When Leni's family hit the lottery, life got . . . well, strange. Leni's parents built a mansion fit for royalty; they enrolled their daughter in the fanciest, most expensive private school in Florida; and they even bought Leni a dolphin for her 12th birthday (she made them take it back). But all of that extravagant living has caught up with them and the lottery money is about to run out—except for the large trust fund Leni will inherit on her 18th birthday, now only a week away. Leni is prepared to give her parents the money until her sister, Natasha, confesses a shocking secret—one that threatens to destroy their entire family. Leni has been ordered to fix it, but how?
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Courtesy of Mother Daughter Book Club. com
By Cynthia Hudson
What would you do if you won $70 million dollars in the lottery? For Leni’s family in Florida, it meant lots of spending on both selfish pursuits and worthy causes. Which is why it’s nearly all gone only seven years later. Most of what remains is in a trust fund for Leni for her to claim on her 18th birthday a week away.Thinking about what she’ll do with her money she reviews where the rest went: her older brother Eddie spent his on travel and extravagance and now rarely leaves the basement of the mega-mansion their parents built. Her sister Natasha bought a tea shop that struggles to stay afloat even though business appears to be doing well. And her parents? They bought lots of stuff and gave some away to friends and relatives who really needed it. Now they are counting on Leni to turn over her trust fund to them so they can continue leading this lifestyle they’ve become accustomed to for just a little longer.Leni is resigned to giving up the money, even if it means revising her dreams of college. But when she finds out that Natasha may have made a deal with the devil to win the prize and an angel appears telling her to make it right, she begins to have doubts about what to do. She takes a hard look at what having money has done to her family and struggles to find a solution that may put her family back together.Even without the devil/angel element, Spoils by Tammar Stein fascinates with its look at how lots and lots of money can change people. Believing they have no reason to earn money ever again, they often make decisions that don’t fit with the values they have lived with in the past. They don’t know how to judge who likes them for their money and who likes them for the people they are.I recommend Spoils for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 15 and up. It can spark interesting discussions on how book club members speculate they would deal with a sudden windfall. It could touch on the presence of real forces of good and evil in the world working to influence people’s minds and hearts. Another big issue to discuss includes figuring out what’s important to you in life and determining how to pursue it.The author gave me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Like a much-needed trip to Florida this winter
By Bonnie Taylor
One thing that always strikes me about Stein's books is how she makes the setting come alive. Whether the story is set at a Virginia university, on a European odyssey, or--as with this book--in Florida, the reader is transported there, and can see the unfolding action so clearly.I like how this book takes a topic that most of us would welcome (winning the lottery) and looks at it from a much darker side. You can really feel time slipping away as Leni's birthday comes closer and closer and she is faced with a big choice.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.Thought-provoking and well-written
By Vikki Bravo
I just finished Spoils and it was terrific. The story caught my interest right away and held it all the way through. It was thought-provoking, surprising, and addressed some important real life issues. The author conveys a respect for the reader in that she doesn't avoid or whitewash difficult dilemmas. I am a big fan.
