Product Description
 
This compelling, centuries-spanning novel brilliantly interweaves the lives of two women—a writer working in the heart of modern academia and a daring young Sioux Indian on an incredible journey in the eighteenth century. The result is an unforgettable story of courage in the face of the unknown.

At the age of thirty-eight, Brigitte Nicholson has a job she likes, a man she loves, and a book on the women’s suffrage movement that she will finish—someday. Someday is Brigitte’s watchword. Someday she and Ted, a rising star in the field of archaeology, will clarify their relationship. Someday she will have children. Someday she will stop playing it so safe. Then, on a snowy day in Boston, Brigitte’s life is jolted. Suddenly everything she counted on has changed and she finds herself questioning every choice she has made along the way.

As she struggles to regain her balance and plot a new course, Brigitte agrees to help her mother on a family genealogy project. In Salt Lake City at the Family History Library, she makes a stunning discovery—reaching back to the French aristocracy. How did Brigitte’s mysterious ancestor Wachiwi, a Dakota Sioux, travel from the Great Plains to the French court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette—and into the arms of a French marquis? How did she come to marry into Brigitte’s family? What is the truth behind the tantalizing clues in the fragmented, centuries-old records?
 
Following the threads of Wachiwi’s life, Brigitte travels to South Dakota, then on to Paris, irresistibly drawn to this brave young woman who lived so long ago. And as she comes closer to solving the puzzle of Wachiwi’s journey, her previously safe, quiet life becomes an adventure of its own. A chance meeting with a writer of historical fiction, a new opportunity, and a difficult choice put Brigitte at last in the forefront of her own story. With a complex and powerful family legacy coming to life around her, someday is no longer in the future. Instead, in Danielle Steel’s mesmerizing new novel, someday is now.
  ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Compelling story telling
Brigitte Nicholson, an assistant admissions director at BU for eleven years, is happy enough with her life. Her job isn't particularly stimulating but she likes it okay, and she's had a six year relationship with Ted Weiss, an archaeology professor who she expects to marry and have children with eventually.Then overnight everything changes and her world is turned upside down when Ted gets a dig in Egypt that he's coveted for years, but he tells Brigitte he can't take her with him. Then a few days later she loses her job. Shellshocked, she goes to see her mother and, having nothing better to do, agrees to help her with a family genealogy project. She goes to Utah to the famous Mormon Research Library in Salt Lake City and makes an amazing discovery. One of her ancestors was a Dakota Sioux girl named Wachiwi, the daughter of a powerful chief, who somehow traveled to France and married a marquis, a French nobleman. Fascinated, to put it mildly, Brigitte decides to pursue this hint further, and flies to Paris for more research. And there, almost by accident, she runs into Marc Henri, a charming Frenchman who writes historical fiction, and helps her with her project. Soon her life takes a turn for the better as she falls in love with Marc, and comes to know and appreciate Wachiwi, her brave and resourceful long-gone relative. Author Steel cleverly splices the stories of these two women, one a 38-year-old American, not sure of where she's going in life, and Wachiwi, a beautiful Indian princess, who lived centures apart yet shared a common heritage. I found the Indian chapters in the book, describing their customs, particulary interesting.

Could not put it down!
I've never read a Danielle Steel book before now and I am thrilled Legacy was my first. I could not put this book down! I could not get enough of the characters and all the surprises that took place. What a wonderful storyteller!

Legacy, A Novel
Not exactly a run of the mill Danielle Steel.A very interesting story from a master story teller. a good read.

Danielle is back!
For a while I stopped reading some of Danielle Steele's books.
Her writing had 'changed' somehow - and I lost interest.

I grabbed "Legacy"to take for a quick get-away and I was pleased to
experience that her ability to grab my attention, and capture
my imagination was back! I LOVED this story and read it
in just a few sittings.If you like the original Danielle Steele-
you will LOVE this one!I recommend it highly. D.H.

Danielle Steel
I enjoy all the Danielle Steel novels and read this one as soon as it was released. ... Read more

Product Description
Danielle Steel sweeps us from a Manhattan courtroom to the Deep South in her powerful new novel—at once a behind-closed-doors look into the heart of a family and a tale of crime and punishment.

SOUTHERN LIGHTS

Eleven years have passed since Alexa Hamilton left the South behind, fleeing the pain of her ex-husband’s betrayal and the cruelty of his prominent Charleston family. Now an assistant D.A. in Manhattan, Alexa has finally put her demons to rest, raising her daughter alone and making a name for herself as a top prosecutor taking on some of the city’s toughest cases.

But as Alexa prepares for her latest case, the high-stakes trial of accused serial killer Luke Quentin, threatening letters addressed to Savannah, her beautiful seventeen-year-old daughter, throw Alexa’s private life into turmoil. Certain that Quentin is behind the letters, Alexa must make the toughest choice of all: to send her daughter back to her ex-husband’s world of southern tradition and memories of betrayal.

While Alexa’s trial builds to a climax in New York, her daughter settles into southern life, discovering a father and family history she barely knows. As secrets are exposed and old wounds are healed, Alexa and Savannah, after a season in different worlds, will come together again – strengthened by the challenges they have faced and changed by the mysteries they have unraveled.

From the gritty chaos of Manhattan’s criminal court system to the seductive gentility of the South, from the rage of a hardened criminal to the tender bond between a mother and a daughter, Southern Lights will catch you off guard at every turn. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (49)

Blah Blah Blah
The plot was okay, it was interesting and the main character was a strong woman, someone you could look up to. BUT, the repetition in this book was insane.Yes, we know the daughter was beautiful, yes we get it that she's smart, yes we get it that she's a good daughter, yes we get it that she loves her mother, and yes the evil stepmother was evil and the Southern Daddy was charming.We REALLY get it, and if you didn't get it then DS will tell you again and again and again.Do yourself a favor, buy some Nora Roberts.

Easy Reading
I enjoyed reading this book. I have read almost all the books D.S. has written and thiswas the most flowing of them. No great conflicts or earthshaking torments. While there were problems for the characters in the plot, they worked themselves out without so much drama as in most of her other works. I especially enjoyed her portrayal of the Charleston area and found it to be very accurate and embodying the color of the place. As always, she spins her dramas into happy endings and this was no exception. Easy reading.

Danielle Steel is back!
Well-written novel from the queen of modern novels.Although Alexa Hamilton's last wish is to send her daughter, Savannah, back to her ex-husband, she feels she must in order to keep Savannah safe from threats of a criminal she is prosecuting.Savannah is at first treated like an outsider among her father's new family.And when Tom finally takes a stand in Savannah's defense, Savannah becomes involved in his second family's life and they in hers.Very absorbing reading from start to finish.

Time to retire Danielle Steel
Don't let my one star rating fool you - I only gave that much because I found no grammatical or spelling errors in the book.That alone deserves at least one star.

Having said that, as a long time fan of Danielle Steel, I am profoundly disappointed in her disinterest in writing.The past few books have been a tremendous letdown, and I'm shocked.One of two things happened: either I have outgrown her style of writing, or she has gotten lazy and unimaginative.

This reader is insulted by her weak attempt in writing about the South.As someone who has travelled all over the United States, and lived on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line, I'm embarrassed FOR Danielle Steel - she clearly has no concept on real southern living.If I had to read the phrase "Bless Her Heart" one more time, I felt that I very well would have to stab myself in the eye.

Take a break from writing Danielle Steel - its time to let reality visit you and allow your readers to lick our wounds from this latest embarrassing attempt at writing - we're wounded because you assumed we had a third grade education and a complete disregard for our very realistic and very diverse cultural exposures.

Retire - take a vacation, or better yet, retire.Please.

Liked this heroine
I liked the way Ms. Steel handled the whole relationship between Tom and Alexa.I think that was more accurate in how a woman of today would act.Tom got everything he deserved and more!I would have liked the character of Luke to be more fleshed out.I thought since the book opened with him that we would be more privy to his thoughts.The trial didn't take up a lot of the book but if it did more of Luke's motivation would have been revealed perhaps instead of the generic label . . . ... Read more

Product Description
Annie Ferguson was a bright young Manhattan architect. Talented, beautiful, just starting out with her first job, new apartment and boyfriend, she had the world in the palm of her hand—until a single phone call altered the course of her life forever. Overnight, she became the mother to her sister’s three orphaned children, keeping a promise she never regretted making, even if it meant putting her own life indefinitely on hold.

