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Gentle Stranger
Book by Allen, Charlotte Vale
224 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1977
14 people want to read
About the author
Charlotte Vale Allen
60 books40 followersCharlotte Vale-Allen was born in Toronto and lived in England from 1961 to 1964 where she worked as a television actress and singer. She returned to Toronto briefly, performing as a singer and in cabaret revues until she emigrated to the United States in 1966.
Shortly after her marriage to Walter Allen in 1970 she began writing and sold her first novel Love Life in 1974. Prior to this book's publication she contracted to do a series of paperback originals for Warner Books, with the result that in 1976 three of her books appeared in print.
Her autobiography, the acclaimed Daddy's Girl, was actually the first book she wrote but in 1971 it was deemed too controversial by the editors who read it. It wasn't until 1980, after she'd gained success as a novelist, that the groundbreaking book was finally published.
One of Canada's most successful novelists, with over seven million copies sold of her 30+ novels, Ms. Allen's books have been published in all English-speaking countries, in Braille, and have been translated into more than 20 languages.
In her writing she tries to deal with issues confronting women, being informative while at the same time offering a measure of optimism. "My strongest ability as a writer is to make women real, to take you inside their heads and let you know how they feel, and to make you care about them."
A film buff and an amateur photographer, Allen enjoys foreign travel. She finds cooking and needlework therapeutic, and is a compulsive player of computer Solitaire. The mother of an adult daughter, since 1970 she has made her home in Connecticut.
Shortly after her marriage to Walter Allen in 1970 she began writing and sold her first novel Love Life in 1974. Prior to this book's publication she contracted to do a series of paperback originals for Warner Books, with the result that in 1976 three of her books appeared in print.
Her autobiography, the acclaimed Daddy's Girl, was actually the first book she wrote but in 1971 it was deemed too controversial by the editors who read it. It wasn't until 1980, after she'd gained success as a novelist, that the groundbreaking book was finally published.
One of Canada's most successful novelists, with over seven million copies sold of her 30+ novels, Ms. Allen's books have been published in all English-speaking countries, in Braille, and have been translated into more than 20 languages.
In her writing she tries to deal with issues confronting women, being informative while at the same time offering a measure of optimism. "My strongest ability as a writer is to make women real, to take you inside their heads and let you know how they feel, and to make you care about them."
A film buff and an amateur photographer, Allen enjoys foreign travel. She finds cooking and needlework therapeutic, and is a compulsive player of computer Solitaire. The mother of an adult daughter, since 1970 she has made her home in Connecticut.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 8, 2009
When her photographer daughter, Emma, dies as a result of being beaten and raped, Jacqueline Evannier's peaceful life is thrown into complete turmoil. In her grief, she accepts the consolation and affection offered by Phil Aylmer who happened to be on the scene of Emma's attack.
The loss of her only child sends Jacqueline-a former prima ballerina of international renown-down an entirely unexpected path. While continuing to need the solace offered by Phil, she is becoming an activist: trying to change the way the police deal with rape cases.
She is also forced to re-examine every aspect of her life, from her casual, ongoing relationships with several, very different men, to the less than satisfactory aspects of her experiences with Phil and his troubled son.
This is an exploration of a woman coming to terms with her entire history and her efforts to make changes both inside and outside of herself.
Well written and well constructed.
The loss of her only child sends Jacqueline-a former prima ballerina of international renown-down an entirely unexpected path. While continuing to need the solace offered by Phil, she is becoming an activist: trying to change the way the police deal with rape cases.
She is also forced to re-examine every aspect of her life, from her casual, ongoing relationships with several, very different men, to the less than satisfactory aspects of her experiences with Phil and his troubled son.
This is an exploration of a woman coming to terms with her entire history and her efforts to make changes both inside and outside of herself.
Well written and well constructed.
May 13, 2011
50 year old ballerina and her lover of 37 years.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews