, laugh-out-loud page-turner and an incisive inspection of privilege, race and class.”–J. Courtney Sullivan in The New York Times“The summer read that predicted the college-admissions scandal.” -The Wall Street Journal Smart and juicy, a compulsively readable novel about a … –The Wall Street Journal
Smart and juicy, a compulsively readable novel about a previously happy group of friends and parents that is nearly destroyed by their own competitiveness when an exclusive school for gifted children opens in the community
This deliciously sharp novel captures the relentless ambitions and fears that animate parents and their children in modern America, exploring the conflicts between achievement and potential, talent and privilege.
Set in the fictional town of Crystal, Colorado, The Gifted School is a keenly entertaining novel that observes the drama within a community of friends and parents as good intentions and high ambitions collide in a pile-up with long-held secrets and lies. Seen through the lens of four families who’ve been a part of one another’s lives since their kids were born over a decade ago, the story reveals not only the lengths that some adults are willing to go to get ahead, but the effect on the group’s children, sibling relationships, marriages, and careers, as simmering resentments come to a boil and long-buried, explosive secrets surface and detonate. It’s a humorous, keenly observed, timely take on ambitious parents, willful kids, and the pursuit of prestige, no matter the cost.
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I couldn’t put this book down, I was totally sucked in by all of the twists and turns. A fascinating look at white, middle class anxiety.
4 moms who met when their children were babies in swim class have developed a strong friendship that has lasted over a decade…. Until there is an announcement that a gifted charter school will be opening up in their area. The first round of admission involves a test to see who advances to round 2.
Rose and Gareth have one child, a daughter known as Emma Q. Q is a bright child and Rose’s focus becomes getting her into the school. At the same time, Rose is trying to get a research grant for her department and attempting to improve her relationship with Gareth. To what lengths will she go to get Q into the gifted school?
Emma Z, Q’s best friend, is the only child of Samantha and Kev Zellar, a wealthy couple from a successful family. Samantha expects that Z will be admitted to the school as she is clearly more intelligent than Q. Fortunately, Samantha and Kev have the resources at their disposal to help Z in any way they can, from tutors to consultants.
Lauren has two children – Xander and Tessa. Their father, Julian, passed away and Lauren is raising them alone. Xander seems to be a shoo-in for the school with his previously high IQ tests and his expert level chess skills. He’s known as an awkward kid but Lauren knows that the gifted school is where he belongs. Meanwhile, Tessa has struggled with some issues in the past from drinking to wild behavior. She’s out of a treatment program and hoping the families will give her a second chance. Tessa absolutely loves fashion and starts to think maybe she could belong at the gifted school too.
Beck and Azra are divorced co-parents of twins Charlie and Aidan. Their marriage ended when Beck had an affair with their au pair, Sonja, Beck’s current wife and mother to his baby. Charlie and Aidan excel at soccer and have always been a pair. Azra questions if the gifted school could be a fit for them. But what happens when one twin starts to out perform the other? How can Beck and Azra acknowledge that the boys have different gifts without making one feel inferior?
This book drew me to it like some sort of horrific crash from which I could not look away. As the characters start to make bad decision after bad decision in the hopes of giving their child an edge, you see how the gifted school is driving a wedge between these friends. As lies and secrets pile up, it seems like there is no possible positive outcome for these four intertwined families. This book really explores how much parents are willing to do to get their children ahead and how quickly friends can turn on each other when their children’s future is on the line. Great, fascinating look into parents’ competitive mindsets.
Sad,but true that parents will do anything to get their children into the most prestigious schools whether their kids wanted and whether they are qualified.
The story was ok but too many characters made it hard to follow.
Put a microscope on a bunch of overly ambitious parents in a small, privileged town and what do you get? The Gifted School. Holsinger’s story of competitive suburbia is a relatable page turner. If you’re a parent struggling to keep up with the demands placed on your kid’s education, this book will strike a chord. Quick and smart, I loved every page. Highly recommend!
-Description-
In an affluent Colorado town, they are opening up a magnet school for the gifted & talented students in the surrounding 4 counties. Four mothers (four best friends) are all vying for the coveted spots in the school….and all hell breaks loose.
-Thoughts-
1. When I first heard of this book, it was described as Big Little Lies with standardized tests…and I was like, “Hell Yes!” To be honest, that description couldn’t be more accurate!
2. The four main families that this book concentrates on are just perfection….in the worst sense of the word! They are sneaky and conniving and kind and nuts and deceiving and spoiled and pathetic. But what else do you become when desperation and competition are drowning you??
3. The story is told from various perspectives…which I love in a book. I think the author chose the right characters in this way. A mother, a father, a grandmother, and two children. I liked that it just wasn’t from the four mothers’ viewpoints.
4. The ending was, not necessarily disappointing, but for me slightly unrealistic. A little too “wrapped up in a nice bow” kind of ending. But really, I didn’t mind that. The book was a page turner! And I needed a page turner kind of book.
-Rating-
-Similar Recommended Reads-
Big Little Lies (duh!)
Little Fires Everywhere
Ask Again, Yes
The Husband’s Secret
Timely book on the heels of the recent Admission Scandal. This one is more relatable and realistic, about a toney new public school for gifted middle and high school students in an affluent Colorado area.
Four female friends, all with ‘gifted’ children in common, have been besties since they met when their kids were One. Now, when news of a gifted public school with limited spots is opening, competitiveness rears it’s uglier than normal head. Each one is trying to out do the other, but they maintain their friendships throughout. Some situations are totally realistic ie, financial issues, couples with different views on parenting, the gifted process, travel soccer drama, to name a few. The friends can be both likable at times, and then change on a dime. But somehow they all stay friends…which I’m not sure is so accurate. Eventually you need to walk away for your own mental health. A little surprise thrown in at the end!
Story was easy to get into, I enjoyed the writing. Enjoyable read, not as good as I had heard, but still well done to hold your attention.
Ooh, this is a great non-beach-read beach read! Smart, a little literary, but all fun and games and no stress, with an engrossing story and characters. It’s not a thriller but it has a touch of Liane Moriarty just the same.
It’s like Big Little Lies meets … well, today’s headlines about wealthy parents willing to break the rules and their own moral codes in the interest of promoting their children. Full of twists and extremely well written, I tore through it.