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Power Play
Fiona Carson has proven herself as CEO of a multibillion-dollar high-tech company – a successful woman in a man's world. Devoted single mother, world-class strategist, and tough negotiator, Fiona has to keep a delicate balance every day.
Meanwhile, Marshall Weston basks in the fruits of his achievements. At his side is his wife Liz who has gladly sacrificed her own career to raise their three children. Smooth, shrewd and irreproachable, Marshall's power only enhances his charisma – but he harbors secrets that could destroy his life at any moment.
Both must face their own demons, and the lives they lead come at a high price. But just how high a price are they willing to pay?
Power Play is a compelling, heart-rending portrayal of love, family and career – the perfect read for fans of Penny Vincenzi, Susan Lewis and Lesley Pearce.
Have you tried Danielle's recent bestselling stories First Sight and Friends Forever?
Meanwhile, Marshall Weston basks in the fruits of his achievements. At his side is his wife Liz who has gladly sacrificed her own career to raise their three children. Smooth, shrewd and irreproachable, Marshall's power only enhances his charisma – but he harbors secrets that could destroy his life at any moment.
Both must face their own demons, and the lives they lead come at a high price. But just how high a price are they willing to pay?
Power Play is a compelling, heart-rending portrayal of love, family and career – the perfect read for fans of Penny Vincenzi, Susan Lewis and Lesley Pearce.
Have you tried Danielle's recent bestselling stories First Sight and Friends Forever?
339 pages, Hardcover
First published March 11, 2014
1329 people are currently reading
4007 people want to read
About the author
Danielle Steel
914 books16.8k followersDanielle 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.
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Instagram: @officialdaniellesteel
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 617 reviews
September 25, 2015
Maybe 1 1/2 stars?!
Ok, here’s the thing. I’m always making half-hearted justifications about some of the ‘fluffier’ non-literary reads that I find myself reading. Looks like I’ll have to work my way out of this one, too!
I was doing some mundane house type chores today, and had this little story to keep me company whilst I did it, listening via cd. The chore was boring, and the book wasn’t just boring, it was just so bad!
There was nothing to this offering of DS at all. There was no real story line, and I kept just thinking ‘what the?’ all the way through. It really was just an indulgent, almost embarrassing romp through a billionaire’s story of having two families, bouncing back and forth between these two poor women, and changing his mind about what he was going to do depending on what suited him at the time. He ended up not caring about anyone but himself and not learning a thing. It was just plain unpleasant listening to an audio version of narcissism!
Then another poor mother we come across is as successful as anything (of course), hadn’t been on a date for years, works her butt off and does nothing for herself, and even while enjoying the company of an attractive capable man, still thinks she should set this suitor up with her sister!
DS is awesome, funny and set so much in her own little world of make believe that it’s all good. I hate that saying! I picked this up off the shelf at the library as it was a relative new release, and I was curious to see what a listening experience would be like, and I learnt my lesson! I’ll still keep reading my DS books, I’ve got a lot here. They are like a funny little slip, where I know I shouldn’t be doing what I’m doing (something that I'm actually quite good at), and my clever Goodreads friends are going to rouse on me. Come on, you know you want to!
But, to be honest, I'm smiling right now, so I'm guilty as charged :))
Ok, here’s the thing. I’m always making half-hearted justifications about some of the ‘fluffier’ non-literary reads that I find myself reading. Looks like I’ll have to work my way out of this one, too!
I was doing some mundane house type chores today, and had this little story to keep me company whilst I did it, listening via cd. The chore was boring, and the book wasn’t just boring, it was just so bad!
There was nothing to this offering of DS at all. There was no real story line, and I kept just thinking ‘what the?’ all the way through. It really was just an indulgent, almost embarrassing romp through a billionaire’s story of having two families, bouncing back and forth between these two poor women, and changing his mind about what he was going to do depending on what suited him at the time. He ended up not caring about anyone but himself and not learning a thing. It was just plain unpleasant listening to an audio version of narcissism!
Then another poor mother we come across is as successful as anything (of course), hadn’t been on a date for years, works her butt off and does nothing for herself, and even while enjoying the company of an attractive capable man, still thinks she should set this suitor up with her sister!
DS is awesome, funny and set so much in her own little world of make believe that it’s all good. I hate that saying! I picked this up off the shelf at the library as it was a relative new release, and I was curious to see what a listening experience would be like, and I learnt my lesson! I’ll still keep reading my DS books, I’ve got a lot here. They are like a funny little slip, where I know I shouldn’t be doing what I’m doing (something that I'm actually quite good at), and my clever Goodreads friends are going to rouse on me. Come on, you know you want to!
But, to be honest, I'm smiling right now, so I'm guilty as charged :))
March 17, 2014
Not sure why I bothered....her books are all the same any more
March 5, 2017
A truly wretched story by Ms. Steel at her most boring and redundant self. 0 of 10 stars
November 19, 2019
I actually really enjoyed the two separate plots with main characters. Their plots mix together in a small way but not between the main characters of the two plots. As the story unfolds you have a complete picture of the main characters and all the supporting characters. It really unravels nicely for the reader.
November 30, 2014
I haven't read a Danielle Steele in a while and very quickly remembered why. She seems to rely on 'and' rather than producing thoughtful descriptions. It's like an 8 year old telling a story- this happened. And that happened. And the phone rang, and it was Susie's Mom. And she told a story. And everyone laughed. It is thoroughly annoying as well as predictable. I knew very early on exactly how it would play out. Don't waste your time.
April 5, 2014
Power! It is the one magic word in life that can make or break even the best of us. Everyone craves it but not everyone knows how to deal with it when they finally have it.
For most people it changes them to such drastic ends that they become people no one wants anything to do with. In this the new Danielle Steel read she shows the difference between learning to exert one's power and abusing it to the point where it all comes tumbling down.
The book focuses on the lives of two CEO's, both successful and playing the power card in their own way. For Fiona Carson she uses the rush of power to push harder each day in making a multibillion- dollar company reach new heights in the business industry. Yes she is lonely after a divorce but the time and energy it takes to run the company and take care of her children leaves little time to sulk over the past, and for her she accepts that isolation and constant pressure is all part of being successful in a man's world.
Then we have Marshall Weston, he basks in the glory of his success. He has a beautiful wife that goes all out to make sure clients are impressed at all times, she is the perfection of loving wife. But he has a secret so shocking that when voiced will not only destroy his perfect life, but the lives of his wife and children.
So you have Fiona that uses her power for good, well good towards others as let's face it keeping the employees of any firm happy and in good spirit is always a bonus, and then you have Marshall who uses his power to obtain the trust of others who are blinded by his power , and believe me this man has so such a large dose of power that it makes him a " the more power I have the more charm I have" character.