Now, at forty-two, as independent as ever, with a satisfying career and a family that means everything to her, Annie is comfortable being single and staying that way. She appears to have no time for anything else. With her nephew and nieces now young adults and confronting major challenges of their own, Annie is navigating a parent’s difficult passage between lending them a hand and letting go, and suddenly facing an empty nest. The eldest, twenty-eight-year-old Liz, an overworked, struggling editor in a high-powered job at Vogue, has never allowed any man to come close enough to hurt her. Ted, at twenty-four a serious and hardworking law student, is captivated by a much older, much more experienced woman with children, who is leading him much further than he wants to go. And the youngest, twenty-one-year-old Katie—impulsive, artistic, rebellious—is an art student about to make a choice that will lead her to an entirely different world she is in no way prepared for but determined to embrace.

Then, just when least expected, a chance encounter changes Annie’s life yet again in the most unexpected direction of all. 

From Manhattan to Paris and all the way to Tehran, Family Ties is a novel that reminds us how challenging and unpredictable life can be, and that the powerful bonds of family are the strongest of all. 
  ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Mary
I was a bit hesitant to buy another Danielle Steel, but this book was riveting.
Interesting insight on when children fly the nest, and never really leaving your heart. The piece on travelling to Iran was fascinating~!

a very annoying book in many ways
I also agree with the review that said many of the paragraphs were just repeats of the one above.There were so many times that the same thing was said over and over and over!!! That was just one of the problems with this book.I found the characters to be uninteresting and not very likable.It's the story of an aunt that dedicates her life to raise and take care of her deceased sister's three children.Once the children are grown and moved out the aunt (who never married and had children of her own) struggles with empty nest syndrome.I found the aunt to be way too uptight. She is a workaholic and just came across as really boring! The children each struggle with their own issues too.The boy Ted gets addicted to sex with one of his law school professors (who is much older than him and the mother of two kids) and gets trapped in a sex-based relationship he doesn't want to be in (but he keeps going back for the sex).I really just wanted to slap him a few times and tell him to start using his brain to think instead of his reproductive organ. Realisticly I feel no man his age would have put up with the things he was from the psychotic woman he was with (the woman told him she loved him on their first date and started talking about moving in and marriage after four weeks!! Most intelligent men would have run for the hills by then. He wasn't even sure he loved her and yet he kept going back to her even after her psycho behavior). It took Ted a lot longer and a more drama to finally wake up. I kept rolling my eyes and saying "puhhleeeeese" in my head.
The most annoying part of the book was when the youngest girl Katie goes to visit Tehran with her Persian boyfriend that she is in love with.They seem to have a very good and healthy relationship before this trip.The uptight aunt is of course freaking out over this fact. Even though the boyfriend is polite, respectful, intelligent and obviously loves her niece. The two love-birds go to Tehran and everything is going great until all of a sudden out of nowhere the boy's aunt and uncle who are hosting them decide that the boy must stay in Iran and not go back to New York.The boy tells them that he doesn't want to stay and furthermore his parents want him to come home but the uncle insist he must stay in Iran. I found this VERY hard to believe.It also really irritated me that the author was trying to depict this as being a typical mind-set for Persians which I know for a fact is not (I'm married to a Persian and am friends with lots of Persians). The fact that the uncle and aunt turned out to be crazy had nothing to do with the fact that they were Persian, which is what this author seemed to imply. I lost respect for her for that.
Overall this book had too many faults for me to recommend it to anyone.

Great value!
Book arrived in timely fashion, in excellent new condition and was a great read! Would purchase from this seller again.

ENJOYABLE QUICK READ
Annie Ferguson is a very talented architect who inherits her sister's three children to raise.She foregoes a life of her own for her career and the children.She finds it extremely hard to let go of the children when they all leave home.Ted is off to NYU for law school, Liz has an apartment of her own and works for a fashion magazine, and Kate the youngest is living in the dorm at Pratt Design where she is a student.Very enjoyable and rapid read.

Family Ties Book purchase
Book arrived earlier that I expected in very good condition as promised.Very pleased. I would buy from this seller again. ... Read more

Product Description
Happy housewife Page Clarke finds her life changed forever when her teenaged daughter, Allyson, is in a car accident, and, without her husband Brad there to lean on, Page turns to handsome Trygve, whose own daughter was also injured. Reprint. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (73)

Good Book
I read this book a long time ago, but I still think it is one of the best books that I have read. I hope you enjoy it.

Awwwwww!!!
I love to read Danielle Steel Books, this is the first book I read of hers and I loved it so much, I've read a few more including: Rogue, The Promise, Ransom and I have The Ring to read. I enjoyed each and everyone of them...

danielle steel-accident
the book came 2 days before the last date it said it would come in.
the book came in good condition despite the fact that it said "used"
it looked pretty new just a little bent but its almost perfect

decent book, but leaves something to be desired
I wish this book were more conclusive about Allyson's fate- but I guess you can't have everything. It sure is easy to hate the husband in this book!

Couldn't put it down
I'm a huge fan of Danielle Steel I have read all but maybe 8 of her books.This book is one of the first books I read of hers.The first book I ever read was House On Hope Street and I was hooked.I Love all of her books so far,but this is my favorite with House on Hope Street my second.That was a hard choice to make since I really love all of her books so much.I'm reading Loving now.......ENJOY ... Read more

Product Description
Left alone for the summer by her rebellious teenage daughter and a husband whose international business activities allow them almost no time together, Deanna Duras finds solace from her loneliness in an affair with Ben Thompson. Reissue.Amazon.com Review
When events conspire to irrevocably alter Deanna Duras'scomfortable but empty life, Pandora's box can never again beclosed. Over the course of a single summer, Deanna discovers herhusband is cheating on her, begins a successful painting career, losesher 16-year-old daughter Pilar in a tragic motorcycle accident, andmeets the love of her life, Ben Thompson--a highly respected artdealer who plans and executes a phenomenally profitable show forher. Only a creation of Danielle Steel's can accomplish so much insuch a short time (as the rest of the world watches reruns ontelevision!). Matters are complicated further when Deanna discoversshe is pregnant; is the baby her husband's or her lover's? Atsummer's end, Deanna will have to decide between returning to her oldlife or following her heart. --Alison Trinkle ... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

disappointed description
I have bought several books on Amazon and this was the first time I was disappointed with the description of the condition of the book, Summer's End, to what I received.More so, when I tried to find out how to return the book, I never got a response.I will not buy any more books from Onesoldtales! Although I really like all of Danielle Steel's books!

A nice story
Deanna was eighteen when she married a handsome Frenchman attorney Marc-Edouard Duras. She meets him when her father dies and leaves her without any money. Marc takes her under his wing and marries her after a very short courtship. But by marrying him she is also giving up her independence and is marrying into a family who feel that she is unsuitable for marc. Deanna is now 37 when she realises what she has given up for Marc she takes comfort in her art which Marc believes is only a hobby.

Will Deanna regain the independence she's lost during her marriage?

I really enjoyed this and read it in a matter of a few hours!

A great beach or poolside read
Typical Danielle Steel fluff, but one of her better books. A little of everything: love, betrayal, tragedy, and hope.

Summers End but another beginning
What I love most about Danielle Steel is that her books are always the beginning to a better life for the main character, and this one is no different.She has had, in my opinion, some ups and downs in her writing over the last few years but this is one of the ups for her.

Would Reccomend
I usually don't even browse through a DS book. For some reason I bought and read this one. I couldn't put it down, could hardly stand to take a break to sleep. I did cheer for Deanna&Ben.Cried my eyes out over Pilar, even though her character in the book was totally unlovable. I did get frustrated in the end with Deanna and her reasoning behind not contacting Ben about the baby. The visual descriptions make you feel like you're really there. I liked the fact that Danielle and Ben felt an immediate attraction to each other and didn't play games about their feelings. The ending is a let down though. The epilogue should have been set a few years down the road. I loved it when Marc realized he had gotten the short end of the stick after all. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because of the poor editing and the not-so-great ending.Would reccomend. ... Read more

Product Description
At 59, Jack Watson owns one of the most successful boutiques in Beverly Hills, has two adult children who are the light of his life, and his choice of Hollywood's most beautiful women. After a failed marriage in the distant past, and a brief, tragic affair years afterward, Jack has become the perfect bachelor. And he loves it.

