The Cottage

by Danielle Steel

On a sunny day in Hollywood, a gleaming Rolls-Royce convertible pulls through the gates of the magnificent estate known as The Cottage. The man behind the wheel is Hollywood's ageless wonder, Cooper Winslow, a star of the silver screen for decades, a man whose allure to women is the stuff of legend. But today Coop Winslow is in for a surprise - he's broke. With no major roles coming his way, Coop is faced with the heartbreaking prospect of selling his beloved home.

His new tenants, Mark Friedman and Jimmy O'Connor, have problems of their own. Mark's wife of sixteen years just walked out, and Jimmy recently lost his own wife to a devastating illness. But then Mark's teenage son and daughter move in - and everything changes. Music blasts from every corner, young starlets stream in and out, a scandal erupts and, unexpectedly, three men who never met are becoming friends... Then The Cottage welcomes a new houseguest with a secret of her own, who will change Coop's life in unexpected ways.

Amid a glittering backdrop of celebrity and glamour, Danielle Steel digs deeper to tell a story of friendship and love, tragedy and second chances.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Adult, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook

312 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2002

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

[Ashley Daviau · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such pleasant, easy reading! I really enjoyed the mix of characters and watching them each grow snd evolve. I was also quite happy with how everything ended up working out, it was the perfect ending!

[Deb Rankin-Moore · Rating 1 out of 5]

Danielle Steel is worth $385 million. Good for her, I guess. She made this money writing toss aside novels, in my estimation.

My mom and sister devoured her books. I may have read my first and last. Her characters are out of my league, and so narcissistic and shallow, I can't foresee myself torturing myself with this drivel.

This is her 54th novel. Perhaps that is why she repeated words within the same paragraph. She repeated sentences - word for word - through the the book. Heck, she repeated full paragraphs in order to fill the page!

Here's an example of her "stellar" writing skills. From page 451 (Large Print Edition): "It was a promise to promise to try to promise to maybe if they were lucky fall in love with each other one day."

Never more.

[Jenny Laengle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Predictable, boring, keeps repeating herself over and over and over again, no surprises.
Incestuous

[Suzzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and quick with a large variety of personalities in the character cast. I actually got into the book fairly quick because of the interesting backgrounds of the characters. I tend to read more Danielle Steel books in the winter but this past winter it has continued to extend into the summer months. Actually have a few more on my nightstand to read before trying to get more from the library because sometimes you need an interesting but not over intense. Great story that blends Hollywood with your common individuals.

[MisskTarsis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es uno de esos libros planos, que son buenos, pero no espectaculares. Narra la vida de 3 hombres, que terminan coincidiendo en una grandiosa Villa por los apuros económicos del actor que la posee. Es bastante lento, con varios mensajes explícitos allí, y en general, entretenido.

[Phil Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book because my niece is a fan of Danielle Steel. I had expected that after writing ten thousand books, or however many she has written, that the words would flow over the pages as smoothly as a fine scented oil.
They don't.
The writing is as hard to wade through as a swimming pool filled with Jell-O. The characters are stiff and barely there. We know who they are, but not really what they feel, only the surface emotions. The point of view changes from one character to another, from paragraph to paragraph until you really don't care who is doing what and why.
Terrible, terrible stuff.

[Michelle Robinson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, this book was overwraught and impossible to believe. I understand that it is a work of fiction but this stretches credibility a bit too far. There is a happy ending but this is a bit too much. It strains even the most forgiving reader's ability to accept. For me it is just too too much a of a fairytale. You will find yourself asking really????? Too convenient too contrived for one to enjoy the ending or the read.

[Sarah Waters · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was initially too embarrassed to publish that I have read this book on here then I though why not....everyone needs to read a predictable, trashy story occasionally. This book fits that description to a t.