With both the lives of the characters being delved into by the author, it made for very interesting reading. I enjoyed seeing the differences being shown by the author in both characters and how power has a different outcome on both their lives.
The book had corporate spies and lies, destructive family secrets and a look into how different types of people both holding the cards to success and how they play the hand. A very enjoyable afternoon read that I personally felt would take me a while to get through , after the first few chapters started out a little slow, but soon became very interesting and got me hooked in wanting to find out the what, the who and the how, I ended up reading it in on sitting.
I am taking away a message of when we have power it all comes down to how we use it. If you abuse it, the band is for sure to come off the wagon at some stage, how you make it work then is up to you. And if you overuse it , then you are for darn sure going to drown yourself to the point where it does not feel like it's worth it at all anymore.
I recommend this read for fans of books that have realism and good strong emotion, with a little unexpected twist and turns here and there, that will as it did me shout out" What? No, that did not just happen!"
4 star review
" Power can be the downfall that no one sees coming"
** Complimentary review copy received from Random House Struik, South Africa
For most people it changes them to such drastic ends that they become people no one wants anything to do with. In this the new Danielle Steel read she shows the difference between learning to exert one's power and abusing it to the point where it all comes tumbling down.
The book focuses on the lives of two CEO's, both successful and playing the power card in their own way. For Fiona Carson she uses the rush of power to push harder each day in making a multibillion- dollar company reach new heights in the business industry. Yes she is lonely after a divorce but the time and energy it takes to run the company and take care of her children leaves little time to sulk over the past, and for her she accepts that isolation and constant pressure is all part of being successful in a man's world.
Then we have Marshall Weston, he basks in the glory of his success. He has a beautiful wife that goes all out to make sure clients are impressed at all times, she is the perfection of loving wife. But he has a secret so shocking that when voiced will not only destroy his perfect life, but the lives of his wife and children.
So you have Fiona that uses her power for good, well good towards others as let's face it keeping the employees of any firm happy and in good spirit is always a bonus, and then you have Marshall who uses his power to obtain the trust of others who are blinded by his power , and believe me this man has so such a large dose of power that it makes him a " the more power I have the more charm I have" character.
With both the lives of the characters being delved into by the author, it made for very interesting reading. I enjoyed seeing the differences being shown by the author in both characters and how power has a different outcome on both their lives.
The book had corporate spies and lies, destructive family secrets and a look into how different types of people both holding the cards to success and how they play the hand. A very enjoyable afternoon read that I personally felt would take me a while to get through , after the first few chapters started out a little slow, but soon became very interesting and got me hooked in wanting to find out the what, the who and the how, I ended up reading it in on sitting.
I am taking away a message of when we have power it all comes down to how we use it. If you abuse it, the band is for sure to come off the wagon at some stage, how you make it work then is up to you. And if you overuse it , then you are for darn sure going to drown yourself to the point where it does not feel like it's worth it at all anymore.
I recommend this read for fans of books that have realism and good strong emotion, with a little unexpected twist and turns here and there, that will as it did me shout out" What? No, that did not just happen!"
4 star review
" Power can be the downfall that no one sees coming"
** Complimentary review copy received from Random House Struik, South Africa
December 3, 2014
OMG this story is a JOKE! The true behind the scenes lives of hot-shot CEOs… oh puh-leeeeeeeeezzze!
I don’t even know where to begin; there is so much to complain about! Here are just a few points that sprang to mind without even trying - I am sure I could EASILY come up with more but I don’t want to spend the energy:
•All “tell” no “show”. How lazy! Instead of letting the story develop in a way that feels organic, the reader is told what the characters are thinking and feeling and doing. Why bother at all with dialogue or scenes that move the plot along if all you’re going to do is explain everything anyway? It felt like exposition the entire way through.
•I am sick of being beaten over the head with the 80s women can have it all mantra. All the pushing of women’s entitlement to love, work, family, romance, power… “The Modern Woman of Today can have it all and deserves it all”… Feels so dated.
•Was the purpose to educate me on how men and women CEOs are a different breed? Women in power are like this. Men in power are like that. How two dimensional! Am I supposed to have a better insight into how a CEO’s brain works now? Please. It felt forced and contrived.
•Everything falls into place so easily and always feels neat and tidy, no drama, no real tension, nothing original, but then again that is the way Danielle Steel operates and she does have a myriad of fans who love her books for a reason. I just think it’s eye-rollingly cliché; I'm surprised my eyes didn't get stuck!
I read a lot of Danielle Steel in high school, but I guess I am just not that into her anymore. I gave this one a shot because it was 5$ but if they are all like this I will wait for a 99 cent sale before reading another one.
I don’t even know where to begin; there is so much to complain about! Here are just a few points that sprang to mind without even trying - I am sure I could EASILY come up with more but I don’t want to spend the energy:
•All “tell” no “show”. How lazy! Instead of letting the story develop in a way that feels organic, the reader is told what the characters are thinking and feeling and doing. Why bother at all with dialogue or scenes that move the plot along if all you’re going to do is explain everything anyway? It felt like exposition the entire way through.
•I am sick of being beaten over the head with the 80s women can have it all mantra. All the pushing of women’s entitlement to love, work, family, romance, power… “The Modern Woman of Today can have it all and deserves it all”… Feels so dated.
•Was the purpose to educate me on how men and women CEOs are a different breed? Women in power are like this. Men in power are like that. How two dimensional! Am I supposed to have a better insight into how a CEO’s brain works now? Please. It felt forced and contrived.
•Everything falls into place so easily and always feels neat and tidy, no drama, no real tension, nothing original, but then again that is the way Danielle Steel operates and she does have a myriad of fans who love her books for a reason. I just think it’s eye-rollingly cliché; I'm surprised my eyes didn't get stuck!
I read a lot of Danielle Steel in high school, but I guess I am just not that into her anymore. I gave this one a shot because it was 5$ but if they are all like this I will wait for a 99 cent sale before reading another one.
Read
April 6, 2014I thought Marshall was a total jerk, who did not deserve a huge salary
February 20, 2015
Before I read Danielle Steel’s Power Play, I had thought Fifty Shades of Gray was quite possibly the worst book ever published in the English language. Fifty may still take the prize for biggest menace to society - based on its quality, content, and the extent of its popularity - but when judged on writing quality alone, Power Play has the dubious honor of being the worst prose I have ever read.
I had low expectations when I checked the eBook out from my local library (I would never pay money for a book like this) but I wanted to understand something about the best selling author alive today. I figured I’d find a fairly standard romance - formulaic but readable, with a happily ever after at the end. But I was utterly unprepared for this literary abomination.