Amanda Robbins knew Jack Watson only as her daughter's father-in-law, an incurable playboy whom she dislikes intensely. Theirs had been a relationship based solely upon the marriage of her daughter to his son. And Amanda wants no other relationship with him. But when she becomes a widow unexpectedly, twenty-six years after she retired from Hollywood stardom to become a wife and mother, Amanda finds herself on unfamiliar ground, and is surprised to find herself both befriended by, and attracted to, Jack Watson.Worse yet, she likes him. There is a lot more to him than she previously suspected.

Amanda's shock at her attraction to Jack is equaled only by her children's. Then suddenly, a startling announcement stuns both families, as Jack and Amanda are faced with an unexpected gift that neither thought possible, and with a choice that provides them both considerable challenge. But at a time in their lives when they least expect to feel that way, they not only feel young again, but are blissfully happy, in spite of the confusion, opposition, and obstacles all around them. Special Delivery is about what two people do when life gives them everything they wanted, twenty years after they expected to find it. In her 40th bestselling novel, Danielle Steel makes us laugh and cry as she touches the heart with tenderness and accuracy.Amazon.com Review
Dashing Jack Watson is the playboy owner of Julie's, a chicBeverly Hills toggery. He's sworn off marriage after the love of hislife perished in a car accident a decade ago. One day, his son'smother-in-law--the glamorous ex-starlet Amanda Robbins--is suddenlywidowed after 36 years of wedded bliss. Throughout their children'smarriage, Jack and Amanda have always maintained a cordial loathingfor one another ... You can guess what happens next. Danielle Steel'sSpecial Delivery is a bon-bon of a book only a mother couldlove. Well, not only, but especially--it's a paean to middle-agedromance, uxorial devotion, and maternal sacrifice. The characters areall about a micron thick (maybe less), but there are greater crimesthan obviousness, to be sure. This heaping teaspoon of glitz--everycar's a Ferrari, every drink "French champagne"--will cheerSteel's legions of readers. Mission accomplished. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (51)

Very Good book
It has been a while since I read this book, but I remember that I enjoyed reading this book.

DANIELLE STEEL IS THE BEST
THIS WAS A MARVELOUS BOOK, COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.LOVED IT AS I DO ALL THE BOOKS I PURCHASE ON AMAZON.THANKS FOR GREAT SERVICE.

Best Book Ever;
I love Danielle Steel ~ she is one of my very favorite authors,,,,this book is one of her best ~it is a page turner.won't be able to put it down.Thanks Danielle & I am glad that you are still writing even tho you could give it all up,your are soooooo great at it.I would recommend this book to anyone that wants a book that will hold their interest from page one to the last page.Great Job Danielle as always.connie

Romance for Women in their 50's!!!
It is amazing to read novels that actually reflect the lives of women and men in mid-life.We are still viable, lovable, and wise!Lovely story!Quick read.

My favorite author.
Once I started reading books by Danielle Steel, I became a true fan.I love the stories and the cover design she uses.As a writer myself, I admire the work of this author and I have enjoyed everything she has written and the movies made from her books. ... Read more

Product Description
Determined to get married despite parental disapproval, young architect Michael Hillyard and artist Nancy McAllister are separated just before their wedding by a cruel deception, and each pursues a new life, until they are reunited by fate. Reissue. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (53)

Good But not Great and Get rid of the FOUL language!
The premise of the story is profound.Unfortunately, the execution is shallow.In typical Steel style the ending was wrapped up abruptly in a two page chapter that left this reader dissatisfied.And can't Miss Steel write about normal people...people who aren't rich.....people who aren't born with a silver spoon in their mouth??Can't she write without using dirty and obscene language??All that aside, Steel could create masterpieces but, alas, this is not one of them.It's o.k. but not great.But then, reading Steel is a guilty pleasure and one doesn't need to look for great literature.Great beach reading.

Horribe Editing!
This was one of the first books I purchased for my new Kindle.The typo's, left out words, etc., made it very hard to follow the flow of the publication.I found myself getting very angry and was wondering if all Kindle downloads would be this way.Fortunately, this is the only book I have uncovered that has had such problems.

Excellent!
A great romance!!However, why all the misspelled words?Did her editor mess up and send in the wrong copy?I have never read a book that had so many errors, and didn't expect this from a Danielle Steel novel. Don't let that stop you though, it is a worthy read!

The Promise was written AFTER the movie
While this is a decent book (yes, it does have plot holes you can drive a truck through), it IS NOT Danielle Steel's original work.

The Promise was a screenplay written by Garry Michael White. Danielle Steel was hired to write the movie novelization based on the movie's script.

Not sure if later book editions show this, but early book editions clearly state that it is a novelization based upon the screenplay by Garry Michael White right on the front cover.

I Am Still Reading, But
Why in the world are there so many grammatical and spelling errors in this book? Is the real copy this horrible or is it just the Kindle version? The story seems okay but it is getting ridiculous when "right" is spelled "rigjht". It makes the author look dumb. I read The Cottage too and it was not grammatically correct. Punctuation was missing, misspelled words, words used in the wrong context, and run on sentences. I love the story lines so far but this is the last Danielle Steele novel I will buy until they fix the issues. Very disappointing since I paid for these books.

**Edit** 9/21/2010 I just finished this book amd I have to say that it was easily one of the best stories I have read. So romantic. The characters were so likeable or able to be hated. I would have loved to have given this book a 5 but the typo's were too much. ... Read more

Product Description
Danielle Steel celebrates families of every stripe in her compelling novel—a tale of three very different couples who struggle and survive, love, laugh, and learn to take life . . .
 
 
Coco Barrington was born into a legendary Hollywood family. Her mother, Florence, is a mega-bestselling author. Her sister, Jane, is one of Hollywood’s top producers and has lived with her partner, Liz, for ten years in a solid, loving relationship. Florence, widowed but still radiant, has just begun a secret romance with a man twenty-four years her junior. But Coco, a law-school dropout and the family black sheep, works as a dog walker, having fled life in the spotlight for an artsy Northern California beach town.

When Coco reluctantly agrees to house-sit for Jane, she discovers an unexpected houseguest: Leslie Baxter, a dashing but down-to-earth British actor who’s fleeing a psycho ex-girlfriend. Their worlds couldn’t be more different. The attraction couldn’t be more immediate. And as Coco contemplates a future with one of Hollywood’s hottest stars, as her mother and sister settle into their lives, old wounds are healed and new families are formed—some traditional, some not so traditional, but all bonded by love.

With wit and intelligence, Danielle Steel’s novel explores love in all its guises, taking us into the lives of three unusual but wonderfully real couples. Funny, sexy, and wise, One Day at a Time is at once moving, thought-provoking, and utterly impossible to put down.
  ... Read more

Customer Reviews (43)

Live in the moment
Learning to live in the moment instead of always projecting ahead is the central theme of Daniel Steel's book "One Day at a Time." She focuses her traditional love story on a family of three co-dependant women. A live and let live attitude never enters their minds.
Feeling abandoned by men in her life, who leave through death, Coco will not allow herself to commit to a relationship until she is convinced to live one day at a time and to let the future take care of itself. Typical Steel novel.

BORING!
This book was a waste of time. No real story. Certainly, not one of her best. Waste of time and money.

One Day at a Time
I have read all of Danielle Steele's books and found that this book took me a lot longer to get into. I felt that it wasn't as good as her others. I also found that she used the "F" word way to many times, which I found very offensive.

Books
Received this book & two others from same vendor.Books were in excellent condition and arrived in just a few days of ordering.I would purchase from this vendor again.

Save your money - there are better books to buy!
I had not read a Danielle Steel book in a long time but this one was not the one to read.It's not interesting enough and I had a hard time really getting into the characters.Basically, a young woman who is tired of having her mother and sister give her a hard time meets a famous movie star and they both fall in love instantly with each other and live happily ever after.The characters just don't seem very "real".They rarely fight, they love everything about each other and other than a few crazed paparazzi, life is wonderful.I knew this wasn't going to be a great read but I was expecting more for my money and particularly from Danielle Steel. ... Read more

Product Description

Bestselling novelist Danielle Steel takes us on a harrowing journey into the heart of America's hidden shame in a novel that explores the power of forgiveness, the dark side of childhood, and one woman's unbreakable spirit.

From her secret perch at the top of the stairs, Gabriella Harriman watches the guests arrive at her parents' lavish Manhattan townhouse.At seven, she knows she is an intruder in her parents' party, in her parents' life.But she can't resist the magic.Later, she waits for the click, click, click of her mother's high heels, the angry words, and the pain that will follow.Gabriella already knows to hide her bruises, certain she is to blame for her mother's rage--and her father's failure to protect her.Her world is a confusing blend of terror, betrayal, and pain.Her parents' aristocratic world is no safeguard against the abuse that knows no boundaries, respects no person, no economic lines.Gabriella knows that, try as she might, there is no safe place for her to hide.

