I will admit I haven't read much Danielle Steel, but all that I have read I have thoroughly enjoyed including this book.Lily is training for the Winter Olympics, when tragedy strikes and a chair lift breaks and she falls.She suffers a spinal cord injury, and the surgeon that operates on her, Jessie, her husband dies in a road traffic accident while operating on Lily. Obviously it takes a while for Lily and her father to accept the long term ramifications of the injury. However once it starts to sink in, Bill, her ridiculously rich father, decides to make it his life's work to set up a young people's rehab centre, that sounds amazing.I can't explain what it was about this book that gripped me, but I struggled to put this novel down from the start. I found it a very interesting story, and keep thinking about it now I'm done.Very impressed with this book. Winners by Danielle Steel is definitely a winner itself. The settings are wonderfully described, the plot is clear and precise, and the characters are realistic and well-developed. It deals with rehabilitation of people with complete spinal cord injuries or SC. With complete spinal cord injuries, there is no hope of fixing it and the person is paralyzed from that point down. Lily Thomas was in training for the Olympics in downhill skiing. She was very fast and precise and loved what she was doing. As the only daughter of a wealthy father, she grew up in a rarified environment. She could buy and do anything she wanted; but in spite of this, she was sweet and sincere and not spoiled. It was a January day in Squaw Valley and it was snowing. The slopes would be closed later that day if the snow kept up; but now they were open and Lily with her trainer Jesse, headed for the slopes. As they were at the highest point of the chairlift from the mountain, the chain broke throwing the people of the chairs down onto the mountain. Jesse was killed instantly; but Lily barely survived by the time the rescuers found her. She had a complete spinal cord injury on her 5-6 vertebrae. She would be paralyzed from the waist down and spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. Her father refuses to accept this diagnosis and insists on taking her to see the best neurosurgeons in the world to find a more hopeful diagnosis. Upon returning home, Lily heads to a rehabilitation place in Colorado called Craig. Here she would learn the skills necessary for her to live a full life instead of living as an invalid. Here she meets Teddy who was an SIC 10 which meant he didn’t have control of his breathing. He did, however, have great spirits and a goal for his future. He helped Lily acclimate herself to Craig and they became very close friends. He was here full time and had been since his accident. His parents never visited nor had him come home. This was difficult for Lily to comprehend and she simply added Teddy to her family. Bill, with the help of a friend from New York, Joe, decides to create a new center for SIC patients from about 10 to 17. At 17, they would go on to Craig. It wouldn’t include patients who needed full time medical treatment and would include even those who didn’t have insurance or money. He wants it to be the best possible facility. Will he be able to do this? In the process, will he learn to let Lily go and live her life on her terms? As usual, Danielle wrote a fantastic story. It definitely points out the need for facilities like Craig for those with spinal injuries. She also shows that there is life after a life-changing injury but that you could still fulfill those goals. It was a great book and one that needed tissues. Tissues always mean a good book.
What do You think about Winners (2013)?
really liked this one...pretty typical of Danielle steel but still enjoyable!!!
—Paige