I know that’s a harsh critique, so let me tell you why I think this novel (and I suspect the rest of her oeuvre, which I have not and will never read) deserves it:
1. Show don’t tell. Isn’t that covered in Creative Writing 101? The first chapter of this book introduces the female protagonist, the CEO of a major corporation. Rather than giving you an opportunity to learn about this character through watching her interactions, the book proceeds to tell you exactly what to think of her through use of what I like to call the Omniscient Moralist narrator - the all-knowing, autocratic narrator with a penchant for passing moral judgement. I thought maybe it was just the first chapter, that the plot would kick in and we’d start to see more show and less tell. By chapter 5, I was starting to worry that it would never get better. By chapter 13, it was clear that this book would never let me think for myself. The first chapter turned out to be the template for EVERY CHAPTER OF THE BOOK, containing:
a plot element or two
a basic physical description of any newly introduced character, or of the protagonists outfits (because we women really care what women wear. It’s important to us. Even if it’s always the same damn silk shirt.)
some pedestrian action with way too much vapid, pointless detail ( e.g. “As she approached the boardroom, her BlackBerry rang. She was about to let it go to voice mail, and then decided to check who it was, just to be sure. She pulled it out of her pocket. It was Alyssa, her daughter...She had time. The board meeting wouldn’t start for a few minutes, and as a single parent it always made her uneasy not to answer calls from her children. What if it was the one time that something was seriously wrong?” Really? You couldn’t condense that down a bit? I could convey the same basic information in half the words: “Her daughter Alyssa called as she approached the boardroom, and she stopped to take it. The meeting wouldn’t start for a few minutes, and Fiona hated not to answer when her children called. She couldn’t risk missing a true emergency call.” Is this woman getting paid by word? Is that why it’s so repetitive?)
pages and pages of platitudes, of “telling” not “showing.” (e.g. “She hated being late and almost never was.” and “...whatever personal problems or issues she had, it was inconceivable that she would let them interfere with her work.” and “Fiona had always made it clear to her children that they were a major priority for her…” and ...oh, it’s not even worth pulling more quotes, because almost every sentence of the entire book is TELLING you what to think about a character or situation instead of showing day-to-day interactions, conversations, facial expression, internal monologues and letting you draw your own conclusions.
2. What’s the antonym of ambiguity? Clarity? Decisiveness? The clunky, prescriptive, telling-you-what-to-think-instead-of-trusting-your-mental-acuity prose is full of black and white, moral unambiguity. “...he hated her...frequently making uncalled-for derogatory personal comments about her, or rolling his eyes at her suggestions, while she was unfailingly diplomatic, respectful, and discreet, no matter what it cost her to do so.” Fiona is unambiguously, completely, 100% perfect in every way. Her nemesis on the board is so ridiculously “bad” that he seems completely unrealistic. How could someone so unprofessional, harboring a petty, childishly irrational grudge, be the chairman of the board of one of the largest tech corporations in the world? And what human on the planet is unfailingly diplomatic, always on time, always has time for her children, never raises her voice, never engages in gossip…
3. This is a “message” book, and the message is neither subtle nor particularly insightful or interesting. The book posits the theory that power is an aphrodisiac for men, spurring them to do bad stuff, while it has the opposite effect on women. Women in power become sexless, selfless paragons while their male counterparts have affairs and become reckless cheats. And when I say it posits a theory, I don’t mean that it uses fictional characters to illustrate a concept or philosophy ala Ayn Rand. I mean it employs multiple fictional characters to repeatedly tell you the thesis, in case you were too stupid to figure it out on your own. (e.g. “...she was currently working on her third book, on the effects of power and success on both men and women, and how differently it affected them.” and “‘Power acts as an aphrodisiac for powerful, successful men,’ Jillian informed her sister...’And an anesthetic for women,’”) We don’t even have to do the difficult mental work of figuring out that Fiona, the all-around-perfect female CEO is there to show us the effect that power and success have on women, while Marshall, the sleazy, cheating, male CEO living a double life is there to show us the male side of that equation. Oh, hey, and look how clever she was, naming the Female cardboard CEO Fiona (F = Female) and the Male cardboard CEO Marshall (M = Male.)
4. Trash should be trashy. I mean, everyone has their little guilty pleasures, and I’m not above reading a little fluff from time to time. But there’s gotta be something in it for me. If you’re not going to stimulate my brain, you’ve got two alternatives: heart or loins. This novel utterly fails to pluck the heart strings, because every one of its characters is as flat and thin as a piece of tissue paper. And the brief sexual scenes are about as sexy as a conversation with a gynecologist. [e.g. “...his desire for her was plainly obvious as they fell onto the bed. And a moment later, they were making love as though they had known each other forever. It was perfect and just what each of them had hoped for…”] I mean, I thought the whole appeal of the airport novel was the escapist fantasy, but the prose style in this novel actively fights against the imagination and discourages any kind of emotional connection.
The combined effect of the above faults is that the book reads like a bizarre, overlong fairy tale. All it’s missing is the “Once upon a time” at the beginning.
So here’s the plot synopsis. I suppose I should put a spoiler warning on this, but there’s frankly nothing to spoil. The plot is so outrageously obvious (and inartfully telegraphed) that knowing the outcome can’t possibly detract from one’s “enjoyment” of the novel. If, indeed, it is possible to enjoy such a tour de force of bad writing. This summary attempts to encapsulate both the tone and content of the book. All I’ve done here is removed a few conversations, one superfluous character, and a whole lot of repetition:
Once upon a time, there was a CEO named Fiona. She was very good in every way, and made lots of money for her shareholders, but she was a single mother and hadn't had a date in years. She had been married to a very mean man who didn’t like her to be successful. They were now divorced, but he was still being mean to her. Also, there was an even meaner man that was the chairman of the board, and she had to be nice to him all the time while he insulted her.
Meanwhile, at a slightly smaller company, a CEO named Marshall lived a life of luxury. His wife made dinner for him every night, raised their three children, and helped him entertain clients.
And they all lived happily ever after. (Except the former chairman of the board, who was just a grumpy, mean old man.)
IN SUMMARY:
This book is not good, but it’s not the very worst kind of book. Its target audience is adult women, but its prose style is aimed at about first grade level. I find this incredibly insulting, but nowhere near as dangerous as the aforementioned Fifty Shades, which rises to about a third grade writing level while dressing up a tale of domestic abuse and rape as a heartwarming romance featuring kinky sex. If I had to choose one of these terrible books for American women and teenage girls to swoon over, I would go for Power Play in a heartbeat. Both books ask you to check your brain at the front cover, both are utterly devoid of character development or art or anything enriching, neither novel contains any novelty. But the message of Power Play is generally innocuous (“hey girls, you can be a successful woman AND find a man - just make sure you don’t find a successful man, because those guys are assholes”) while the message of Fifty Shades is downright dangerous (“hey girls, if you find yourself in an abusive relationship with a guy who calls himself a Dom but in reality is a creepy stalker rapist, don’t worry, because if you love him hard enough you can heal him so that he stops beating you. But he’ll still be emotionally abusive and controlling. But hey, true love is worth it.”)