Even as a child, her only escape is through the stories she writes.Only writing can dull the pain of her lonely world.And when her parents' marriage collapses, Gabriella is given her first reprieve, as her father disappears, and then her mother abandons her to a convent.There, Gabriella's battered body and soul begin to mend.Amid the quiet safety and hushed rituals of the nuns, Gabriella grows into womanhood in a safe, peaceful world.Then a young priest comes into her life.

Father Joe Connors never questioned his vocation until Gabriella entered the confessional and shared her soul.Confession leads to friendship.And friendship grows dangerously into love.Like Gabriella, Joe is haunted by the pain of his childhood, consumed by guilt over a family tragedy, for which he blames himself.With Gabriella, Joe takes the first steps toward healing.But their relationship leads to tragedy as Joe must choose between the priesthood and Gabriella, and life in the real world where he fears he does not belong, and cannot cope.

Exiled and disgraced, and nearly destroyed, Gabriella struggles to survive on her own in New York.There she seeks healing and escape through her writing again, this time as an adult, and her life as a writer begins.But just when she thinks she is beyond hurt, Gabriella is once again betrayed by someone she trusts.Brought to the edge of despair, physically attacked beyond recognition and belief, haunted by abuse in her present and her past, she nonetheless manages to find hope again, and the courage to face the past.On a pilgrimage destined to bring her face-to-face with those who sought to destroy her in her early life, she finds forgiveness, freedom from guilt, and healing from abuse.When Gabriella faces what was done to her, and why, she herself is free at last.

With profound insight, Danielle Steel has created a vivid portrait of an abused child's broken world, and the courage necessary to face it and free herself from the past.A work of daring and compassion, a tale of healing that will shock and touch and move you to your very soul, it exposes the terror of child abuse, and opens the doors on a subject that affects us all.The Long Road Home is more than riveting fiction.It is an inspiration to us all.A work of courage, hope, and love.Amazon.com Review
At age 6, our heroine, lovely Gabriella Harrison, a rich kidon Manhattan's Upper East Side, "looked startled much of the time,like an angel who had fallen to earth, and had not known what toexpect here."What Gabriella gets is a mother like Lucifer and afather who slips out to sleep with Italian prostitutes whileMrs. Harrison is busy breaking Gabriella's spirit--and sometimes herbones. Gabby's tormentor makes the real-life moms in Mommie Dearest andMommy Dressinglook sweet.

Gabriella gets a better break when her parents divorce and dump her ina convent. She meets a sensitive, older man with a deep, dark secret,and pretty soon they've got some steamy erotic secrets in common.

Unfortunately, he's a priest, and troubles erupt that are too much forany confessional to contain. Soon Gabriella is living on the East Sideagain, only this time in Mrs. Boslicki's boarding house, where therichness in people's hearts makes up for their relative materialpoverty. A kindly, retired Harvard English professor resemblingEinstein nags her into trying her hand and purging her demons as awriter. "When I say you have talent, young lady, I mean it," saysProfessor Thomas. "They didn't hire me at Harvard to grow bananas."Will Gabriella have the courage to confront her talent? Can she faceher past at last, conquer the future, and land a man to share it? Hey,is this a Danielle Steel novel or not? --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Customer Reviews (157)

Sad but Amazing
I was in tears the entire time I read this book. The cruelness of the mother was really more than I could take. This is a touching tale about how against all odds you can make it as long as you stay strong and hope for a better tomorrow. This is a must read for everyone, you will not be disappointed.

Very Good book
I love her books. I still remember them after a long time. This book is a page turner.

Bestseller? Please...Mediocre at best.
I have never read anything by Danielle Steel. I happened to find this book in a "Book Trade" shelf at my place of work. The summary seemed interesting so I borrowed it and finished the entire book in two days.

I'm a big reader. I have also been a reporter for years, with a Bachelor's and Master's in journalism. I have to say, the writing of this book is sub-par at best. There is absolutely no creativity in this book whatsoever. This happens, then that happens, then something else happens. It's very straight-forward. Everything is just spelled out literally without much thought put into decent writing.

I never connected with a single character. Most of the descriptive writing comes from the author going into gruesome detail on how a child was beat and left in bloody puddles. But although I felt shock that a mother was doing this, I was so detached from the characters. Nothing felt real. It was like all characters were made of cardboard. This happened and she felt like this, then that happened and she was sad. And then she smiled. It becomes pretty dull to read. Steel doesn't even describe the characters beyond bare necessities. The only thing I know about Gabriella through that entire book is that she has blonde hair and large blue eyes. Oh, and that she's beautiful. There is no description anywhere to be found in this book.

There was nothing particularly gripping about this book other than all the abuse Gabriella endures her whole life. Steel goes into so much detail describing beatings, and they seem horrific and the entire time Gabriella's character is thinking to herself, "I just laid there and let her do it. I didn't feel pain while she was doing it. I just took it as my mother beat my cardboard head off." It almost seemed like Gabriella herself was bored! This is the only way I can explain how the characters seemed made of cardboard. There was barely any realistic emotion.

I also found it hilarious how EVERY person Gabriella encountered in her life could "see her pain, in her eyes." I don't know about anyone here, but I come from a densely populated area. I have NEVER run into someone once, and seen their entire tragic lives in their eyes, and known without a doubt that they have lived a deeply tragic, sad, painful life. I just don't run into the, "someone just killed my dog" look very often, or lets be real here...ever.

Not to mention, the end. This had to be the biggest cop-out in history. The whole book just dragged on and on. I could have edited out chapters that didn't even need to be in the book and the MOST important situation, or what SHOULD have been the most important situation in this book is Gabriella coming to terms with her childhood, re-connecting with her "parents" and getting answers. I kept waiting for this to happen. Chapter after chapter. When there were literally 10 pages left in the book THAT'S when this event happened. This could have been developed into something beautiful, to show some real closure. But instead **SPOILER** she re-connected with her father, whom she learns had been living in NYC the entire time, never went to see her at the convent, doesn't have an ounce of love for her, won't hug her... and she actually walks out of his office with closure?! HOW IS THIS EVEN REMOTELY REALISTIC?! And then she goes to see her mother, who turns out to have been dead for the last four years. Gabriella meets fantastic new step-parents, and walks off into the sunset with her fabulous new doctor boyfriend. The end. Are you kidding me?! Any person who has lived through a life of abuse, emotional, physical and mental, who then went on to be tossed out by everyone else, lived through the suicide of a loved one, beaten by a con-artist boyfriend... then just completely puts her trust into another man right away? This would NEVER happen in reality.

Human emotions were too unrealistic. There was absolutely NO research done about child abuse, the mental effects it has, nor was it even touched on. It's like Steel just wanted to write a story for shock value. I don't understand how anyone could read this book and find it "inspiring." There is nothing remotely real about it. The writing is poor, and exactly the same page after page. No creativity beyond beating scenes... I don't think I'd ever be a Steel fan. Too mediocre for me.

If you're looking for books that have shock value, as well as inspiration after surviving horrific events, look at Jodi Picoult books.

not a Steel fan but this book is surely one of her best...............
well written book.........
story keeps flowing and isnt so predictable either.......
i just wish DANIELLE STEEL wrote suspense....
her book are like Sidney Sheldon's books without the Suspense.........

all in all a GOOD Book....

Worst Steel book I've read
The plot was completely unbelievable; far beyond willing suspension of disbelief.I read it as fast as I could to see what happened to get it over with. It's a shame Steel took such an important subject matter, child abuse, and created a book that is pure misery to read, not because of the subject matter, but her poor craftsmanship.Gabreilla's innocent years in the convent and the beginning of her romance with Joe were classic Steel, but the horror of the end of that romance and the subsequent plot line will make you cringe if you've read some of her best such as Jewels or Crossings. ... Read more

Product Description
In this heartfelt and incisive new novel, Danielle Steel celebrates the virtues of unconventional beauty while exploring deeply resonant issues of weight, self-image, sisterhood, and family. 

    A chubby little girl with blond hair, blue eyes, and ordinary looks, Victoria Dawson has always felt out of place in her family, especially in body-conscious L.A. Her father, Jim, is tall and slender, and her mother, Christina, is a fine-boned, dark-haired beauty. Both are self-centered, outspoken, and disappointed by their daughter’s looks. When Victoria is six, she sees a photograph of Queen Victoria, and her father has always said she looks just like her. After the birth of Victoria’s perfect younger sister, Gracie, her father liked to refer to his firstborn as “our tester cake.” With Gracie, everyone agreed that Jim and Christina got it right.

