A modo suo

by Danielle Steel

Nata a Parigi nel 1900, all'alba di un nuovo secolo, Alexandra Bouvier è cresciuta con la convinzione che, con impegno e dedizione, avrebbe potuto raggiungere qualsiasi traguardo. Ma quando in Europa scoppia la Grande Guerra e si diffonde rapidamente l'influenza spagnola, il mondo di Alex viene stravolto e lei, all'età di diciotto anni, ha già subito perdite inimmaginabili.
Con coraggio, parte per una nuova esistenza in America e viene accolta dal suo ultimo parente in il nonno, editore di una nota testata del Midwest, che condivide le sue idee moderne, nonostante le restrizioni imposte alle donne dell'epoca. Grazie al suo sostegno, Alex frequenta l'università e il suo talento giornalistico le garantisce uno stage presso un quotidiano di New York, dove conosce il cronista Oliver Foster. I due si sentono attratti l'uno dall'altra, ma entrambi temono di legarsi sentimentalmente, e Alex è determinata a rimanere fedele alle proprie ambizioni.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Audiobook, Historical, Adult Fiction, Adult

215 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 29, 2025

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

[Renata Annese]

This story surprised me in the best way. What I expected to be a simple historical romance turned into a deeply moving journey about strength, loss, and a woman quietly fighting for her voice in a world that keeps shifting beneath her. 💔✨

Alexandra’s resilience truly touched me. Even in the hardest seasons of her life, she carries a quiet strength that feels both heartbreaking and inspiring.

I just wish the ending had given us a little more of her happiness. I wanted a clearer glimpse of the life she fought so hard to build... her future, maybe a new family and the real, messy, beautiful parts of it. ❤️

Still, it left me feeling inspired and reflective. A reminder that strength doesn’t have to be loud to be powerful. 📖✨

[Tim]

Better title would be, "Barely," a mind of Her Own. Story is completely pointless.

[Terry]

4.5 stars.

Easy to read and the writing flowed pretty smoothly. Like another reviewer stated, this is not the Danielle Steel from the '80s and '90s, however, our girl can still write novels, which is no small feat for someone who has lived through probably as much history as she writes about! Interesting storyline and an assorted cast of characters, with a bit of action, a bit of romance, and plenty of hardships and obstacles to overcome.


*As always this is just my opinion.
You may have a different experience/point of view, with any book I review. Please read and judge for yourself.
Thank you for reading!

*I gratefully received this book from the publisher and the author in exchange for my honest review.
Many thanks to both!

[Amanda]

I have been sort of sick of the Danielle Steel novels. I generally liked them but they just seemed to be getting more “formula” like..and very much same old, same old with no interesting story arcs…to the point where I almost didn’t read this one, but I am sure glad I did.

The relationships formed between family and friends was unique. The main character showed much growth and I liked that her romance was not easy and to the point where you thought it might even not work out.

Recommend.

[paige (ptsungirl)]

"Don't ever get used to being unhappy."

[Donna]

Another wonderful story from Danielle Steel, with A Mind of Her Own. Alex had a wonderful life, until she didn't. With the war raging in Europe, her parents are on the front lines, helping the injured. She is with her Grandmother in Paris, waiting for their return, which never came. The Spanish Flu is next enemy and Alex is now alone. She goes back to America to live with her Grandfather and to learn the newspaper business, in between her education. Her life, will once again change. Will she have the courage, at such a young age to succeed. Time will tell, especially after meeting Oliver. Beautiful story.

[Fit4Life218]

Can we just skip the first 2/3 of the book & get to the last 1/3 please? 🙏

I’m over the plot lines of war & pandemics. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Let’s just go back to fairytales & billionaires traveling to exotic locations. 😎

I really wish I wasn’t addicted to seeing ‘if this new book will be different.’ 😅

[Linda Christopher]

Meh!!
I feel like I just read the abridged summary of the book.
Great story idea but no real development of the story just the outline. I gave it two stars because the cover was lovely. 😊

[Amanda Vacca]

When your grandma gives you a book you have to read it but this one just didn’t strike me. I think it was largely the writing style that I didn’t jive with. It wasn’t bad just not my cup of tea.

[Missy]

Great premise, terrible writing for Danielle Steel. so much repetition, I was surprised.

[Lynne]

I haven’t read a Danielle Steel book in years but this one was out in my lap. Well written story of Alexandria who endured loss and hardship with dignity. Good story to read to learn about the feminist movement and women’s place in the world.

[Nancee]

The thing I liked most in this tale was the insights into that time of history. Modernization and efficiency were the buzz words.
Most of the book happens between 1900-1926.
Alexandra (Alex) and Oliver (Ollie)
A “skipping” read.

[Shari]

This was another interesting story by DS. It seems lately the books I have read written by her is she uses the same names, for example, Alex, some books Alex is a she and the next one a he. It gets confusing when I read one after another. The other themes I have been noticing is that the age difference in the couples, sometimes the guy is a lot older than the girl and some times it is reversed and it seems that the female in the story loses her whole family in some tragic event.

Other than that this book was ok.

[Rachel Anne]

Poorly written and boring. Didn’t even finish.

[Terry]

Typical Danielle Steel - ending was happily ever after. However, the first half of this book was very depressing. Between life and death in WWI in Paris and then the Spanish flu, the poor main character lost everyone in her family. Being a young woman of 18 and not having parents or grandparents was so sad. But Alex did have a good head on her shoulders and had been brought up to be a strong, independent thinker. This helped her to make a good life for herself in the long run.