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this a long time ago but do remember really enjoying it. Easy reading, but satisfying.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK story but pretty predictable. But a good beach read fast and not deep. But there was a good moral - when you are honest, especially with yourself, things work out much better.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of silly
2.5 stars

[theleighbrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

The plot was sweet and full of warm romance, but I think I need to read a couple more Steel books before I make an ultimate decision.

What I found in this book:

Lots of repetition. Repetition of words in a paragraph or even in a sentence. Repetition of storyline elements. She told me about Coop’s apprehension about parenthood many times and in the same way.

The storytelling felt like the tv show Bridgerton’s narrator was giving the play by play - throughout the whole book. The reader wasn’t given the opportunity to figure out for themselves what was going on.

And even though we were given the monologue, it was at times, difficult to figure out who was having which thoughts about a situation, or what the thoughts related to. I felt it jumped all over.

I’m curious to read a book from the beginning of Steel’s career, and one of her most recent works to see how her writing has changed.

[Mikaela S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a great tale of lives intertwining and the realistic variety of lifestyles. Although I enjoyed this novel and the nature of the relationships revealed, I don’t know if I necessarily loved it.
I thought it was a good read, I switched between listening to the audiobook on Libby and reading my paperback copy. But, personally, I wouldn’t consider it great. I will absolutely recommend it to others because the narrative was genuinely touching, but I’m not sure if I will pick it up in the future for a reread.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the characters in this story!

[Alona Perlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first time I gave a Danielle Steel novel a 5-star rating. It was truly a mix of a very interesting story, with memorable characters and enough Hollywood glitz. I couldn't wait to get back to it when I took a break from it. I am a Jackie Collins fan and miss Jackie-type novels and this was close to what Jackie Collins wrote about. The characters were woven in well together and the story had an interesting concept. It was predictable, at times as I could tell who was going to end up with whom, but still I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

[May Hui · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a huge Danielle Steel fan but clearly it's like she's writing this book like she is drunk. Repeating the same thing over and over again. I don't even like it when my friends repeat stuff, let along reading the same thing. Disappointed in this book. Maybe her editors are failing her. Shouldn't someone say something to her? Her earlier books might be better because she cared more? I hate when authors do this, care less because they are now just a money making machine.

[ReneeB · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit surprised that most of the characters in this were all men. Not really what I expected from DS. But it was a nice change of pace.

[Kaela Turley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe a 2.5. It was just a boring storyline to me.

[Becky Briggs · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dirty old man, aka a well-known actor aged 80, sleeps with women under 30. This was a gift from Pete.

[Maxine Stevens]

Excellent Read...

[Jjean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy, fast read - a good mixture of characters that end up living in the same area (the cottage) - different ideas of life - but has a good plot with a happy ending.

[Regina GB · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo sufrí pero no porque fuera pésimo, sino que lo sentí eterno con tanta repetición de descripciones, como que la autora estaba enamorada de sus dos personajes principales porque cada que los mencionaba volvía a repetir lo interesantes y cool que eran jaja. También me estaba desesperando que básicamente trata de la relación de una chava de 30 con uno de 70, yo traumada. Pero el final lo salvó, ese sí me gustó.

[Mitsu Vaishnav · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cottage !!!

Against a glittering backdrop of celebrity and glamour, DANIELLE STEEL digs deeper to tell a story of friendship and love, tragedy and second chances…of the choices and unexpected turns of fate that can shape characters and lives.

Danielle Steel has always been one of my favorite writers. The way she presents various relationships with a stroke of a pen is simply mind-boggling. I myself have lost count of the number of novels I have read which have been written by her. But all of them have touched a part of my soul. There is something I have loved and learnt from her novels which I will try to express through this post.

The Cottage: Is basically a story of 3 men. All of them are different. Basically they represent 3 types of men which actually are present in our universe.

1)Cooper Winslow : A spoiled Brat !!! An EX-Movie Star !!! Imagine Tom Cruise after 20 years. He is 70 years old having affairs with 20 year olds. Supporting a lot of DEBT because of his lavish life style. We know the GRIND . Ultimately falls in love with a Girl “Alex”, who is a NEONATOLOGIST. Whether he loves her or her huge inheritance is left to be seen !!