    While her parents and sister can eat anything and not gain an ounce, Victoria must watch everything she eats, as well as endure her father’s belittling comments about her body and see her academic achievements go unacknowledged. Ice cream and oversized helpings of all the wrong foods give her comfort, but only briefly. The one thing she knows is that she has to get away from home, and after college in Chicago, she moves to New York City.

Landing her dream job as a high school teacher, Victoria loves working with her students and wages war on her weight at the gym. Despite tension with her parents, Victoria remains close to her sister. And though they couldn’t be more different in looks, they love each other unconditionally. But regardless of her accomplishments, Victoria’s parents know just what to say to bring her down. She will always be her father’s “big girl,” and her mother’s constant disapproval is equally unkind.

When Grace announces her engagement to a man who is an exact replica of their narcissistic father, Victoria worries about her sister’s future happiness, and with no man of her own, she feels like a failure once again. As the wedding draws near, a chance encounter, an act of stunning betrayal, and a family confrontation lead to a turning point.

Behind Victoria is a lifetime of hurt and neglect she has tried to forget, and even ice cream can no longer dull the pain. Ahead is a challenge and a risk: to accept herself as she is, celebrate it, and claim the victories she has fought so hard for and deserves. Big girl or not, she is terrific and discovers that herself.
  ... Read more

Customer Reviews (99)

"Big" disappointment
Let me preface this by saying that I have been a fan of Danielle Steel since I read "The Promise" in 1978.If this had been the first book of hers I read I doubt I would have gone further with her!It trivialized the issues faced by the main character.I'm supposed to take the constant struggle with 15-25 pounds seriously?Instead it made me angry.Sure, weight was just one manifestation of the low self-esteem the character's wretched family life left her.There were so many opportunities to explore that and other relevant issues and their RESOLUTION in this book.At about two-thirds through, so far I have seen none.It doesn't look like I WILL from the few reviews I've read.Thankfully this book was borrowed from the library and not purchased.

My favorite author
I am a Danielle Steel fan and when I can get her books (especially in hard cover) for a great price, I do it!I love Amazon for this reason.I buy more than just books on amazon and have never had problems.

Big Girl
This was one of the best book I have read by Danielle Steel.I enjoy the fact that book was more about real people this time and about learn to look yourself no matter what you look like and that very body is worth of love

I would give it ZERO stars if I could!
This book was terrible. Luckily I checked it out from the library so I didn't waste any money on it. In the first 3/4's of the book, nothing at all happened and it was very repetitive. Also, I have never read a Danielle Steel book, but if she writes the same way in all of her books, I have NO idea why she's so popular. I felt like I was reading a fifth graders work. She overused words and phrases and her word choice was simple and unexciting. She put in many sentences that were irrelevant and redundant. I was totally sick of the book after about 100 pages but I had to see if it would get better. It didn't. The ending is so stupid...nothing is changed or resolved. I could go on and on, but my point is to not waste your money or your time on this book!

Queen of Mediocrity
Not a single original thought. Not a single original word. DS follows her own tried and true recipe, never venturing anywhere near originality in any aspect of her writing. Couldn't bring myself to finish it. The fact that her fluff is so popular makes me sad. This is not literature. It's mass-produced junk. ... Read more

Product Description
In a spellbinding blend of suspense and human drama, Danielle Steel tells a powerful and unusual story of one woman’s journey from darkness into light, as she fights to escape a mesmerizing sociopath who holds her in his thrall….

Hope Dunne has carved out a name for herself as a top photographer, known the joys of marriage and motherhood, and the heartbreak of loss. In her chic SoHo loft, Hope is content with her life, finding serenity and beauty through the lens of her camera. She isn’t looking for a man or excitement. But these things find her when she accepts a last- minute assignment to fly to London at Christmas and photograph one of the world’s most celebrated writers—an Irish-American author known for novels of thrilling literary darkness.

To Hope’s surprise, Finn O’Neill exudes warmth and a boyish charm. Enormously successful, he is a perfect counterpoint to Hope’s quiet, steady grace—and he’s taken instantly by her. He courts her as no one ever has before, whisking her away to his palatial, isolated Irish estate.

Hope finds it all, and him, irresistible. Finn’s magnetism and brilliance are undeniable. But soon cracks begin to appear in his stories: gaps in his history, a few innocent lies, and bouts of jealousy unnerve her. Suddenly Hope is both in love and suspicious, caring and deeply in doubt, and ultimately frightened of the man she loves. Alone, thousands of miles from home, her mind is reeling. Is she just being paranoid? How many lies has he told? Are there more secrets to come? Is it possible that this adoring, attentive man—like the characters in his novels—is hiding something even worse? The spell cast by a brilliant sociopath has her trapped in his web, too confused and dazzled to escape as he continues to tighten his grip on her.

With razor-sharp insight, Danielle Steel delivers an unforgettable tale of danger and obsessive love. Fearlessly telling the truth, refusing to look away, Steel proves once again that as an American storyteller she has no peer when she explores the dark secrets that sometimes lurk just below the surface of ordinary lives, writing about men and women and their courage to prevail, in this case, even in the face of evil. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (51)

I CAN'T TAKE IT!!!!
I GET MORE ENJOYMENT FROM READING THE REVIEWS OUT HERE THAN I HAVE LISTENING TO THIS BOOK! IT IS SO BADLY WRITTEN, OK, MAYBE I EXAGGERATE, BUT IT'S JUST SO BAD (IN MY OPINION). THE READER IS LIKE A MONOTONE PROFESSOR I HAD IN COLLEGE WHO LECTURED IN THE SAME DULL VOICE FOR HOURS.
I BLANKED OUT ON THE CD NUMEROUS TIMES ONLY TO FIND THAT I HADN'T MISSED ANYTHING BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS REPEATED " SHE IS PRETTY,"
"HE IS HANDSOME" BLAH BLAH BLAH...
AGAIN, NOTHING BUT WORDS TO FILL A PAGE. IT'S TOO DRAWN OUT AND WEAK TO KEEP MY INTEREST. I LIKE WELL WRITTEN BOOKS OF SUBSTANCE. SO MAYBE IT'S MY OWN FAULT FORPICKING THIS BOOK IN THE FIRST PLACE. FIRST TIME SHAME ON THEM, SECOND TIME SHAME ON ME!!!

I PICK BOOKS AT RANDOM SOMETIMES HOPING I WILL STUMBLE ONTO A RARE GEM...

THIS IS NOT ONE OF THEM. THE CHARACTERS, SETTING AND PLOT ARE NO DIFFERENT FROM THE COUNTLESS OTHER ROMANCE BOOKS OUT THERE...THIS BOOK DOES NOT STAND OUT AND IF YOU ARE LISTENING TO THE AUDIO BOOK PREPARED TO BE BORED SENSELESS!

ONE THING THAT I LOVE ABOUT THE AMAZON REVIEWS IS THAT I CAN
USUALLY JUDGE FOR MYSELF IF I WANT TO PURCHASE OR JUST RENT A BOOK I AM INTERESTED IN BY SOME OF THE REVIEWS. IF THERE ARE A LOT OF DISLIKES FOR A PARTICULAR BOOK, ESPECIALLY FROM SERIOUS READERS, I WILL USUALLY CHECK THE BOOK OUT FROM MY LOCAL LIBRARY AND THEN DETERMINE IF I WANT TO PURCHASE IT, AND I AM SO THANKFUL FOR THAT BECAUSE HAD I BOUGHT THIS BOOK I AM SURE THAT I WOULD BE LIVID!!!

Ho Hum.....
Another rich beautful woman that falls in love with the well-known handsome hunk of a man.The sex is great and then they immediatley fall in love.Nothing new for a Steel book!
Where is the editor in this book?On page 292 a charcter who coincidentally was also in an abusive relationship says that his wife stabbed him and he still went back to her twice, and then on page 344 the same character says that after his wife stabbed him he never went back.Totally contradictory!
Hope started out in the book enjoying being alone, but that seems to be the thing that makes her give in to Finn; the fear of being alone!
Don't stay with an abusive person when you keep getting huge flags like mental cruelty and blame over a miscarriage; stalker-like behavior; a person that isolates you with only them for company; tells you lies galore; wants your money; and the final dealbreaker of lifting you up from a chair and throwing you against a wall and telling you they will kill you if you f**k with another person.
Can't recommend this one, sorry.

