إمرأة صالحة

by Danielle Steel, دانيال ستيل

كثير من الواقعية والصراحة، وكشف للحقائق الاجتماعية التي تسيّر الأشخاص وتحدد توجهاتهم وخياراتهم في هذه الرواية للكاتبة الأميركية الذائعة الصيت، والتي لا تحتاج رواياتها للدعاية والترويج، خاصة في أميركا حيث لا تزال تحتل مركز "الأكثر مبيعا". قد تنقلب حياة الكائن البشري رأسا على عقب دون توقع منه ودون أي تحضير مسبق. فحادثة غرق سفينة "تايتانيك"، ستقلب حياة "أنابيل" رأسا على عقب، بعد أن تكون السبب في خسارتها لأبيها وأخيها، كما ستكون السبب في زعزعة الاستقرار النفسي لأمها التي لم تستطع تخطي المأساة. فأنابيل وهي الابنة الوحيدة للمصرفي في نيويورك كانت قبل هذا الانقلاب المفاجئ تعيش حياة رغدة، وكان "من المريح أن تترعرع في حماية هذا العالم الآمن".

تتزوج أنابيل من "جوشيا" المحبّ والحنون والذي يكبرها بأعوام، لكن سوء الطالع سيرافقها، إذ أنه لن يقوم بأي علاقة معها لأنه يكتشف بعد فترة وجيزة أنه مصاب بمرض السفلس، وسوف يجبرها على الطلاق رغما عن إرادتها، موضحا لهاً: "لن أضع يدي عليك أو أحاول منحك الأطفال الذين أعرف أنك ترغبين بهم بشدة، لن أجازف بحياتك. أحبك كثيرا لأفعل ذلك بك". "تستحقين أكثر مما أستطيع منحك إياه".

يتواصل سوء الطالع فتتعرض أنابيل لحادثة اغتصاب، ينتج عنها ابنة غير شرعية.

تلاحقها الإشاعات المغرضة والسمعة السيئة. فتغادر إلى مكان آخر بعيداً عن الصراع. وتتمكن من العمل كطبيبة وتعمل على تربية ابنتها تربية صالحة. لكن هل يقبل حبيبها الجديد "انطوان" بهذه الحقيقة، أم يتخلى عنها؟ الجواب مؤسف، لقد "وقعت إلى الأبد في شرك خطايا الآخرين، وان أحداً لن يقبل براءتها، ولا حتى الرجل الذي زعم أنه يحبها..".

"إنها ضحية قرارات الأشخاص الآخرين ونقاط ضعفهم وأكاذيبهم. من المحزن التوصل إلى هذا الشعور كما لو أن الحقيقة لن تظهر أبدا إلى الضوء.."

"إنها أم جيدة وطبيبة رائعة، وشخص محترم"، هي تعرف هذه الحقيقة، وعليها فرضها، فهل يتحول طالعها من السيئ إلى الجيد؟ رواية غنية بالتحليل والأحداث والوقائع، تضع مقاييس المجتمع وقيمه موقع الشك والإدانة، خاصة فيما يتعلق بوضع المرأة، وتكشف عن ظلم يقع يوميا وتقع نتيجته ضحايا بريئة.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical, Chick Lit, Novels, Drama

286 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Danielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world's bestselling authors, with almost a billion copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include All That Glitters, Royal, Daddy's Girls, The Wedding Dress, The Numbers Game, Moral Compass, Spy, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina's life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; Expect a Miracle, a book of her favorite quotations for inspiration and comfort; Pure Joy, about the dogs she and her family have loved; and the children's books Pretty Minnie in Paris and Pretty Minnie in Hollywood.

Facebook.com/DanielleSteelOfficial
Instagram: @officialdaniellesteel

Reviews

[Diane Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story! enjoyable,lots of twists & turns,determine to find love to the end...well written (paperback!)