2)Jimmy O’Connor : Jimmy is the social worker kind of Guy !!! Works with troubled kids. Head over heels in love with his wife. Well, the CATCH here is his wife dies due to Cancer. The book describes his painful journey in order to move on with his life.

3)Mark Friedman: The Corporate kind of Guy !!! Divorced !!! Wife fell in love with someone else and cheated on him !!! Two kids. Jason and Jessica. His life basically revolves around his kids.

How do the THREE of them meet ????

Cooper Winslow rents out a part of his house known as ” THE COTTAGE”. He rents the guest wing to Mark and gate house to Jimmy.

The Plot revolves around Cooper Winslow and Alex, his Girl friend. Alex is the opposite of Cooper. She is beautiful, caring, down to earth and rich due to her huge inheritance. Cooper loves spending time with her. She is 30 and he is 70. He is never sure during the length of the book whether he “LOVES HER BECAUSE OF HER” or “LOVES HER PARTLY BECAUSE OF HER INHERITANCE”. The way Danielle Steel reflects his conflicting emotions regarding that, is really note-worthy.

Meanwhile Mark and Jimmy become great friends. They both help each other get over their grief. How a Strong bond of Friendship can help people tide over their problems is wonderfully shown.

Cooper is cordial with his tenants. But Alex develops a strong bond with Jimmy over a period of time. Especially when Jimmy tries to commit suicide in grief for his wife. Alex helps him out emotionally at that point. Jimmy’s mom comes to live with him at that point and hits off extremely well with Cooper, makes Cooper see sides of himself he didn’t know existed.

Cooper discovers that he has a daughter Taryn, she is 40 when both of them meet for the first time. Being reluctant at first, they hit it off well together. Cooper discovers a part of him that he also didn’t know was missing. Mark and Taryn ultimately get together and fall in love.

The question remains that what happens b/w Alex , Cooper and Jimmy ?? Who does Alex go with ??? For that you need to read the book.

What did i learn from the book ???

Relationships which are wrong, are ultimately wrong. The faster you get over them and move on the better. Even after a huge heartfelt break-up there is always a rainbow at the other end. Whatever happens, always happens for the best. Friendships don’t depend on the duration for which you have been friend’s, it depends on depth of emotions. Even if a person is self centered and carefree and egoistic at some point of time, fate has a way of turning him into a good human being.