I had low expectations when I checked the eBook out from my local library (I would never pay money for a book like this) but I wanted to understand something about the best selling author alive today. I figured I’d find a fairly standard romance - formulaic but readable, with a happily ever after at the end. But I was utterly unprepared for this literary abomination.
I know that’s a harsh critique, so let me tell you why I think this novel (and I suspect the rest of her oeuvre, which I have not and will never read) deserves it:
1. Show don’t tell. Isn’t that covered in Creative Writing 101? The first chapter of this book introduces the female protagonist, the CEO of a major corporation. Rather than giving you an opportunity to learn about this character through watching her interactions, the book proceeds to tell you exactly what to think of her through use of what I like to call the Omniscient Moralist narrator - the all-knowing, autocratic narrator with a penchant for passing moral judgement. I thought maybe it was just the first chapter, that the plot would kick in and we’d start to see more show and less tell. By chapter 5, I was starting to worry that it would never get better. By chapter 13, it was clear that this book would never let me think for myself. The first chapter turned out to be the template for EVERY CHAPTER OF THE BOOK, containing:
a plot element or two
a basic physical description of any newly introduced character, or of the protagonists outfits (because we women really care what women wear. It’s important to us. Even if it’s always the same damn silk shirt.)
some pedestrian action with way too much vapid, pointless detail ( e.g. “As she approached the boardroom, her BlackBerry rang. She was about to let it go to voice mail, and then decided to check who it was, just to be sure. She pulled it out of her pocket. It was Alyssa, her daughter...She had time. The board meeting wouldn’t start for a few minutes, and as a single parent it always made her uneasy not to answer calls from her children. What if it was the one time that something was seriously wrong?” Really? You couldn’t condense that down a bit? I could convey the same basic information in half the words: “Her daughter Alyssa called as she approached the boardroom, and she stopped to take it. The meeting wouldn’t start for a few minutes, and Fiona hated not to answer when her children called. She couldn’t risk missing a true emergency call.” Is this woman getting paid by word? Is that why it’s so repetitive?)
pages and pages of platitudes, of “telling” not “showing.” (e.g. “She hated being late and almost never was.” and “...whatever personal problems or issues she had, it was inconceivable that she would let them interfere with her work.” and “Fiona had always made it clear to her children that they were a major priority for her…” and ...oh, it’s not even worth pulling more quotes, because almost every sentence of the entire book is TELLING you what to think about a character or situation instead of showing day-to-day interactions, conversations, facial expression, internal monologues and letting you draw your own conclusions.
2. What’s the antonym of ambiguity? Clarity? Decisiveness? The clunky, prescriptive, telling-you-what-to-think-instead-of-trusting-your-mental-acuity prose is full of black and white, moral unambiguity. “...he hated her...frequently making uncalled-for derogatory personal comments about her, or rolling his eyes at her suggestions, while she was unfailingly diplomatic, respectful, and discreet, no matter what it cost her to do so.” Fiona is unambiguously, completely, 100% perfect in every way. Her nemesis on the board is so ridiculously “bad” that he seems completely unrealistic. How could someone so unprofessional, harboring a petty, childishly irrational grudge, be the chairman of the board of one of the largest tech corporations in the world? And what human on the planet is unfailingly diplomatic, always on time, always has time for her children, never raises her voice, never engages in gossip…
3. This is a “message” book, and the message is neither subtle nor particularly insightful or interesting. The book posits the theory that power is an aphrodisiac for men, spurring them to do bad stuff, while it has the opposite effect on women. Women in power become sexless, selfless paragons while their male counterparts have affairs and become reckless cheats. And when I say it posits a theory, I don’t mean that it uses fictional characters to illustrate a concept or philosophy ala Ayn Rand. I mean it employs multiple fictional characters to repeatedly tell you the thesis, in case you were too stupid to figure it out on your own. (e.g. “...she was currently working on her third book, on the effects of power and success on both men and women, and how differently it affected them.” and “‘Power acts as an aphrodisiac for powerful, successful men,’ Jillian informed her sister...’And an anesthetic for women,’”) We don’t even have to do the difficult mental work of figuring out that Fiona, the all-around-perfect female CEO is there to show us the effect that power and success have on women, while Marshall, the sleazy, cheating, male CEO living a double life is there to show us the male side of that equation. Oh, hey, and look how clever she was, naming the Female cardboard CEO Fiona (F = Female) and the Male cardboard CEO Marshall (M = Male.)
4. Trash should be trashy. I mean, everyone has their little guilty pleasures, and I’m not above reading a little fluff from time to time. But there’s gotta be something in it for me. If you’re not going to stimulate my brain, you’ve got two alternatives: heart or loins. This novel utterly fails to pluck the heart strings, because every one of its characters is as flat and thin as a piece of tissue paper. And the brief sexual scenes are about as sexy as a conversation with a gynecologist. [e.g. “...his desire for her was plainly obvious as they fell onto the bed. And a moment later, they were making love as though they had known each other forever. It was perfect and just what each of them had hoped for…”] I mean, I thought the whole appeal of the airport novel was the escapist fantasy, but the prose style in this novel actively fights against the imagination and discourages any kind of emotional connection.
The combined effect of the above faults is that the book reads like a bizarre, overlong fairy tale. All it’s missing is the “Once upon a time” at the beginning.
So here’s the plot synopsis. I suppose I should put a spoiler warning on this, but there’s frankly nothing to spoil. The plot is so outrageously obvious (and inartfully telegraphed) that knowing the outcome can’t possibly detract from one’s “enjoyment” of the novel. If, indeed, it is possible to enjoy such a tour de force of bad writing. This summary attempts to encapsulate both the tone and content of the book. All I’ve done here is removed a few conversations, one superfluous character, and a whole lot of repetition:
Once upon a time, there was a CEO named Fiona. She was very good in every way, and made lots of money for her shareholders, but she was a single mother and hadn't had a date in years. She had been married to a very mean man who didn’t like her to be successful. They were now divorced, but he was still being mean to her. Also, there was an even meaner man that was the chairman of the board, and she had to be nice to him all the time while he insulted her.
Meanwhile, at a slightly smaller company, a CEO named Marshall lived a life of luxury. His wife made dinner for him every night, raised their three children, and helped him entertain clients.
And they all lived happily ever after. (Except the former chairman of the board, who was just a grumpy, mean old man.)
