Remembrance

by Danielle Steel

Her beloved Italian homeland shattered in the wake of World War II, exquisite Serena, Principessa di San Tibaldo, has nothing left except her name, her ancestry... and her heart which she gives completely and forever to Major Brad Fullerton. But not even Brad's ring—or his child—can protect her from the calculating wrath of the powerful Fullerton dynasty, and the woman who will become Serena's bitter enemy. Sweeping from the war-torn palazzos of Rome to the glittering avenues of Manhattan and the glamorous world of high fashion. Here is the vibrant story of one woman's triumphant yet bittersweet journey of the heart.

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

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

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

[Bluejamist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back in the day when adult romances were all I read (though I was far from being an adult then), this book was my ultimate literary buddy. I'd sleep with it, tuck it with me to bed, and carry it everywhere around the house. I probably brought it to school a few times, too, a pocket-sized haven during those gruelling Math hours. I did a lot of crying while reading it; I cried over Serena's platinum blond hair, over Brad's death (he was handsome AND American, and handsome American guys don't die early in romance books), over Teddy's humour and boyish charms, over his unrequited love, and over Vanessa's relationship in the end, which was too fucked up for my then innocent mind. Yeah, 10 years later, I still know their names.

I remember falling in love with Ms. Steel's description of Italy, of the travels by train, of the life of Europe's aristocracy prior to the World War. But what I remember loving most about this is the emotional roller-coaster the whole story was. The whole book was one soap opera compressed in 400 pages, more or less. There were a lot of emotional scenes, a lot of "wtf! how can someone be so vile" moments, lots of jealousy and bitterness, lots of crying, and a bajillion "OMG Teddy is so adorable, it's a pity Serena doesn't like him that way" gushing.

Truthfully, I don't think my present self would have enjoyed this book as much as the 14-year-old me did. However, despite my penchant for less dramatic / sentimental books now, Remembrance still has, and will always have, a soft spot in my heart. Aww. *Sniff*

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a fucking crazy book, i just needed a book to read and stumbled on this and it was crazy omg but i did read it nonstop

[J Jahir · Rating 5 out of 5]

NO hay forma de poner en palabras lo que te producen los libros de Danielle Steel. Por algo he venido diciendo que es de mis autores favoritos en el género. en esta historia lo vuelve a hacer. una trama con romance, pero con una buena dosis de realismo. y a pesar de sus casi 500 páginas, me mantuvo pegado, terminándolo en dos días.
Sonríes, amas, lloras, vives todos los momentos con la protagonista, que es imposible que no le guardes un hueco especial en tu corazón. la recomiendo bastante.

[Labeba Salameh · Rating 2 out of 5]

سِرينا فقدت والدتها ووالدها بعد أن وشى بهم عمها إلى موسوليني وأتباعه فقامت الجدة بتهريبها إلى الولايات المتحدة كي تحميها من الجنود الذين باتوا يتسكعون في كل أنحاء فينيسيا .. لكن خطابات الجدة تتوقف والحرب تنتهي و يبقى على سرينا أن تعود للوطن أن تعود وتواجه مخاوفها من جديد🔞.
تقيمي للرواية نجمتين ونصف
اعتقد أنها أسوء ما قرأت في ٢٠٢١ حتى اللحظة
مبنية على مجموعة سخافات تعتمد على الحب من اول نظرة و فتاة يفترض أن تكون الأميرة البطلة لكن ترتكب سلسلة لا منتهية من القرارات الغبية "معتقدة انها لتشق طريقها في هذه الحياة لا بد ان تقلد سندريلا!!" مما يجعلك تفقد التعاطف معها كما انها مبهرة فقط لأنها ملوكية !!جميلة للغاية لكن لا شيء في شخصيتها بصراحة جدير بالاهتمام ولأن البطل سيغرم بها فيتوحب إذا ان تغدوا خطيبته مادية قوية متسلطة حتى نكرهها وهو لن يكتشف حقيقة خطيبته إلا بعد خيانتها !!.. الارتباطات العاطفية في هذه الرواية مريعة ومريضة وفي غير محلها🤢وتكرر ذلك أكثر من مرة لا استطيع الاشارة لها حتى لا أحرقها .. وإن كنت انصح من يقتنيها ان "يولع فيها" !! كانت خيبة أمل وأنا التي كنت متحمسة لأقرأ شيئا جديدا لدانيال ستيل

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Danielle Steel, capturing the hearts of readers since 1802, with over 567643 best selling novels. Sweeping sagas of brutal realism and heartwarming tales of love and family. With over 34566 of her wonderful books adapted for television movies, Steel has killed brain cells across the globe with her mind numbingly delicious stories of love and life.