[Ann Foweraker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled to finish this book - growling 'I know - you've TOLD me ten times already and I don't forget that easily' - everytime the author reiterated the 'hard' life of the protagonist - each re-telling adding the latest hardship / misunderstanding / calamity to the long list.
The story line carries an amazing range of problems and ambition to set on one woman, in any age, and would make a whole series if written properly. We are told and not shown all the way through and dive in and out of a variety of people's viewpoints, but not in an honest way - hearing only the internal views that the suits the author to tell us and masking the true internal lives of these same people. Though I usually 'champion' strong women in a novel, I found no empathy with this woman and without that the book became meaningless. Historical research was obvious in its add-on use, sprinkled here and there rather than integral. I always finish books like this, trying to find what it was that made them publishable - I can only think it was the name of the author.

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can always depend on Danielle Steel to tell a good believable story. While reading A Good Woman I had to always remind myself of the period that the story took place to keep from condemning the characters of their antiquated opinions.

Annabelle was a good child and an even better woman overcoming each atrocity thrown her way with dignity and grace: the death of her brother and dad on the sinking of the Titanic and her mother from heartache. She falls in love with a man old enough to be her father who pursues her with vigor then divorcing her for adultery to live his life with his male lover in the open. To escape the trauma Annabelle flies to France and becomes a doctor.

One night while walking to the ambulance she drives she’s accosted and brutally raped by a British Soldier. She keeps the child and loves her daughter with all her heart. Her daughter, around the age of five asked why she didn’t have grandparents like the other children gave Anabelle cause to act. Anabelle wrote the man who raped her mother and asked if she would like to meet her granddaughter. Instead of responding with a letter the Grandmother pays a personal visit. The Grandmother asked the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy and Annabelle told her how her daughter was conceived. The Grandmother told Annabelle she wasn't surprised because her son was not a good person and had raped before. The grandmother invited Annabelle and her granddaughter into her life and legally added her last name to the child’s.

Annabelle meets a doctor who sweeps her off her feet and after he proposes she tells him of her life. He tells her he wants no part of her or her bastard child. Annabelle, crushed decides never to trust again. In a conversation with her child’s grandmother she confides in her and the grandmother tells her she should hold her head up because those who condemn her aren’t worth a grain of salt.

Annabelle returns to American to face her demons and tormentors bringing her daughter with her. She returns to France unburden. Aboard ship she meets a journalist and learns of his life and tells him of her’s and when he doesn’t think any less of her she knew she’d possibly met her life’s companion. A Good Woman is definitely a page-turner.

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well Written

“A Good Woman” was a very well written book. It took the bad luck of a woman who was constantly having unfortunate life turns and weaves a story of achievement.

The characters were sharp and very relatable.

A one day read that I loved !!

My highest recommendation.

[Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first Danielle Steele book I have read in at least 20 years -- the second ever. I finished the book only because I found it so interesting from an editorial standpoint. There was enough storyline to carry a year-long series, but the book was written like a summary or a book report. As a teacher of writing, I kept thinking "This author has lived a millionaire's life as a result of this writing. HOW? The only answer I could come up with is that she does have interesting, intertwined plots in her books and she wrote sex-heavy sizzlers in a time when that was just becoming accepted. Her writing style, however, is just astoundingly flat - almost devoid of dialog and energy, a monotonic recounting of events.

[Suzzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Good Woman by Danielle Steel was is a pretty good book but very slow and tragic. I usually read most her books in a day but this one just did not keep my interest as much as many of her other books. It was not a bad story at all but the poor main character (Annabelle) had a really tragic and harsh life after the events of the Titanic…and it may be a bit dramatic to say so, but it feels like if you could name a few bad things right off the top of your head, there is a chance this character went through it. But she makes the best of all her situations and you do really cheer for her. Overall, it was a good book but a bit slow but do not let that prevent you from reading it. It is worth a read.