IN SUMMARY:
This book is not good, but it’s not the very worst kind of book. Its target audience is adult women, but its prose style is aimed at about first grade level. I find this incredibly insulting, but nowhere near as dangerous as the aforementioned Fifty Shades, which rises to about a third grade writing level while dressing up a tale of domestic abuse and rape as a heartwarming romance featuring kinky sex. If I had to choose one of these terrible books for American women and teenage girls to swoon over, I would go for Power Play in a heartbeat. Both books ask you to check your brain at the front cover, both are utterly devoid of character development or art or anything enriching, neither novel contains any novelty. But the message of Power Play is generally innocuous (“hey girls, you can be a successful woman AND find a man - just make sure you don’t find a successful man, because those guys are assholes”) while the message of Fifty Shades is downright dangerous (“hey girls, if you find yourself in an abusive relationship with a guy who calls himself a Dom but in reality is a creepy stalker rapist, don’t worry, because if you love him hard enough you can heal him so that he stops beating you. But he’ll still be emotionally abusive and controlling. But hey, true love is worth it.”)
March 7, 2016
I currently have three Danielle Steel novels on my to-read list, and decided to read Power Play first. I was heartbreakingly disappointed.
Marshall is a pompous sleazebag and on top of that a crybaby. Ashley’s character, in comparison, was quite believable as I know many women in situations where they’ll rather be used and abused by the man they love than stand up for themselves. It doesn’t mean I felt sorry for her, though, but strangely enough I enjoyed her storyline the most.
The only character in this book whom I somewhat liked is Liz. Every other character is dull and lifeless. I also didn’t like how the author kept telling me every single thought and observation of every single character and then going ahead and explaining it again for incase I missed it the first ten times. The telling instead of showing annoyed the heck out of me, and it’s such a rookie mistake! That is something you’d expect from most self-pub authors, not someone whose name alone can sell millions of books.
I don’t know how Fiona’s character fits into this story other than being the contrast to Marshall’s character. Her storyline bored me to tears because there isn’t much there! She is supposedly the perfect female CEO, the perfect woman, the perfect mother, and the most perfect human being. I mean this woman can do NO wrong. Seriously. It was incredibly irritating. Most of her storyline was pages and pages of tedious descriptions about how perfect she is and what a perfect CEO she is. My point is there is no depth or dimension to any of these characters. Stereotypical seems to be the word of the day with the book.
The thing that REALLY got to me about this book is how every second to third sentence starts with the word “And”. I mean, people carry on about self-pubs who make this kind of error in their books, but to be honest, I haven’t come across an indie author who has started sentences with “And” as many times as I’ve seen in this novel alone. Ms. Steel should definitely consider firing her editing team. Or, is it because she’s sold over 600 million books that she can actually get away with continually starting sentences with “And”, and no on-one blinks an eye? Or, another possibility I’ve considered, could be that someone else wrote this book and she just slapped her name on it. I guess I’ll never know.
I was terribly disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I had hoped I would. The last Danielle Steel book I’ve read was in 2004, and since then I’ve read hundreds of books, so my reading expectations have changed. Maybe her books have always been this mediocre and because I have evolved as a reader, I’m only seeing it now for what it is. I’m not saying I’ll give up on her books. I have two more of her books on my to-read list and after reading those two will decide whether I’ll read more of her books or not.
Marshall is a pompous sleazebag and on top of that a crybaby. Ashley’s character, in comparison, was quite believable as I know many women in situations where they’ll rather be used and abused by the man they love than stand up for themselves. It doesn’t mean I felt sorry for her, though, but strangely enough I enjoyed her storyline the most.
The only character in this book whom I somewhat liked is Liz. Every other character is dull and lifeless. I also didn’t like how the author kept telling me every single thought and observation of every single character and then going ahead and explaining it again for incase I missed it the first ten times. The telling instead of showing annoyed the heck out of me, and it’s such a rookie mistake! That is something you’d expect from most self-pub authors, not someone whose name alone can sell millions of books.
I don’t know how Fiona’s character fits into this story other than being the contrast to Marshall’s character. Her storyline bored me to tears because there isn’t much there! She is supposedly the perfect female CEO, the perfect woman, the perfect mother, and the most perfect human being. I mean this woman can do NO wrong. Seriously. It was incredibly irritating. Most of her storyline was pages and pages of tedious descriptions about how perfect she is and what a perfect CEO she is. My point is there is no depth or dimension to any of these characters. Stereotypical seems to be the word of the day with the book.
The thing that REALLY got to me about this book is how every second to third sentence starts with the word “And”. I mean, people carry on about self-pubs who make this kind of error in their books, but to be honest, I haven’t come across an indie author who has started sentences with “And” as many times as I’ve seen in this novel alone. Ms. Steel should definitely consider firing her editing team. Or, is it because she’s sold over 600 million books that she can actually get away with continually starting sentences with “And”, and no on-one blinks an eye? Or, another possibility I’ve considered, could be that someone else wrote this book and she just slapped her name on it. I guess I’ll never know.
I was terribly disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I had hoped I would. The last Danielle Steel book I’ve read was in 2004, and since then I’ve read hundreds of books, so my reading expectations have changed. Maybe her books have always been this mediocre and because I have evolved as a reader, I’m only seeing it now for what it is. I’m not saying I’ll give up on her books. I have two more of her books on my to-read list and after reading those two will decide whether I’ll read more of her books or not.
February 15, 2023
Postive about the book :
1.Danielle Steel doesn't repeat her self as much in this book..
2. The Story had a strong female lead.. Fiona was a strong woman.. Since Danielle Steel usually writes stories about man- hungry women this was a nice change of pace..
negatives :
1. Marshall Weston is the biggest asshole... He had no redeeming qualities and Since Danielle Steel wrote Marshall Weston with no redeeming qualitys .. It became boring... I didn't care what happend to him.. Or what happend to Ashley or the main wife.. and I wanted to die from the heart attack.. the world would be a better place without him..
2. Fiona's friends and family were so pushy about having a man in her life... I wanted to slap them all.. Does Danielle Steel ever let her lead roles be single and independent?
3. I don't know anyone who says Making Love about sex... Danielle Steel needs to get in 2017..
4.. the ending was Horrible
1.Danielle Steel doesn't repeat her self as much in this book..
2. The Story had a strong female lead.. Fiona was a strong woman.. Since Danielle Steel usually writes stories about man- hungry women this was a nice change of pace..
negatives :
1. Marshall Weston is the biggest asshole... He had no redeeming qualities and Since Danielle Steel wrote Marshall Weston with no redeeming qualitys .. It became boring... I didn't care what happend to him.. Or what happend to Ashley or the main wife.. and I wanted to die from the heart attack.. the world would be a better place without him..