Danielle Steel is like crack to me. As terribly far fetched and melodramatic this story was, I enjoyed every minute of it. I even stooped so low as to care about the characters and actually feel something while reading it. I shamelessly loved Remembrance.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another classic Danielle Steel that slipped right past me and that I was totally unaware of. Thank goodness for Goodreads friends! Thank you Alex

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is about a young girl who grows up in France but is sent to the states by her grandmother when war breaks out. After the war she goes back home to find that her grandmother had passed away and everything is in ruins. She doesn't know what she is going to do or where she is going to live when she comes across her late grandmothers maid. The maid is still working in the home that the young girl grew up in but now it is occupied by an American soldier. The soldier hires her to help the elderly maid out not knowing that this was once her home and that she was a princess.

The soldier and Serena fall in love and he takes her back to the states to meet his family but his mother will have none of it. She calls her a War Whore. Despite his mothers misgivings he marries Serena. Her mother in law from hell does everything she can to break them up to no avail. In the mean time her brother in law falls for her and he promises to take care of her should anything happen to his brother. Unfortunately his brother dies while in Korea and he takes care of Serena and confesses his love to her but she doesn't return those feelings.

Serena becomes a model to raise her child and she meets and falls in love with a photographer at one of her shoots. They have a whirlwind romance then he takes her to Athens where they marry. Shortly afterwards she finds out about his drug use and how mean he becomes while under the influence. Shortly after tragedy happens that really shocked me. I have to say I didn't see that coming.

A sweet love story... The only thing that I didn't like was the daughter getting involved with the sisters uncle... I thought that was nasty and disgusting and it ruined a nice story. I don't think it had to go off in that direction....creepy!!!! Otherwise a good read

[Analia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recuerdo cuánto sufrí con éste libro.

Lo leí en el verano del 2001, meses que habia partido mí papá. un libro con el que sufrí. Éste junto con una imagen en el espejo, recuerdo estar leyéndolo bajo la galería en una calurosa tarde de enero. Ambos prestados de la biblioteca popular despertar. Y si, con no ésta autora empecé a leer romance.

[Julie Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remembrance by Danielle Steel
Saraina feels like she's been on the train for days and she has been. Others see the pain in her eyes...
She had lived 4 years with the sisters in upstate NY and now she was on her way back home. The war has ended and her home has been under terror.
She's back home but Sergio has sold all of her familys possessions and she knows she will get revenge.
She is hoping to get a job cleaning her old house...the house is being rented from the Army. A major is in residence. Margailla the old housekeeper will help her in her old house, her only family.
The major, Brad Fullerton is to be married to a woman in NY but he's taken a fancy to Saraina.
Problems arise when Patty comes to visit him and he knows he needs to break off the engagement. He sets things right and relocates her to Paris. They know when they arrive in the states there will be turmoil.
His mother has a plan that she hopes Saraina will on board for.
The book is divided into parts: early years and the survival years. After so much pain and sorrow she's had to get a job and watch her brother in law go to war.
Each of the parts have traumatic things occur and it makes the characters stronger as their lives go on.
Also the oldest daughter's life is highlighted as well.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serena, a young Italian Princess, marries Brad, a rich soldier. His mother disowns him because she had political ambitions for him. His younger brother Teddy stays close. When Brad is killed in Korea, they are left destitute. Teddy finds modeling work for Serena so she moves to NY with her daughter.
Serena eventually marries again and has another daughter, Charlotte. Her new husband is a heroin addict and ends up killing her. The older daughter goes to live with Brad's older brother and wife, the younger daughter goes to live with the second husband's brother in Greece.
When the older daughter can't remember anything, they realize she has major problems and needs to be with her Uncle Teddy, who raises her.
When Teddy and his wife have a baby, all the memories flood back and she decides to reunite with here sister.