p.s. Date guys more of your age… is another lesson I learnt from this one

[Martina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cooper Winslow je sedamdesetogodišnji glumac koji već dvije godine nije imao ozbiljnu ulogu, ali zato je i dalje trošio basnoslovne iznose. Zbog toga ga je njegov knjigovođa Abe Braunstein već dugo pokušavao dovesti u red, ali mu to nije uspijevalo, sve dok Coop stvarno nije došao u situaciju da se mora odreći osoblja u svojoj Ladanjskoj kući. Liz Sullivan je uz Coopa bila cijeli svoj život i stalno je sređivala stvari za njega, i sada, u 52 godini ju je dečko Ted uvjetovao da ako želi brak s njim, mora dati otkaz kod Coopa, što je ona nevoljko i učinila. Coopa je zapravo od svega, baš najviše zabolio Lizin odlazak. Od cijelog osoblja ostala mu je samo jedna čistačica Paloma, koja je bila najjeftinija. No, ona i Coop se nikako nisu slagali, a ona nije ni odobravala što izlazi s djevojkama kojima može biti djed. Prvo je bio sa Pamelom, pa dok je ona bila na putu, kući je dovodio Charlene. A Pamela ga je ostavila zbog drugog taman kad je on htio ostaviti i nju. Uvijek je pazio da sredi stvari s bivšim djevojkama. Nije volio nepotrebna uzrujavanja i bježao je od problema. Coop je morao pristati i na iznajmljivanje gostinjskog dijela Ladanjske kuće i vratareve kućice pa je tako dobio podstanare. Jimmy O`Connor nakon brze smrti supruge Maggie nije želio ostati u njihovu stanu gdje ga je sve podsjećalo na nju, pa je tako uselio u vratarevu kućicu. Agentica nije mogla vjerovati da je sposoban, uz radno mjesto socijalnog radnika, plaćati skupu stanarinu, ali njegov bankar je potvrdio da je sposoban. On si je mogao priuštiti puno toga, no nije, jer njegova žena nije mogla a htjela je sve plaćati popola. U gostinjsko krilo, isto uz skupu stanarinu, uselio se Mark Friedman nakon što ga je žena Janet ostavila otišavši u New York, a odvela je i djecu Jasona i Jessicu. Janet nije djeci htjela reći pravi razlog rastave, a Mark je odlučio poštedjeti djecu detalja dok im ona sama ne odluči reći. Coop se zabavljao sa Charlene dok je htio, a onda mu je postala naporna kad je otišao na dodjelu Zlatnog globusa sa Ritom Waverly, a ona postala ljubomorna. Pazio je na svoj ugled i nikada nije izlazio u javnost s djevojkama poput Charlene. Na večeri kod Scwartzovih, upoznao je Alexandru Madison. Odmah ga je privukla njezina izravnost, inteligencija, a i ljepota. Alex je imala 30 godina i bila je na specijalizaciji u bolnici na odjelu neonatologije. Izašli su par puta, kad je Alex uspjela uhvatiti vremena i počeli su vezu. Alex nije imala veze jer je njezina specijalizacija i radno mjesto nisu dopuštali da ima previše vremena. Da bi bila slobodna, uvijek se morala mijenjati s nekim i onda poslije odrađivati to. Coop joj je ugađao i nije brzao da ju ne bi izgubio prije vremena, tako da ju dugo prošlo dok nisu prvi put vodili ljubav. Kad je ostala prespavati kod njega, na bazenu je upoznala Marka i Jimmya koji su se dotad već jako sprijateljili. Jednu večer kad je Coop naručio večeru za njega i Alex, Mark je zapalio roštilj u gostinjskom dijelu zbog čega je izbio požar. Alex je morala ići u bolnicu na dežurstvo, pa su Coop, Mark i Jimmy zajedno večerali i proveli odlično vrijeme zajedno. Jason i Jessica su saznali za Janet i Adama i poželjeli su se vratiti u Los Angeles i Mark ih je uspio upisati u stare škole. Kad su djeca došla, Jason se odmah zamjerio Coopu vozeći skajt po starom kamenu, a kad su napravili party na bazenu, Coop je podivljao, a Alex je otišla reći da stišaju glazbu. Usput je porazgovarala i s Jimmyem. Coopu je Charlene javila da je trudna i počela mu prijetiti kako bi izvukla novce za uzdržavanje. Sve je rekao Alex uz pribojavanje da će ga ostaviti, ali je ostala uz njega. Alex je išla s Coopom na dodjelu Oscara i izgledala je božanstveno, ali je znala i da će njezina obitelj iz medija saznati za to. Njezin otac Arhtur odmah je došao naći se s njom i upozoriti je na Coopa i da je u financijskom problemu i da sigurno vidi izlaz u Alexinom novcu. Njezini su bogataši, ali ona nije željela tako živjeti, pogotovo nakon što ju je zaručnik ostavio dan pred vjenčanje i otišao s njezinom rođenom sestrom. Nije dala ocu da je pokoleba. Coopu se pred vratima pojavila Thryn, za koju se ispostavilo da je njegova kćerka i oboje 39 godina nisu znali za to. Njezina majka se trudna vjenčala i do smrti joj krila istinu. Tek nakon smrti je Thryn našla pismo i odlučila upoznati oca. Njih dvoje su se odlično složili i čak su Thryn i Alex imale odličan odnos. Jimmy je jedan dan posjetio Alex u bolnici i ona ga je provela kroz odjel i na zajedničkoj večeri, Coop je postao ljubomoran na Jimmya zbog Alex. Thryn i Mark su se skompali i započeli vezu, a djeca su na Markov nagovor ipak otišla posjetiti Janet i prisustvovala vjenčanju nje i Adama. Kad je Jimmy doživio automobilsku nesreću i bio u teškom stanju, Alex je shvatila koliko je Coop sebičan i izbjegava teške situacije. Ona, Mark i Thryn nisu se micali od Jimmya i nakon što je došla Jimmyeva majka Violet. Coop je upoznao Violet koja mu je generacijski bila bliža od Alex i uspjeli su se povjeriti jedno drugome i postali su bliski. Kad je shvatio da oženi Alex, da bi se cijelo vrijeme pitao da li je to učinio zbog njezina novca, odlučio ju je ostaviti. Alex je bila shrvana, ali je prihvatila njegovu odluku. Coop je dobio i odličnu ulogu oca u filmu, koju je prihvatio, iako je prije odbijao takve uloge. Time je njegovo financijsko stanje bilo riješeno, a riješila se i situacija s Charlene tako što dijete nije bilo njegovo. Počeo je i izlaziti s Violet. A Alex je postala bliža s Jimmyem. Sve je sjelo na svoje mjesto. A Coop je saznao i da je Violet nasljednica i to veoma bogata, bogatija i od Alex, ali to mu više nije bilo važno.