[Benjamin Urbanski]

It had been over fifteen years since I had seriously read a novel in English — not since the release of the final Harry Potter book. Ironically, I switched to digital reading three years ago, yet 90% of the books I still own in print are in English. The truth is, British hardcovers are simply stunning — a far cry from the often underwhelming paperback editions published in French.


As a devoted reader of Danielle Steel — I own over fifty of her novels in their British editions — I finally took the plunge and left behind the language of Molière. Ten pages. That’s all it took for me to forget I was even reading in another language. Not because my English is flawless, but because Danielle Steel’s storytelling is so immersive. She has a rare gift for creating characters we can instantly relate to — deeply and genuinely.

The first half of the novel moved me profoundly. I quickly grew attached to Alexandra Bouvier, a young woman who is both brilliant and vulnerable, determined and wounded. I felt as though I were walking through her struggles with her — as if her story was unfolding not on the page, but within me. Fiction had become a mirror.


I’m fortunate to still have my grandmother, who will soon turn 90. She often shares with me her experiences during the war, and stories about her parents. My great-grandfather was a member of the resistance; my great-grandmother, who was deported, saved numerous children from certain death. Their legacy is a beacon. Reading Alexandra’s journey brought back that emotional weight, and I found myself in tears for much of the book.

Danielle Steel has a trademark style: poignant tragedies often softened by hope, illuminated by love. A Mind of Her Ownfits perfectly into that tradition — but it carries something more. A deeper intensity. A unique spark. An unforgettable quality.


As someone deeply committed to promoting equality in all forms, I was also shaken by the reminder that less than a century ago, women had virtually no rights. And even now, in 2025, they still aren’t paid equally. When will humanity finally understand that equality isn’t an ideal — it’s a necessity?

Benjamin L. Urbanski – Le Parfum des Mots

12 juin 2025

[Rachel Proue]

DNF. Zero character development, it's written like a middle schooler wrote it, just "this happened. Then this. Then this. Then that." Zero depth. This is the first Danielle Steele book I've read, but for being such a big author, I thought it would have been better.

[Sheila]

Alexandra Bouvier, with a French father and an American mother, has always been taught to think for herself. When World War I erupts her father, a doctor, and her mother, a nurse, volunteer their time at triage hospitals treating the wounded. Alexandra goes to live with her grandfather. After devastating losses she she decides to go to the University of Chicago and study journalism. The characters are described in detail and the historical fiction will draw you in. A story of love, loss, determination, and believing in yourself.

[N. Grubbs]

A Beginning to a Future

Danielle Steel again writes as easily as the air you breathe. This novel will take you onto a path which can take you wherever you want to go and give you the courage to leap.

Step back in time and feel war, death and the Spanish Flu strip you from privileged beginnings. Alone with only memories of family with strong work ethics and pride in what they do one 16 year old female fights her way for herself and others.

[Susan]

A great romance.

[Melissa]

Family…..War……Survival…….writing…..all the good stuff! I enjoyed this book very much

[Melanie Davenport]

Great book! So much sadness for a young person but I love the character and her strength

[Candida Waterford]

Born in Paris 1900, Alexandra Bouvier was raised believing that with hard work she could achieve anything.
Both her parents in the medical field worked on the front line in WW11 while she lived with her grandmother who was loving. Then came the Spanish flu and she suffered the loss of those close to her.
She then went to live with her other grandfather who also believed she could be anything she wanted to be. She went to college and met Oliver Foster who was damaged

[Beth]

I used to read Danielle Steel books that stopped reading them long time ago. This one looked interesting to me because she seems to be writing more historical fiction now. I enjoyed this book, but it is very similar to most of her books that I’ve read in the past. I think I will read more of her historical fiction books as I enjoyed this one. Predictable but well-done.

[Rhonda Gilpin]

A lot of details and events are repeated throughout the book. Felt like it was just page filler. Otherwise I enjoyed the story.

[Jodi]

The perspective behind the novel is good but the story is a bit choppy and well typical Danielle Steel. This follows the same flow of previous books although it is a nice story, predictable and shows a strong woman.

[Suzanne]

Absolutely loved this book. I love all her books. Some are just romantic novels but are written with a story and class. Loved the main characters and just kept turning the pages.

[Maura LoVerde]

Typical!

[Cheryl Woolsey]

Bland

I have read a bunch of DS in the past and this one doesn't hold a candle to her earlier work. While I love historical fiction, this one doesn't have you falling into Alex's story as others have done.

[lacy white]

Title: A Mind of Her Own
Author: Danielle Steel
Genre: Historical Fiction
Format: ebook
Series: NA
Star Rating: 3 stars

tw: parental death via a heart attack, horrors of war, sexism, tuberculosis, illness, death, infidelity, suicide, dead bodies, gun violence

This will be one of my short reviews for this book. This wasn’t a bad Danielle Steel book, but it was pretty mid. It was pretty easy to read, and I did enjoy the book while I was reading it.

This book did a great job of documenting women’s struggle for equality during the early 1900s. This was a time when a lot of colleges didn't accept women, and women couldn't really do a lot. I appreciate how strong the main character, Alexandra, was in that regard. She knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life, and she didn’t let anybody tell her otherwise. I didn't love how she let her man treat her the way he did; however, he barely wrote to her but still expected her to always be there for him. He would push her away, but then get upset when she actually did go away. That part really annoyed me.

Overall, this was an alright book. It was mediocre at best and was pretty typical of Danielle Steel in terms of the formula she follows. I enjoyed the ride, and it was a good palate cleanser. I think others might enjoy this one as well if you are looking for an easy to read book.