[Noella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Annabelle verliest haar vader en broer bij de ramp met de Titanic. Haar moeder overleeft, maar ze blijft een treurende weduwe. Ondertussen is een vriend van Annabelle's vader kind aan huis geworden bij hen, hij geeft hen veel steun. Alhoewel hij 19 jaar ouder is dan Annabelle, vraagt hij haar ten huwelijk. Haar moeder is zeer opgetogen met het huwelijk, al is ze wat verdrietig omdat Annabelle voorlopig kinderloos lijkt te blijven.
Kort nadat haar moeder sterft, wil Josiah van Annabelle scheiden. Hij houdt namelijk van mannen.
Omdat in Amerika de enige reden voor echtscheiding overspel is, wordt Annabelle vanaf dan verguisd.
De eerste wereldoorlog is uitgebroken en Annabelle, die altijd al geïnteresseerd was in de medische wetenschap, reist naar Frankrijk om als verpleeghulp te gaan werken. Ze kan er ook aan haar opleiding als arts beginnen.
Maar de oorlog gaat verder, en ze geeft voorlopig haar opleiding op om gewonden te helpen.
Er gebeuren nog wat nare dingen, maar Annabelle zet door en bouwt een nieuw leven op in Frankrijk. Het ongeluk lijkt haar te achtervolgen, want een nieuwe relatie loopt ook op de klippen.
Na 10 jaar besluit ze om eens terug te keren naar haar vroegere thuis in Amerika voor enkele weken, en op de terugvaart naar Frankrijk ontmoet ze een toffe man. Zo eindigt het boek, een open einde eigenlijk, men weet niet of het deze keer de ware Jacob is...

Geen slecht verhaal, maar weer vele herhalingen, en een beetje te veel tegenslag die zich ophoopt en haar blijft achtervolgen, zelfs na 10 jaar. Een beetje te veel van het goede (slechte in dit geval).

[Suz · Rating 3 out of 5]

To follow. Good ol’ DS

[Jennifer Entwistle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me first start off by saying that this is the first Danielle Steel book I have ever read and I absolutely hated so much about the book! Not sure if I'll give her a chance again! Some books I can say are just boring and impossible to get through, this was not like that. It was just so bad for so many other different reasons! I decided to read it for the Titanic aspect of it, but it was all downhill from there.

The story was awful! It took one terrible turn after another! A normal person would have committed suicide if they lived this life halfway through it. The character was so one dimensional that you couldn't sympathize with her even at all with the tragedies. She was supposedly so innocent and determined, yet she let everyone crap all over her again and again for no good reasons. Many times I literally threw this book across the room in disgust but, I finish things through and was determined to get through it. She was so contradictory as a person all through the book, saying she would never do this or that and then doing them after all. Saying she felt one way one minute and then the opposite the next.

The characters were certainly not the only problems. I found this writing to be extremely repetitive! She kept saying the same things you already knew over and over throughout the book like you hadn't already wasted your time reading about it before! And I hated things about the writing style. The chapter endings never came at appropriate places. The timing was crazy. Sometimes things would lag forever and then years would pass in a single sentence. And the perspective kept switching that way as well, from person to person without any transition It did not make sense at all! I really don't understand from this writing how Danielle Steele is so famous because this was really horrible. The book doesn't take a "happy" turn until the last ten pages then just hangs there like you are supposed to believe after all that, that there is a happily ever after.

[Lee Imagina Sueña · Rating 3 out of 5]

una lectura ligera, la historia algo predecible, pero se disfruta.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stopped reading every single Danielle Steel novel about a decade ago, save for a couple in recent years. I just got tired of the same old formulaic writing that enables her to crank out multiple novels every single year. For the most part, a reader can guess before even cracking open the binding for the first time how the plot is going to play out.