2. Fiona's friends and family were so pushy about having a man in her life... I wanted to slap them all.. Does Danielle Steel ever let her lead roles be single and independent?
3. I don't know anyone who says Making Love about sex... Danielle Steel needs to get in 2017..
4.. the ending was Horrible
May 21, 2015
Typical Danielle Steel book. Rich, beautiful people with little plot.
July 11, 2022
simply pointless. Characters lack depth and honestly sooo boring!!
August 7, 2023
Terrible. Dnf becuase I couldn’t figure out the plot
January 5, 2015
Another Danielle Steel novel, another formula. This one centered on Fiona, a high-powered CEO, and Marshall, another high-powered CEO at a rival firm. The two only connect through Fiona's daughter/Marshall's son, but somehow we learn the stories of each... Fiona figuring out the leak on her board and finding love after divorce, and Marshall with his wonderful corporate wife in San Fran and his 'thing' on the side in LA. You can guess what happens to each of them at the beginning of the novel, and you'd probably be right.
When you read Danielle Steel, you know what you're in for, and this book was no different. Not exactly a yawn-fest, but close to one... Steel's formulaic writing ruled this book, and there were few surprises. Plus, Steel always has a tendency to go into too much detail rather than letting the characters rule the story. It's like the character says something and then Steel has to define it by saying 'what he/she really meant/felt/thought'. UGGH.
Steel also isn't that great with the character development. Sure, we get to know Marshall and his wife/mistress and Fiona, but we don't really get to KNOW them... know what they're really thinking and feeling... the characters never seem real. And what's up with every character being either so high and mighty and high powered or sleazy? Such stereotypes... none of the characters ever seem true to life. What about the manager that wants to be CEO but just can't get there? What about the CEO who doesn't make a gazillion dollars a year? What about the wife who just can't be the amazing corporate wife or cracks under the pressure of trying? Steel also likes to throw in locations/brands to make the novel 'classy' when that's never really needed.
When you read Danielle Steel, you know what you're in for, and this book was no different. Not exactly a yawn-fest, but close to one... Steel's formulaic writing ruled this book, and there were few surprises. Plus, Steel always has a tendency to go into too much detail rather than letting the characters rule the story. It's like the character says something and then Steel has to define it by saying 'what he/she really meant/felt/thought'. UGGH.
Steel also isn't that great with the character development. Sure, we get to know Marshall and his wife/mistress and Fiona, but we don't really get to KNOW them... know what they're really thinking and feeling... the characters never seem real. And what's up with every character being either so high and mighty and high powered or sleazy? Such stereotypes... none of the characters ever seem true to life. What about the manager that wants to be CEO but just can't get there? What about the CEO who doesn't make a gazillion dollars a year? What about the wife who just can't be the amazing corporate wife or cracks under the pressure of trying? Steel also likes to throw in locations/brands to make the novel 'classy' when that's never really needed.
April 27, 2017
Power Play was about Fiona and Logan and Marshall and Liz, and Ashley, Marshall’s mistress. Fiona, a CEO who was great at her job loses her husband due to his jealously of her success. Logan, an investigative reporter, was assigned to get an interview with the illusive Fiona.
Marshall and Liz had been married for nearly thirty-years and had three children. Marshall told Ashley, his mistress, and their twin daughters, he’ll leave his wife, Liz, after their youngest graduated high school. Marshall’s job learned of his mistress and told him to get rid of either his wife or his mistress and they didn’t care which or lose his job. Logan, a childhood friend of Fiona whom she had liked a lot during grade school had separated because his parents moved the family to another state.
Power Play was the typical story about the mistress putting her life on hold for a man who made promises of leaving his wife and a couple who never stopped loving one another and who was trying to start over. Don John Miller was a great storyteller but he couldn’t do voices.
Power Play was a good story but I felt author Steel played it too safe. I would have enjoyed more conflict.
Marshall and Liz had been married for nearly thirty-years and had three children. Marshall told Ashley, his mistress, and their twin daughters, he’ll leave his wife, Liz, after their youngest graduated high school. Marshall’s job learned of his mistress and told him to get rid of either his wife or his mistress and they didn’t care which or lose his job. Logan, a childhood friend of Fiona whom she had liked a lot during grade school had separated because his parents moved the family to another state.
Power Play was the typical story about the mistress putting her life on hold for a man who made promises of leaving his wife and a couple who never stopped loving one another and who was trying to start over. Don John Miller was a great storyteller but he couldn’t do voices.
Power Play was a good story but I felt author Steel played it too safe. I would have enjoyed more conflict.
March 30, 2019
This was an easy enough read, but the whole time I was listening to it I was thinking "what is the point of this book" and by the end that wasn't really answered. I didn't care for all the men CEOs being bad (having affairs or other scandals), while the women mention were so amazing and perfect. It felt very unlikely. Yes, men may be more prone to doing those things, but I don't for one minute believe every male CEO is like that nor that there isn't one woman who wouldn't do the same.
The narrator was okay. At first I wasn't at all liking his reading, but it grew on me and I thought he did a really good job with Liz's voice towards the end of the story.
I'm not sure if I'll read another DS book, since this one didn't wow me.
The narrator was okay. At first I wasn't at all liking his reading, but it grew on me and I thought he did a really good job with Liz's voice towards the end of the story.
I'm not sure if I'll read another DS book, since this one didn't wow me.
June 28, 2016
Very disappointing. I have read many Danielle Steel books over the years and the most recent ones have held my interest, it almost seems as the author herself got bored midway through and just wanted to finish the book. It was an easy read. I could not relate to either of the main characters, and initially the focus seemed to be on wanting the reader to feel pity for one of the main characters despite some of the questionable actions. By the end of the book, some of the stories were just too patly wrapped up without further explanation. Just did not appeal to me.
July 14, 2024
1.5-2 stars.
This was just not it for DS. Weak plots, the main plot that had some substance was wrapped up halfway through. It also felt as there were too many subplots to beef up the novel, and they all just felt flat.
Speaking of, the characters were just not likable in my opinion, with the exception of a small handful (2-3, including minor characters).
Between these items, it made the book just very uninteresting and hard to keep me wanting to read more.
Hoping the next DS read will be better than this.
This was just not it for DS. Weak plots, the main plot that had some substance was wrapped up halfway through. It also felt as there were too many subplots to beef up the novel, and they all just felt flat.
Speaking of, the characters were just not likable in my opinion, with the exception of a small handful (2-3, including minor characters).
Between these items, it made the book just very uninteresting and hard to keep me wanting to read more.
Hoping the next DS read will be better than this.
March 20, 2014
I've read Danielle Steel books for a long time and I think this is one of her best. A great storyline with just 2 sets of characters and not a lot of mish-mash. Just a great read. I couldn't put it down and actually finished it in one day.