Matters of the Heart
One of the Best Selections I have readin a long timeLoved it

Unable to buy the story
Way too artificial... full of contradictions in the two characters in many aspects, sane and insane, rational and emotional, moral and immoral, intelligent and nonsense, mature and naïve... very difficult to follow the plot for any reader who likes to make sense of it.

Is it just a fantasy or a product came from the pressure of the writer's contract? Even a fantasy story has to be rooted by some real life principles in order to connect the human readers in some way.

Going to the fiction section in a library, most of books are found about `thrillers' or 'murders', I wonder, is it that a novel has to be about those blizzard characters in order to sell? I'd like to read something dramatic but believable, smart or inspiring (please recommend some to me)... perhaps it's too demanding to those writers who keep writing for a living.

Disturbing, YES . . . Realistic, MAYBE . . .
Most reviewers have sited this work as "disturbing" or unimaginable...

The truth is that there are far too many women (and men) in a similar position as the main character in the story.

My hope for this novel?I hope that people do recognize this subject matter as horrific because it absolutely is!But I also think she did a great job of gently leading into the conflict and allowed it to slowly emerge because that is very realistic in this case.

... Read more

Product Description

... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

wanderlust is wonderful
I read Danielle Steel book Wanderlust.I thought it was such a wonderful read. I could not put the book down.The characters made the story very interesting to read and what took place at that time. If you want a good read then this is the book for you.
I would recommend it very highly.

My absolute favorite book EVER
I've read and reread this book so many times. It is without a doubt my favorite book ever and one I've taken everywhere with me, including on my own adventures in Europe. Audrey embraces what life is really about, romance and adventure.

I am not a huge Danielle Steel fan, but from the first time I read Wanderlust, I was completely hooked on it. I think I read the whole thing in one sitting that first time because I simply could not put it down. I absolutely loved Audrey, Charles, Lady Vi and James, all their adventures, their relationships with each other. Audrey's journey inspired me to take my own trip, which I did a few years ago, spending three months traveling in Europe. Wanderlust is the first book I pack whenever I travel, and I know that no matter where I am, I can pick it up and enjoy.

A great escape, with a relevant dose of history tossed in
Daniele Steel novels have shaped two of my own relationships (haven't they for everyone?):my first true crush (Loving) and my last love, that for my wife (Wanderlust), each almost 20 years apart. The passion and suspense that Steel evokes through the Wanderlust couple as they voyage on the Orient Express, or are separated under sometimes terrifying circumstances, is first rate. Less formulaic than her later novels, Wanderlust maintained Steel's trademark of helping readers identify so easily with the characters' romantic lives, and mentally place them into their own lives.

When Audrey met Vi and James on the cruise ship, and suddenly transformed from spinster to traveler of the earth, I instantly began reliving my memories traveling around Europe and always catching the "happy bug," for lack of any other word to describe what traveling does to enliven me. It was energizing reading about Audrey and Charles' exhileration and euphoria together, and their torment apart.

It was clear that Steel did a good amount of original research on the Great Depression (making Wanderlust more relevant today) and the socio-economic condition of the wealthy class back then. Business content, for instance, was written in a highly readable and balanced fashion, through Audrey and her father's eyes. A great escape, with a relevant dose of history tossed in.

A true classic!
This was actually the first Daniel Steele book I ever read.It was wonderful the story so well developed and the characters so full of life.In fact I have now read this book at least 3 times maybe even 4, truly a classic.Everyone should have this on their shelf to read when you get tired of just seeing words on a page that take you nowhere.

Loved Audrey!
Audry is SUCH a great character! Her love of adventure and for her man, but her loyalty to her family is what really pulled the story together. Very enjoyable book! ... Read more

Product Description
Alexandra Parker's successful partnership at a prestigious New York firm is turned upside-down by a shattering medical diagnosis, while her financier husband is haunted by his own ghosts and a career disaster. Reprint.Amazon.com Review
With a fabulous career, wonderful husband, and adorable child,Alexandra Parker's life is perfect--until devastating news from a doctor turns her world upside down.Can the bonds of love and marriagewithstand this unexpected bolt of lightning, or will Alexandra have to seek a completely new life? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (47)

Don't ruin it for everyone else..
This was my first ever Danielle Steel novel. While I did enjoy it, with the emotions of what was happening to Alexandra and her friends' and family's reactions to it, I couldn't enjoy it as much as I wanted, simply because other reviews I read blurted out the ending of the story without so much as a warning about spoilers. This isn't the first time I've had this happen when reading a review on this site. Please, please, when you review a book, make sure you put SPOILER or some such in the subject line to let people know.

That said, I enjoyed this book very much. Danielle Steel was really able to capture the emotions of Alex and what she was going through. There were parts where I laughed, I couldn't help myself, especially with little Annabelle, Alex's daughter, and some of the things she said. Kids really do say the darnedest things. Throughout most of the book, I was angry for the way Sam, Alex's husband, treated her. I hated him for the things he didn't do for his wife. I hated him for how selfish and self-centered he was. If Ms. Steel wanted her readers to hate Sam, she succeeded in my opinion.

Lightning was a great roller coaster ride of emotions. If you haven't ever read a Danielle Steel novel before, I recommend this one as your first. You won't be disappointed. Just use caution when you read the reviews on Amazon, because quite a few of them reveal the ending.

keeps your interest
Good book, keeps your interest, loved seeing the point of view of a cancer victim, very realistic. Some parts of the book regarding the husband made me quite angry!

Life always goes on
This book is a guide on how to deal with pain & struggle against the odds , I enjoyed thsi read tremendously , full of positive insight.


The only drawback is that Alex getting back with her husband Sam at the end after his crisis, although is selfishness & lack of support during her struggle with breast cancer.

A good job steele on this one !

fun book to read
fun book to read. I enjoyed it but I also cried at times while reading it.

this story is close to home
Reading this story was very poignant for me.I am a cancer survivor who also lost her husband during the process.The difference between me and Alex is that I stayed with my Brock.I have to appalud Danielle for keeping married people together in this book, when she often separates them.This book will always be close to my heart.A very good read = real to life, not just some mushy, smushy romance. ... Read more

Product Description
Nineteen-year-old Annabelle Worthington was born into a life of privilege, but everythingchanged on an April day in 1912, when the sinking of the Titanic shattered her familyand her world forever. Finding strength within her grief, Annabelle pours herselfinto volunteer work, igniting a passion for medicine that would shape the courseof her life.

But for Annabelle, first love, and a seemingly idyllic marriage, willsoon bring grief caused by the secrets of her husband. Betrayed, and pursued by undeservedscandal, Annabelle flees New York for war-ravaged France, hoping to lose herselfin a life of service. There, in the heart of the First World War, in a groundbreakingfield hospital run by women, Annabelle finds her true calling, studying medicineand saving lives. When the war ends, Annabelle begins a new life in Paris—now a doctor,a mother, her past almost forgotten…until a fateful meeting opens her heart to theworld she had left behind.

Filled with breathtaking images and historical detail,Danielle Steel’s new novel introduces one of her most unique and fascinating characters:Annabelle Worthington, a remarkable woman—a good woman—who triumphs against overwhelmingodds. More than compelling fiction, her story is a powerful celebration of life,dignity, and courage—and a testament to the human will to survive. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (40)

Nice read
Relaxing AND educational to read.Fun reading about the Titanic and war times from a different perspective.Of course I wished for a romantic ending but it was a strong ending about a strong woman.If you like novels about strong women, you'll probably like this book.

Her best book by far!!
I have read every Danielle Steel book ever written and this one was the best.Thought it was a bit different from most of her other books, but it was such a page turner.

Just don't.
Within the worst five books I have ever read, easily.Steel's writing is that of an unimaginative preteen: her dialog forced and cringe-worthy; her character faultless and persecuted.Reading the exposition was trudging through a swamp of back story that was not well incorporated into the main flow, but rather presented bare for the reader to push him or herself through in hopes of reading solid, stable plot, eventually.Her romances are nothing short of banal, one-dimensional portrayals of some adolescent false ideal.The story is rife with a homophobic agenda, creating a villain out of the protagonist's first husband, and later referring to him with insensitive, slurring language.Her other lovers are conniving and pathetic; and the protagonist truly never does wrongly to anyone.A friend purchased this for me, and I could not in conscience give a satisfactory review when the gift came up in conversation.As another reviewer stated, the concept sounded intriguing, but the execution was horrendous.