However, this particular Steel novel was much better due to its historical aspect. I enjoyed how she weaved history into this tale, and the story of the Titanic has been mesmorizing our culture for a century. Her tale goes even further to include World War I and some English aristocracy too! Add in the drama of a blackballed American debutante who rises above rape and betrayal to become a doctor in a time when females did not do much outside of the home (and certainly not the uppercrust of society) and she has herself a winner.

[Christine Rebbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Eiffel Tower was on the cover; I had to read it...

Danielle Steel can come up with a good story, but she is a TERRIBLE writer. I really don't understand how she's gotten away with it all these years. It can be so frustrating; I want to get out the blue pencil and correct the sloppy grammar, the redundancies, the overwrought passion, and add a little LIFE to these people -- they really don't seem real, more like cardboard cut-outs being moved around on a stage.

This story was pretty good -- the War, the aftermath, etc. etc. It would probably make a great movie (TV, most likely). Well, those of you who love Danielle Steel, or who love Paris, should read it. What more can I say...

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am not a Danielle Steel fan, and this is a prime example of why I'm not. I got it because of the link to the Titanic. It is depressing. One horrible thing after another befalls the main character. A normal person would be contemplating suicide about half way through if their life was this plot. The main character just takes it all and keeps meandering along in a meek way. Perhaps that's what is most annoying about this book. The main character has the strength to leave the way of life she knows to join a combat zone and undertake a profession that is heavily considered man's work, yet she wouldn't dare say "boo" to the parade of people that make her life misery.

[Carol Storm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best Danielle Steel novel I've read in a long time. Annabelle catches every kind of bad break you can imagine, but she learns real lessons about believing in yourself and not allowing other people to label you. The story goes from her fairy-tale childhood in Edith Wharton's Old New York, to the trenches of the Great War, to the glamor and excitement of Paris in the Twenties. Nothing ever comes easily for Annabelle, even though she's a stunning blonde beauty with exquisitely refined manners. But no matter how bad things get she just never gives up.

I totally love this book, and now I'm going to discuss some mild spoilers I found funny. Stop here if you don't want to hear some plot points revealed.

When reading Danielle Steel, there are always a few things that will tickle your funny bone, even while you're totally caught up in the story and the emotions of the characters. Usually they involve historical errors or problems with writing dialogue in modern slang. Annabelle's best friend Hortense has a lot to say about sex, early in the novel, and she doesn't seem to realize it's 1915. I mean she just sounds way too modern, not only in what she says but *how* she says it. Like, my wedding night rocked, and I think sex is totally awesome! And then later, Annabelle's first husband decides he "wants to be alone" (with another man, natch!) So the two of them go down to Mexico. Down to Mexico! Danielle Steel can name every five star restaurant in Paris, but evidently she didn't do much research into what was going on down in Mexico in 1915. All through the book I kept collapsing into giggles, picturing Josiah and Henry riding with Pancho Villa, and maybe giving him hair and makeup tips.

Talk about a Wild Bunch!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Born into a life of luxury and raised among the privileged classes of New York society, nineteen-year-old Annabelle Worthington has spent the majority of her life mingling with the afluent and cherished elite, as a part of the glittering world and the glamorous ballrooms of the Manhattan social set. With glorious family homes on Fifth Avenue and also in Newport, Rhode Island, Annabelle has been raised to expect only the best that life has to offer - taught to rely on her family's name and their stellar reputation to pave her way in life. Yet Annabelle's life as she knows it is irrevocably swept away on a bitterly cold day in April of 1912, when the sinking of the Titanic shatters her life forever. Drawing on an indomitable source of strength from somewhere deep within her grief, Annabelle pours herself into volunteer work.

It is while nursing the poor, that Annabelle finds her true purpose - igniting a desire in medicine, a passion that will never be extinguished - something which will inevitably shape the course of her life far into the future. But for Annabelle, it is her first love, and a seemingly idyllic marriage which will soon bring her yet more grief and an incalculable heartbreak. Devastated and betrayed by the revelation of her husband's deepest secrets, Annabelle flees New York for war-ravaged France, pursued by a scandal she does not deserve. Hoping to lose herself in a life of service, Annabelle will dedicate herself to the fulfillment of others.