I think this book is as good as her series of "Lucky" books.
I think this book is as good as her series of "Lucky" books.
September 17, 2025
CEO’s of big corporations .. one a divorced woman and one married with almost grown kids with another woman for eight years and young twins at same time !
Interesting, but icky story too.
Repetitive .. but that is nothing new with DS.
I think DS has worked out a deal with the editing people.
Interesting, but icky story too.
Repetitive .. but that is nothing new with DS.
I think DS has worked out a deal with the editing people.
January 1, 2019
I finished my last DS book from my TBR stack on the last day of the year to fulfill the goal of a friend and myself finishing all of our DS books this year :) Liked but did not love this one. Marshall is an A$$ who did not get what he deserved!
October 16, 2020
Page turner
Always love reading g Danielle Steele novels and this one didn't disappoint. I couldn't put it down. Loved reading how the stories intertwined.
Always love reading g Danielle Steele novels and this one didn't disappoint. I couldn't put it down. Loved reading how the stories intertwined.
February 17, 2023
Not my favorite book by this author.
October 5, 2018
Power Play was my second Danielle Steel book, and it wasn’t my favourite. That’s not to say that I didn’t feel a pull where I just had to keep reading, but I preferred the romance of Until The End of Time.
In Power Play we meet two CEO’s and whilst Fiona is likeable, if not a little bland, Marshall is downright detestable. He was definitely an unlikeable character, and I didn’t feel the slightest bit sorry for him.
I would probably say that Ashley has the best character development because she at least eventually grows a backbone, but overall there isn’t much character development going on in this book. The majority of the characters are two dimensional.
This is a good read if you can struggle through the first chapter, but don’t be expecting it to win any awards.
In Power Play we meet two CEO’s and whilst Fiona is likeable, if not a little bland, Marshall is downright detestable. He was definitely an unlikeable character, and I didn’t feel the slightest bit sorry for him.
I would probably say that Ashley has the best character development because she at least eventually grows a backbone, but overall there isn’t much character development going on in this book. The majority of the characters are two dimensional.
This is a good read if you can struggle through the first chapter, but don’t be expecting it to win any awards.
September 18, 2025
Title: Power Play
Author: Danielle Steel
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Format: own hardback book
Series: NA
Star Rating: 5 stars
Please note that this is an older review. At the time of writing this review, I did not keep track of trigger warnings. I apologize for this and know that going forward, my reviews will contain trigger warnings. If you know the trigger warnings for this book, please reach out to me, and I will amend my review. If I do remember any trigger warnings for this book, I will list them, but please note that it is not an extensive list.
tw: cheating
This book is amazing, and I enjoyed every minute of it. It was just so messy and full of so much drama. It would make a great Lifetime movie. The two primary characters are Fiona and Marshall. Both are CEO of very important companies. We follow Fiona as she navigates the challenges of being a single mom and a CEO while finding love. I found that I liked her story, but not as much as Marshall's. Maybe because Marshall's story was more dramatic, and he caused a lot of problems for himself and played the victim when it all came to a head.
Marshall is the CEO of another company, and he has two families. He has a wife, Liz, with three kids and a girlfriend, Ashley, with twins. Ashley knows about Liz, but Liz doesn't find out about Ashley until quite a while later. I found myself pushing through Fiona's story so I could get to Marshall's, so I could see what drama would unfold, even though Marshall truly irritated me with his horrible decisions. The two stories also collide, but it's very mild in how they collide. Basically, Fiona's daughter is dating Marshall's son.
Later in the book, Ashley gets chapters. It was nice to see the mistress's side of the family. You genuinely feel sorry for her and the situation she is in. She knows that what she is doing is wrong, but Marshall is such a smooth talker that she just ignores that side. He tells her that he will leave Liz, that he loves Ashley, etc. I liked reading her chapters, although at times I found her to be a bit of an idiot. Who stays with someone for 8 years and is totally content being on the side?!
Everybody gets a happy ending, even Marshall, as is typical for a Danielle Steel novel. Though he doesn't deserve it. This book makes you wonder just how many CEO's have secret families and things like that. It's amazing what power does to someone. Makes them think they are invincible. But overall, this was a solid book. I have no complaints and I truly enjoyed the drama that this book had to offer.
Author: Danielle Steel
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Format: own hardback book
Series: NA
Star Rating: 5 stars
Please note that this is an older review. At the time of writing this review, I did not keep track of trigger warnings. I apologize for this and know that going forward, my reviews will contain trigger warnings. If you know the trigger warnings for this book, please reach out to me, and I will amend my review. If I do remember any trigger warnings for this book, I will list them, but please note that it is not an extensive list.
tw: cheating
This book is amazing, and I enjoyed every minute of it. It was just so messy and full of so much drama. It would make a great Lifetime movie. The two primary characters are Fiona and Marshall. Both are CEO of very important companies. We follow Fiona as she navigates the challenges of being a single mom and a CEO while finding love. I found that I liked her story, but not as much as Marshall's. Maybe because Marshall's story was more dramatic, and he caused a lot of problems for himself and played the victim when it all came to a head.
Marshall is the CEO of another company, and he has two families. He has a wife, Liz, with three kids and a girlfriend, Ashley, with twins. Ashley knows about Liz, but Liz doesn't find out about Ashley until quite a while later. I found myself pushing through Fiona's story so I could get to Marshall's, so I could see what drama would unfold, even though Marshall truly irritated me with his horrible decisions. The two stories also collide, but it's very mild in how they collide. Basically, Fiona's daughter is dating Marshall's son.
Later in the book, Ashley gets chapters. It was nice to see the mistress's side of the family. You genuinely feel sorry for her and the situation she is in. She knows that what she is doing is wrong, but Marshall is such a smooth talker that she just ignores that side. He tells her that he will leave Liz, that he loves Ashley, etc. I liked reading her chapters, although at times I found her to be a bit of an idiot. Who stays with someone for 8 years and is totally content being on the side?!
Everybody gets a happy ending, even Marshall, as is typical for a Danielle Steel novel. Though he doesn't deserve it. This book makes you wonder just how many CEO's have secret families and things like that. It's amazing what power does to someone. Makes them think they are invincible. But overall, this was a solid book. I have no complaints and I truly enjoyed the drama that this book had to offer.
August 6, 2014
Another typical Steele book. Good for a beach read. Finished in two days. It has always irked me that she starts sentences with "And," and "But." This time, I became distracted by this quirk to the point of almost starting a count! However, it doesn't seem to bother her editor or her millions of other readers.