Could have been bettter
Historical facts:interesting.Story line, character development: not so much. This was a very disappointing book. Grueling comes to mind when I think about it.If Ms Steel just wanted to giveus a superficial mechanical look at the characters with a lot of redundancy, she succeeded. She could have done so much better, and most other authors would have.

Epic story
Of the hundreds of books I've read, this was definitely one of my favorites! It's a story of triumph over tragedy, and finding the strength within to overcome.I couldn't put it down.Annabelle is a good woman and we could all learn from this character.Loved it!! ... Read more

Product Description
Although Jessica and Ian Clarke have been married  seven years, they insist the thrill and excitement  haven't dimmed. At Jessica's urging, Ian has quit  his advertising job to become a struggling writer,  and she supports him with her successful San  Francisco boutique.

Ian's financial  dependence on Jessica upsets him more than he admits, and  in a moment of bored malaise, Ian's first casual  indiscretion will create a nightmare that  threatens everything Jessica and Ian have carefully  built. What he does changes their lives, and them,  perhaps forever, as they struggle to pay the price  of his foolhardy affair. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Not Satisfying Enough
The story is long and drawn out.The last half of the book drags on interminably.First, I can understand a co-dependent personality forgiving a cheating husband.But Steel fails to satisfactorily explain the motivations for Ian's affair at the beginning of the novel.Couldn't he have waited six hours more to ravage his wife, instead of picking up some bimbo???I did not buy the fact that he "needed to prove his manhood".

But what left me totally unsatisfied was not the ending as some reviewers have stated here.It was the fact that the woman who "accused" the man of rape got away with it and didn't receive any sort of comeuppance.At the end of the book it would have been great to have had this woman exposed for the fraud that she is and justice would have been served.

And you wouldn't believe for one moment that she did not get any money out of Jessica and that her primary motivation was "revenge".Totally unbelievable.

my first D.S. and wanting more!!!
One of those "can't put it down" books...... I was on vacation and was looking for a book to read.The gift shop didn't have much to choose from.I picked up this book expecting a far-fetched, mushy, brainless read.Instead I found a very intriguing storyline.This book will definately make you think!Love, anger, sadness, betrayal, discovery and new beginnings!Enjoy!

Excellent
Although this book was published a while back, it manages to stay fresh in present day. I simply could not put this one down, and loved the ending. My only complaint is as I read the book, I was puzzled by the situation with Ian and his supposed rape victim, as it didn't seem to come full circle, and her reason for accusing him of rape seemed outlandish. I felt like the author simply couldn't think of anything better, as it did not make a whole lot of sense. However, I would recommend this book!

It was okay
The hard cover was in good shape but the paper cover looked a bit worn and torn...otherwise this was a good product!

One Of DS' earliest works, and one of her best
This book is so different from anything else that Danielle Steel has ever written!The characters in Now and Forever aren't particularly appealing, but perhaps that was the author's intent, as the subject matter of the book is disturbing and thought-provoking.

Jessie is rich, whiny and shallow, supporting her writer husband and the dress shop she owns with the money left over from her inheritance.She and Ian have both attitude and spending problems, none of which areresolved by the end of the book.There are no neat and tidy book plots to be found here; two rather unlikable protagonists are no more charming and appealing on the last page than they were on the first.Jessie isn't a better person at the end of the story, and for that matter, neither is her husband.Jessie and Ian are two extremely fascinating, screwed-up fictional characters without any redeeming qualities.

The subject matter is highly disturbing, and DS even touches on issues of class and privilege.The woman accusing Jessie's husband Ian of rape is a stranger, a bimbo from a bad neighborhood, and the author never fully establishes whether it was an act of consent or one of rape between the two characters.The haziness and the uncertainty is what makes this book a stand-out among the earliest of Danielle Steel's novels.

... Read more

Product Description
Meet Maxine Williams, a dedicated doctor with three great kids, a challenging career,and the perfect new man in her life. Her only problem? Her irresistibly charming,utterly infuriating ex-husband, aka the . . .

Rogue

Being married to Blake hadbeen an amazing adventure for Maxine. Brilliant, charismatic, and wholly unpredictable,Blake Williams made millions and grabbed headlines as a dot-com entrepreneur. Hisonly shortcoming was as a husband—first his work and then his never-ending questfor fun kept him constantly on the move, far away from Maxine and his family. Forfive years Blake and Maxine have worked out an odd but amicable divorce, with friendlythough infrequent visits, a yacht he lends her every summer, and three children theyboth adore. Blake enjoys his globe-trotting lifestyle—dating a succession of beautiful,famous, and very young women—while Maxine raises their kids in Manhattan and pursuesher passion, working as a psychiatrist, a world-renowned expert on childhood traumaand adolescent suicide. Then everything changes….

For Maxine it starts when shefalls in love with Dr. Charles West, a man who is everything Blake is not—mature,grounded, and present. For Blake it begins when a devastating earthquake strikesnear one of his palatial foreign homes and he sees hundreds of orphaned childrenin need of shelter. Now Blake wants Maxine in his life again—as a partner in a humanitarianproject that could change countless lives. For Maxine the choice is clear. But Blake’ s sudden transformation—from carefree playboy to compassionate, responsible grown-up—raisesquestions she’s never managed to answer . . . and some she’s afraid to ask. Afterall, Maxine is on the cusp of a new life, about to marry Charles, and almost certainthat Blake Williams, aka the Rogue, is a man capable of doing anything—except change….

An unforgettable story of two people pursuing happiness from opposite directions,Rogue is a journey of choices and the amazing opportunities that come together—justwhen life seems to have been successfully rearranged at last.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (37)

Deserves Less than One Star
Seldom do I feel so betrayed by an author as I did with this book! Whoever wrote that it seemed as if Steele wrote it on auto pilot hit the nail on the head.I am not a Steele fan but decided to read this book with an eye to understanding why this author is so popular.Perhaps I chose the wrong book, but I
couldn't even finish it.Steele obviously has a formula she uses to crank out these novels, sort of like a fast food worker who has been ordered to "put this here, then put that there;" what you get is about as satisfying as a Happy Meal.A total con job as far as I'm concerned.

High Society rip-off
I've been a fan of Danielle Steele for a very long time.I was disappointed in this book; I'm glad I didn't buy it.It started out good and then just went down hill.It reminded me of the movie High Society, which I liked. She stole the plot from that movie, but with some differences.If you have never seen High Society you might like this book, but I doubt it.Why did she title it The Rogue?It was more about the female character than the male.I suggest skipping this book.

Redundant Rogue
As an audio CD, The Rogue is boring and redundant. Phrases are repeated almost verbatim throughout the "book."Easily could have been 4 CD's instead of 8.

Gossip, pure gossip
Unlike her earlier work, Ms. Steel is relating a story she must have been told, as I feel as though I'm getting it in the 4th person.She tells us ABOUT these characters, what they look like, how old they are, yada yada yada over and over again.However, she never lets us meet them, just hear about them.

The one thing I really get, and the book doesn't mention...there were 5 children in that household before the divorce.And back to 5 if the marriage takes place.Come on, who's going to believe a groom-to-be isn't supposed to be livid when the bride-to-be thinks it's okay for the ex-husband to throw the rehearsal dinner?Someone with an ounce of intelligence would have walked at LEAST at that point.

Think that idea makes sense?Read the book.It doesn't get any better.

Your mother will like it
I was in a rush at the grocery store, so I grabbed this book because I heard good things about the author from my mother. That's the catch. This book is probably better for the 35-55 aged reader, not the 20-30. The author spent way too much time going over the details of the main character Maxine's day-to-day domestic life. Maybe this was necessary to contrast her lifestyle with the adventurous and exciting ex-husband Blake, but it felt like Steele was trying too hard to appeal to mothers. I did like the characters in this book and thought the children were perfect. The 13 year old daughter behaves exactly the same rude way I acted towards my father's girlfriends. She even asks one of her dad's bimbos if the woman got tested for AIDS after she got her tattoo. LOL.The ending was cute, but felt rushed and should have been drawn out over several chapters. ... Read more

Product Description

On a June day, a young woman in a summer dress steps off a Chicago-bound bus into a small midwestern town.She doesn't intend to stay.She is just passing through.Yet her stopping here has a reason and it is part of a story that you will never forget.