There in the heart of war-torn France - at the height of World War I - in a ground-breaking field hospital run entirely by women, Annabelle finds her true calling. Working as an ambulance medic on the front lines; studying medicine; tending to the gravely sick and grievously wounded; doing what she can to save lives. And when the war ends, she begins her new life in Paris - as a respected doctor, a mother, and with her past put firmly in its place; her devastating memories almost entirely forgotten...until a fateful meeting opens her heart to the world she had left behind.

Finding strength in the unlikeliest of friendships, pulling together the broken fragments of her life, Annabelle will return to New York once more - this time as a changed woman; a woman of rare substance; someone who was forged by life's experiences; and infused with her hard-won knowledge of harsh circumstances. Annabelle will finally find joy in building a future filled with hope...growing out of the rich, fertile soil of the past.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book; I found it to be well-written, richly detailed and well-grounded in the historical period. In my opinion, this was slightly different from Ms. Steel's usual work, and Annabelle Worthington was a vibrantly strong character, who I immediately related to - and felt for - as I read further into the story. I would certainly give A Good Woman by Danielle Steel an A+!

[Laurie Vanderveer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have never read a Danielle Steel book before and I will probably never read another. It was one of my book club reads and was highly recommended as a book I could "devour" in one or two days. According to the jacket write-up, it should have been interesting. What starts out as a great premise for a book turns out to be boring, lacking in descriptive detail, and repetitive. It was as if we had to keep being reminded, chapter after chapter, about the same information from earlier in the book; as if we forgot what had previously happened in the story. Maybe she's getting paid by the word or something. The only reason I finished this book was because I thought I would have a build up and have a final solve. It did not. Maybe hoping that at any moment it would get good. Well, it didn't.

[Rahma · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated the way Danielle Steel made Annabelle seem the PERFECT person throughout! And the story line itself wasn't really convincing, with Steel rushing in some moments where she should have put in more description. In some other parts, she put in more detail than required. And yes, as many agree, Steel was constantly emphasising how Annabelle had suffered and how everyone was unfair to her.
Overall, the book wasn't as good as I expected it to be.

[Afnan El-mouzan · Rating 4 out of 5]

أفضل ما قرأت لدانييل حتى الآن ..
النهاية متوازنة وليس فيها "شطحه" مثل رواية النذل
و بدايتها غير مملة كرواية صاحبة السمو الملكي

أحداث الرواية وقعت في بداية القرن 19 ..
حيث العادات والافكار التي لا وجود لها الآن في أمريكا وفرنسا
والحرب والعالميه الأولى
و غرق التايتانك


كل هذاأضاف لي اشياء جميلة
..

الشيئ الذي لم أفهمه بعد في رواياتها "" ليه كل الأبطال أغنياء ؟!"

[Tempo de Ler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se Uma Mulher de Coragem é indício da qualidade do trabalho da autora no geral, então tenho andado a perder livros fantásticos. Até agora só li Grande Mulher do qual, por vários motivos, não gostei, mas este Uma Mulher de Coragem agradou-me imenso e até me fez lembrar um bocadinho Lesley Pearse, o que, no meu entender, é um elogio dos grandes!

Gostei muito do modo progressivo como a autora fortifica a protagonista ao longo do livro. Anabelle vai-se transformando em consequência do que lhe acontece, tal como o mundo que a rodeia sofre uma dramática mudança devido à eclosão da Primeira Guerra Mundial. A cada infortúnio da vida, Anabelle cresce e endurece a sua personalidade. Deixamos de acompanhar uma jovem inexperiente para passar a observar com admiração uma mulher forte e decidida, que sabe o que quer, altruísta mesmo nos piores momentos e com vontade de ajudar quando tantos lhe viraram as costas, de dar quando tanto lhe foi tirado.