As to the story itself, the two main "Power" players, Fiona, the head of one corporation, is living a solitary but for her drop-in children, life. No men, she is completely consumed with running the company. At the start there is a leak of information to the press and she calls an emergency Board meeting to discuss hiring an investigative company to ferret out who, in fact, leaked the info. She should've just called me. I knew immediately. The other corporate bigwig is Marshall, whose wife, Liz, has a law degree but never practiced as she is devoted to making his life complete. She's a gourmet chef, a perfect mother, is an impeccable dresser, has a weekly Mani & pedi, and speaks conversational French, Spanish, and apparently, Japanese. Oh yes, she is in perfect shape as well. Do you think Marshall is as devoted to Liz as she is to him? Sorry to say, I saw through him immediately as well. He flies from San Francisco to LA every week for two days on business and has for 8 years. Do the math. I won't give any more away, but I was not happy with how Marshall walked away from not one, but two scandals in the story and not only came up smelling like a rose, but did not learn a lesson at all. I guess a leopard does not change his spots as they say. He is completely unlikeable. Even as he is having an apparent heart attack, I was hoping he would drop dead.
Fiona gets a man (of course), but the other side of the story put a bad taste in my mouth. I was wishing Marshall's private plane would crash; unfortunately, he never got on one in the story.
As to the story itself, the two main "Power" players, Fiona, the head of one corporation, is living a solitary but for her drop-in children, life. No men, she is completely consumed with running the company. At the start there is a leak of information to the press and she calls an emergency Board meeting to discuss hiring an investigative company to ferret out who, in fact, leaked the info. She should've just called me. I knew immediately. The other corporate bigwig is Marshall, whose wife, Liz, has a law degree but never practiced as she is devoted to making his life complete. She's a gourmet chef, a perfect mother, is an impeccable dresser, has a weekly Mani & pedi, and speaks conversational French, Spanish, and apparently, Japanese. Oh yes, she is in perfect shape as well. Do you think Marshall is as devoted to Liz as she is to him? Sorry to say, I saw through him immediately as well. He flies from San Francisco to LA every week for two days on business and has for 8 years. Do the math. I won't give any more away, but I was not happy with how Marshall walked away from not one, but two scandals in the story and not only came up smelling like a rose, but did not learn a lesson at all. I guess a leopard does not change his spots as they say. He is completely unlikeable. Even as he is having an apparent heart attack, I was hoping he would drop dead.
Fiona gets a man (of course), but the other side of the story put a bad taste in my mouth. I was wishing Marshall's private plane would crash; unfortunately, he never got on one in the story.
December 7, 2015
I thought I knew what I was getting when I picked up this book. I was in the mood for a sexy CEO that exuded power and dominance. Maybe I was looking for another Christian Grey. When I briefly read through the synopsis and saw that there was also a female CEO involved too, I was like YES this is going to be amazing. Unfortunately what I got was nowhere near what I wanted. Partially it was probably my fault, as I did not read the synopsis as well as I should have. I won't really go into the synopsis as the one above is very thorough. (Probably why didn't read it, in it's entirety).
This book is more about 2 families, (well technically three, but spoiler alert, so I won't go there).
Even though I really enjoyed the family storylines I was bothered by the two main characters story lines as they were stereotypical and had no real plot.
What I meant in stereotypical is how each CEO's personal lives are displayed. Fiona, the female CEO had a failed marriage and had to put her love life on on the back burner because she had to put her company and her children first. Whereas Marshall, the male CEO had the happy marriage and carried on with extramarital affair, because he could get away with it. Fiona had to keep sacrificing everything, whereas Marshall would get exactly what he wanted, whenever he wanted.
However that being said, I did find the family stories enjoyable and kept reading. Granted I was shaking my head at certain places of the book, I did still keep reading on curious to see where the story would go. And I was happy with the ending for the most part. I would have liked to seen one aspect of it end differently to have earned a higher rating from me.
This book is more about 2 families, (well technically three, but spoiler alert, so I won't go there).
Even though I really enjoyed the family storylines I was bothered by the two main characters story lines as they were stereotypical and had no real plot.
What I meant in stereotypical is how each CEO's personal lives are displayed. Fiona, the female CEO had a failed marriage and had to put her love life on on the back burner because she had to put her company and her children first. Whereas Marshall, the male CEO had the happy marriage and carried on with extramarital affair, because he could get away with it. Fiona had to keep sacrificing everything, whereas Marshall would get exactly what he wanted, whenever he wanted.
However that being said, I did find the family stories enjoyable and kept reading. Granted I was shaking my head at certain places of the book, I did still keep reading on curious to see where the story would go. And I was happy with the ending for the most part. I would have liked to seen one aspect of it end differently to have earned a higher rating from me.
June 11, 2014
A tale of two . . . CEOs. In Power Play, the female CEO's psychologist sister is writing a book about the differing ways that very successful male executives and female executives experience their success. This novel explicates those differences, using Fiona and Marshall as the examples. One feels that she/he is entitled to not one, but two loving family units and bed partners, the other's spouse resents the success and the marriage ends, leaving behind someone without love in his/her life.
Which happens to the man and which to the woman? Probably not too hard to figure out!
I tend to use "fluff" books as the book equivalent of a palate cleanser between books that are either longer or that I think will take me longer to read. (Does anyone else do that?) Danielle Steel novels are useful for this purpose. This one seems a bit better edited than some others (which, if half stars were allowed, would earn it an upgrade to 2.5 stars), although she still has a penchant for repetitive description, telling rather than showing, sentences begun with the word "And," and sentences ended with the word "was." Also, has anyone else noticed that her female protagonists always, always look younger than their age?
Which happens to the man and which to the woman? Probably not too hard to figure out!
I tend to use "fluff" books as the book equivalent of a palate cleanser between books that are either longer or that I think will take me longer to read. (Does anyone else do that?) Danielle Steel novels are useful for this purpose. This one seems a bit better edited than some others (which, if half stars were allowed, would earn it an upgrade to 2.5 stars), although she still has a penchant for repetitive description, telling rather than showing, sentences begun with the word "And," and sentences ended with the word "was." Also, has anyone else noticed that her female protagonists always, always look younger than their age?
April 15, 2014
Along with Stephen King, Danielle Steel was my first 'grown up' author. So even though my tastes have matured and become more refined since I was 12, I still check in with her on occasion to see what she's up to.
My last several encounters have been on the weaker side of her oeuvre, it seems like she's really phoning it in , but at this point I can't really fault her for it.
This book though seemed a lot sharper and on point than anything she had written in a while & I enjoyed it. Yes , it follows her formula, but the characters were interesting and I was definitely engaged in Marshall's storyline. Fiona's seemed like more of a sideline/storytelling device, but it still held my interest.
I don't read Steel for gritty realism, so I won't quibble about plot, but in escapist literature, I do like to see the bad guy get his just desserts, so the ending was a bit of a letdown on that point.
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