[Mitch C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Late review.

A movie star H that's about to be broke. He rented his cottage to mysterious h. The story revolved from there.

This is a story of realization, coping and finding happiness in an unexpected way.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another predictable story by Danielle Steel, but I enjoyed the storyline & characters.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical ds.

[Dpic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entertaining fluff. A bit 'rich'.

[Elizabeth Mulligan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A happy read. I listened to the audio book and found myself giggling and smiling throughout!

[Maux Ochoa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cooper Winslow es uno de los protagonistas, con su carácter exuberante y un optimismo que desborda, acepta a regañadientes el consejo de su contable de tener inquilinos en su lujosa mansión que representa la época de bonanza y que no quiere dejar ir. Jimmy es el primero en instalarse, es un viudo demasiado reciente que busca tranquilidad y alejarse de todo aquello que su mujer algún día tocó y Mark, para mí el personaje más bonito y al que quería abrazar durante toda la novela, su esposa le abandona y se lleva a sus hijos a Nueva York dejándolo totalmente perdido, no sabe quién es si no es ni esposo ni padre.

La relación entre ellos al principio es extraña. La casa (que termina siendo un personaje en si misma) es tan grande que no tienen por qué coincidir entre sí, pero, lo hacen. Y no solo entre ellos, sino entre las demás personas que se acercan y conviven, creando relaciones y unas enseñanzas de vida muy importantes. Pasan momentos duros, y los tres personajes tienen una evolución magistral, aunque nunca sentí esa camarería o esa amistad. Es un libro que te demuestra que la vida no se acaba a los 30 o los 40, ni tampoco a los 70, que siempre es un buen momento para pararse y cuestionarse que estamos haciendo y empezar de nuevo si es necesario.

Es un libro rápido, bonito y predecible, pero, te arropa el corazón y te hace reflexionar. Un aspecto que me pareció positivo del libro y necesario en la literatura es tener tres protagonistas hombres que simplemente maduran y se enfrentan a problemas; los personajes femeninos que están allí son de relleno, para acompañar a los protagonistas en su camino, las relaciones amorosas cumplen su papel como parte de la vida, sin tener un peso excesivo, lo importante aquí es lo que pasa por la mente de esos tres hombres y los giros que le va dando la vida, y que a mí como lectora, me hicieron quedarme sin aliento y hasta soltar alguna lagrimilla.