A escritora faz questão de deixar bem clara a diferença entre Anabelle e as outras mulheres com quem ela se relaciona na alta-sociedade nova-iorquina. Numa época em que, para muitas, a aspiração máxima na vida era ser mãe, Anabelle destaca-se pela sua sede de conhecimento e intelectualidade. Além do papel feminino no início do século XX, Steel aborda temas como o divórcio e a homossexualidade, tornando o livro ainda mais interessante.

A história de Anabelle é muito comovente, vivemos com esta jovem momentos angustiantes e de pura desilusão, mas é também uma história inspiradora pelo modo como Anabelle atravessa as adversidades e, a partir dos piores episódios, consegue fazer sempre coisas boas e enriquecedoras.

Se tivesse que apontar algum "defeito" ao livro seria a exagerada repetição de algumas noções. Uma vez que está bem escrito, o livro permite-nos tirar nós próprios as conclusões devidas sem ser necessário apontá-las de forma tão óbvia... mas, pior que isso, a autora acaba por repetir essas mesmas ideias uma e outra vez.

Repetição à parte, em Uma Mulher de Coragem Danielle Steel construiu uma história fascinante e rematou-a à altura. Mesmo depois de tanto azar e frustração, o livro termina de forma realista e com uma nota de esperança que torna difícil dizer adeus a Anabelle e fechar o livro.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, great, great!!!! I loved listening to this and didn't want it to end!

I've been reading Danielle Steel since I was in high school and she has some amazing books and then some that are just silly and stupid. This one was AWESOME! The story was so detailed and the main character deeply developed to the point of feeling her pain and disappointment in life. I also loved some of the other characters and the personalities that DS was able to create on paper. I can't leave out the travel and wonderful locations of the story. I was telling someone how much I loved it and she was telling me she loved a book too and it turns out we were reading the same book!

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've read a few Danielle Steel books, and I'm not sure why I keep going back to them. Her main characters are ALWAYS Mary Sues. They're always completely perfect and have no flaws whatsoever, and they are completely misunderstood and all the other characters are mean to them. This book followed the formula exactly. On top of that, we're supposed to believe the character has the guts to go to a war zone and become a doctor, but she can't even stand up to anyone who mistreats her. Ridiculous book, it's a waste of time.

[Rach · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was utterly frustrating. I wished the heroine of this novel grew more of a spine and spoke her truth instead of letting everyone steamroll her into the ground. I can't understand why she would remain loyal to certain people. Not to say that the main character didn't have a good character, but personally I would have preferred if she had been more enraged at her injustices instead of the martyr role she took in the story.

[John Mirmina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-3.5 stars

Started off fairly decently. As the novel went on though, it just felt like it dragged at times, and things could have been tidied up.

Outside of that, the historical data and preserving the timeline was well done.

[Tahani Al Duwaisan · Rating 5 out of 5]

من اروع الروايات التي قرأتها واسلوبها سهل ومشوق انصح بقراءتها

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a happy story, but it was a good story.

[Katrine Knudsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meget cliché, men god at gøre rent til

[Irina Storozuk · Rating 2 out of 5]

La verdad que ni me dan ganas de reseñar el libro porque no me gustó nada la historia. Lo único positivo fue que pude leerlo en inglés asi que sirvió como práctica.

El libro consiste en la vida de Annabelle y todas las desgracias que le acontecen. Todo el tiempo se está diciendo que era una buena mujer lo que me pareció una exageración. Está lleno de drama y repeticiones sin sentido. Ningún personajes es lo que parece. Todos los que aparentan ser buenos terminan siendo malos y viceversa a veces. No logré conectar en ningún momento con la historia pero por lo menos pude terminar de leerla.

[Anna Phoenix · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'd never read a Danielle Steel book until now. I'm not a big fan or popular romance, but I figured, "Hey, everybody reads Danielle Steel! It even says so on the back of every one of her books! There must be some merit to her." So I grabbed this one since it made reference to a woman helping out in the wake of the Titanic disaster, which is of interest to me, and got started.