The time is the 1950s, when life was simpler, people still believed in dreams, and family was, very nearly, everything.The place is a small midwestern town with a high school and a downtown, a skating pond and a movie house.And on a tree-lined street in the heartland of America, an extraordinary set of events begins to unfold.And gradually what seems serendipitous is tinged with purpose.A happy home is shattered by a child's senseless death.A loving marriage starts to unravel.And a stranger arrives--a young woman who will
touch many lives before she moves on.She and a young man will meet and fall in love.Their love, so innocent and full of hope, helps to restore a family's dreams.And all of their lives will be changed forever by the precious gift she leaves them.

The Gift, Danielle Steel's thirty-third best-selling work, is a magical story told with stunning simplicity and power.It reveals a relationship so moving it will take your breath away.And it tells a haunting and beautiful truth about the unpredictability--and the wonder--of life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (87)

The first one that I read
This was the first of her books that I read. I love it so much that I went back to the library and checked out more of her books.

The Gift
Set in 1950's America this book starts with the death of 5 year old Anne, the day after Christmas. This death comes close to tearing her family apart.

16 year old Maribeth Robertson comes from a very strict family. So when she gets pregnant and her brother finds out he tells her father who sends her away to have the baby to a convant. He tells her not to come home or contact her mother or sister until she's had and got rid of her baby.

When she arrives at the convent she hates it so much she runs away using the money her father gave her to pay the nuns. She becomes a waitress, this is where she meets Tommy, Anne's older brother.

I enjoyed this book, its worth a read.

Sappy and Unreal
This is the first Danielle Steel book I've read and the last.The whole premise was unreal.These people were 16 years old, for heaven's sake, and Steel made them so mature as to be unbelievable.It was sappy.The ending was so unsatisfactory I have to wonder:Is there a sequel?If there is, I won't be reading it.

Wouldn't recommend it
I'm a big Danielle Steel fan, but this book was way too predictable and I must admit, was a little boring... I give it 2 stars just because I'm a big fan.

Grinnell IS in Iowa!
This is the first Danielle Steel book I have read, and it will be the last.Aside from the sappy, predictable story and elementary use of the language, the book contains (for me, at least) an egregious editorial mistake - Tommy thinking about Maribeth, page 158 of the paperback: "But there was something he didn't like to think about, her going back to Iowa and her parents." This would be the same Maribeth who took a bus from Onawa, Iowa to Omaha, Nebraska, then got off in Grinnell on the way to Chicago.The only Grinnell, with a college, on the way to Chicago from Omaha, happens to be the one in IOWA!!

I suppose, to some people, this is a small point.However, in my opinion, if you're going to write fiction, make it up.Don't screw it up.

And by the way, Grinnell is a very cool town.





... Read more

Product Description
A young San Francisco lawyer's life changes when he meets the perfect stranger in the beautiful Raphaella, the sheltered daughter of a European banker and restless wife of a much older man. By the author of Lightning. Reissue.Amazon.com Review
Raphaella de Mornay-Malle grew up in the sheltered world ofthe Mediterranean aristocracy under the careful tutelage of her sternfather and her dutiful duennas. Married at age 18 to a much olderAmerican, John Henry Phillips, Raphaella fills her life with hiswishes and desires. But when John is incapacitated by a series ofstrokes, she finds her world shrinking to the size of a sickbed.

Though Raphaella has an uncommonly strong sense of her duty in marriage,she can not ignore her attraction for Alexander Hale, a handsomeacquaintance. As John's condition worsens and Alex grows insistent that sheacknowledge what lies between them, Raphaella faces a classic duty-versus-lovedilemma.

Though readers may see the plot twist coming a mile away, Danielle Steel'sgot her grasp on the pulse of romance fiction, and she's not going to letgo without a fight. Groan and giggle, ignore the laundry and make excuses,but make no mistake--you'll enjoy getting swept away by this one.--Nancy R.E. O'Brien ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

A Perfect Stranger
Raphaella marry's her fathers business partner John Henry when she is 18 years old. When John Henry becomes incapacitated Raphaella does not give up her duties as a wife. Even when she meets a man who falls in love with her she remains loyal to her husband whom she shows great respect.

This book was fab. well recommended.

Great characters, ruined by repetitive storyline
I have read every book by Ms. Steele. She is amazing in her characterizations, you really feel as if you know her characters .
The story itself was pretty engrossing, but the repetitions of leaving and going back got to be too much. I almost wished poor Alex would have left HER for a change.

Lame, lame, lame!
The book did keep me somewhat focused and entertained in the beginning, however, I found myself skipping parts here and there closer to the middle of it. And more so as the story kept going. The story itself isn't new.. beautiful young woman married to a much older man finds herself tied to him indefinitely as the old man is an no hurry to die after a series of strokes. Then a woman's slooowly developing affair with a young and handsome lawyer and a moral battle between a loyalty to a gravely ill husband and newly found love. I mean, come on! Everything about this book is predictable and boring. The setup itself - woman's rare beauty (are they ever ugly??), rich and noble family, lawyer's career-oriented wife that left him for her career when he wanted babies etc, etc. And to add insult to an injury, the main heroine just can't get a backbone and tell her father to go to hell when he forces her to leave US and come back to her family which means the end of her oh-so-important new love (is it really?). Bleh!!! Don't waste your time like I did, do something meaningful instead or read another book instead.. read reviews first :)

Written in 1981; not her mature plotting, but nice in parts.
The setting and much of the characterization are great, and parts of the action; but the logic of the plot is awful--three likable people behaving irrationally and giving each other years of anguish through not talking about important matters that they would have been half-witted not to discuss openly. But DS was just finding her feet in those days, so we can forgive her! And there are parts of the romance that are charming, to enjoy anyway!

LOVED IT!
This was a great love story that was wonderfully written.I felt as though I was right there, not just reading the story. Highly recommend. ... Read more

Product Description
Olympia Crawford Rubinstein has a way of managing her thriving family with grace and humor. With twin daughters finishing high school, a son at Dartmouth, and a kindergartner from her second marriage, there seems to be nothing Olympia can’t handle…until one sunny day in May, when she opens an invitation for her daughters to attend the most exclusive coming-out ball in New York–and chaos erupts all around her.

For Olympia’s husband, Harry, the idea of a blueblood debutante ball is abhorrent. Her daughter Veronica, a natural-born rebel, agrees–while identical twin, Virginia, is already shopping for the perfect dress. Then there’s Olympia’s ex, who sees the ball as the perfect opportunity for a family feud. Amid everything, Olympia’s college-age son, Charlie, is facing a turning point in his life and will need his mother more than ever. But Olympia is determined to steer her family through the event–until, just days before the cotillion, things begin to unravel with alarming speed.

From a son’s crisis to a daughter’s heartbreak, from a case of the chickenpox to a political debate raging in her household, Olympia is on the verge of surrender . . . until a series of startling choices and changes of heart, family and friends, turn a night of calamity into an evening of magic. As old wounds are healed, barriers are shattered and new traditions are born–and a debutante ball becomes a catalyst for change, revelation, acceptance, and love. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (60)

Charming novella
This is my first Danielle Steel novel. I took it out of the library because it was on the front shelf, but after I looked at the reviews here, I almost returned it without even looking inside. Then it happened to be where I happened to be without anything else to read, so I started it without expecting much. To my surprise, I found the characters believable - the woman lawyer trying to juggle work and family, the federal judge husband (I am a retired lawyer), the children, their grandmother et al. -and the story light but interesting enough for a short read. As has been pointed out, this is a short book - I would call it a novella - and therefore could not carry more plotlines or character development. All in all, I found it charming, even sweet, a nice way to spend a couple of hours not thinking about political, economic, or other cataclysmic issues. I didn't expect Dostoevsky or Dickens and was therefore not disappointed when Steel turned out to be neither (at least in this book). It surely beat anything I've seen lately on television, and with no commercial breaks.

Coming out
I like Dannielle Steel and read all of her books and this is is a winner like the rest.

Danielle Steel
What can I say, it's Daniell Steel. I've yet to read a book of hers that I didn't love. She keeps you spell bound to the end. I have never been one for enjoying reading all that much, but am amazed that I have read nearly every one she's writen and will continue to as long as she keeps writing such great and entertaining stories.

Disappointed Fan
I have read almost all of Danielle Steel's books, finding them entertaining with well-crafted stories. This particular book was disappointing and made me wonder if it was quickly penned without much thought - mass production vs creative writing.

I can't believe I finished it!!
This book was so bad. There was little to no point.I was very disapointed. ... Read more