Is it possible to give a book negative stars? If it was I'd give it minus five. The only reason I gave it one star here was so I'd remember I'd rated it at all.

There was promise in the plot and storyline, but that's all it is - a plot and storyline. Her characters are not developed at all; there's a lot of explanation of what's going on and referring to what had come before - and her use of the word "had", as in "so-and-so had once blah blah blah" was infuriating, as it never seemed to resolve into anything in the present. This sort of exposition makes sense at the beginning of a novel, and I expected that it would fade once she really got into the story - but then when I was halfway through I gave up hope. She makes some efforts at descriptive prose but they fall flat. Really it feels like an overextended story outline that's been slapped together and published without having been edited into an actual cohesive narrative.

At first I thought maybe I'd just grabbed a dud, but then I picked up another few of her books and flipped through; they were virtually identical and equally disappointing.

So why does "everyone" read Danielle Steel? Because it's easy. It doesn't require thought or intelligence, and the lack of description allows the reader to insert herself into the characters and situations. It's escape in its most elemental form. This has also allowed the author to churn out more than a book a year for god knows how many decades, and to keep selling them because the readers know exactly what to expect; only the names and places change.

The most infuriating thing about this actual, physical book was that, after reading - and hating - it, I had to buy it. I had borrowed it but on the morning I was going to bring it back I spilled leftover coffee on it and had to buy a replacement. Worst five bucks I ever spent - but a reminder to myself that even the worst writer can make money!

[Virginia Markhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

FINALLY... A Danielle Steel that I truly enjoyed. Sometimes her books are soooo wordy. I usually get bored half way through. Not so with this one. Really enjoyed it. Danielle Steel also loves to write about wealthy people. No exception here. This is the story of Annabelle, at age 19 she lost her father and brother on the Titanic. Her mother survived this sinking. Annabelle married at age 19 to a man who was twice her age. The marriage lasted two years and was never consumated. Her spouse was gay. He divorced her shortly after her mother died. He had syphilis. Since Annabelle would not divorce him, he divorced her stating adultry which nailed the lid on her society coffin. she fled to worn torn Europe to lick her wounds. While studying to become a doctor she was raped by a druncken officer who was polite enough to give her his name (!) He was killed on the front line shortly afterwards. She bore a daughter.

Wow. Lots going on in this book.

[Rana Al-alwani · Rating 2 out of 5]

لا أعلم هل الترجمة مبتورة أم أن بعض الأحداث تُرِكت لخيال القارئ !!!!

خلال الأحداث لم نفهم لِماذا جوشيا تزوجها ، و لماذا بقيت عذراء لمدة عامين كاملين دون ذكر الأمر لوالدتها أو حتى لصديقتها التي لم تخفي عنها أسرارها ، ثم أن مرضه ذُكر دون سببه و علاقته الغريبة بصديقه الذي لم يكن يتركه أبدًا حتى أنه غادر معه بعد الطلاق ، و لماذا وجب عليه ذكر أنها خائنة في دعوى الطلاق لماذا ليس هو الخائن !!!!!!!
أحداث غير منطقية أبدًا ، اللي شفته بأفلام الثلاثينات و الأربعينات أن - المثلية - كانت موجودة ( فهي موجودة منذ الأزل ) فلماذا التمويه ، أم أنه المترجم - اللي فوتنا بالحيط !!!! -
ثم أنطوان و ردت فعله اللامنطقية و الحوارات المكررة بشكل مستفز

للأسف لم تعجبني كثيرًا ، كنت متأملة أن تكون أفضل و أنا أرى المراجعات عليها
لكنها كانت مخيبة للأمل ، و كأنها واحدة من روايات المراهقات - عبير أو ياسمين - بأحداث مطولة أكثر .