[Vanessa Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a very long time to finish this book. Which is very weird for me to take so long. I guess I knew what was going to happen... but I’ve finally finished it and let me say.... it is a beautiful, sad, book. It’s a very unique story and oh it was beautifully tragic, but had a wonderful ending. I’m glad I got to finish it. I might have gotten lazy with it, but it deserves it’s 5 stars. Simply wonderful, I’ll never forget this book...

[saw · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you call this a love story...
No, I'm not going to say you're wrong. You're right; so right that it hurts.
But I don't like it. *I just spoiled you*

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is so bad, it's almost good. It's kind of like a Spanish soup opera, where drama is thrown in for the sake of drama. It's got pretty much every drama trope you could think of: evil mother-in-law, evil ex-girlfriend, sudden death, cancer, and that's just naming a few. Teddy, Brad's brother was the only character I actually enjoyed through the entire book and even he was undeveloped. Serena was an idiot and so weak-willed. She just let everyone walk all over her and yet main and only character trait was her beauty. All the other characters were not only underdeveloped, but would randomly do things so out of character I laughed out loud (especially said evil mother-in-law). The historical backdrop following WWII could have been interesting, but it was kind of ignored for all the romance and drama. By the end of the book I would just burst out laughing when a new dramatic twist happened because it was just one more added cliche. The only good thing I can say about this book is that it did make me laugh.

[Lesincele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una novela llena de demás y de giros al más estilo telenovela. Engancha y es muy entretenida.

[Alex (Alex's Version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I really loved this book, Such a beautiful story. I found myself totally immersed in the characters’ emotions, riveted and unable to stop reading

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was amazing until the last 150 pages or so. It’s definitely the standard of Steel’s early work. It made me sad reading it to compare it to what she produces now, but I did find that she’s always fallen into the same traps. And I don’t get why she killed the main character off so suddenly and randomly. It made the rest of the book feel pointless

[Todos Mis Libros · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

[Emiliya Bozhilova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Даниел Стийл е вече клише, трудно поносимо дори и за плажа.

Но в по-ранните и романи, преди да се отдаде изцяло на розовия конвейр, има някаква романтика като от старите приказки, която силно въздейства.

Та и тук - една истинска принцеса среща своя принц, пардон американски майор, в руините на втората световна война. Има я и злата вещица, разбира се. Както и възстановяващият се свят през 50-те от двете страни на Атлантика. Сладост и горчивина са балансирани, и не натъртва, чете се много леко и е идеалното разтоварващо четиво, което няма да се забрави на следващия ден.

Българското издание е доста старичко и се казва “Спомен”.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone posted a review that Danielle Steel has been publishing her novels since 1802! LOL Just in case anyone actually believes that, let me correct the record. Her first novel, Going Home, reportedly published in 1973. Some writings state it was 1972, so either could be true. Often a hard cover will publish one year, followed by a paperback published in a later year.

At any rate, I didn’t discover DS novels until 1982-83. I find them well written and comforting. My firstborn son arrived in the summer of 1981 and her stories were so easy to read while rocking a sick baby for hours on end.

I didn’t read much back then. I began reading heavily in the late 90’s. I read every old DS novel that I could get from the library, but only recently found this one. I loved it even though it was written nearly 50 years ago. When she combined strong women, with a family she loves, wrenching emotion and multiple countries, it seems to me it will always read well.

[Jathan Fink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set against World War II, 'Remembrance' is classic Steel. Serena is an Italian princess who lost everything. Stripped of her family, her wealth and even her home, she summons her inner strength and works as a maid in her own home when Americans move in and use it for military headquarters. But then she meets a soldier who changes her life and saves her from the devastation of the war. However, like in many of Steel's novels, our heroine's newfound happiness is short lived and Serena must reinvent herself once again, this time in America. This is a story of survival in the face of the harshest odds, of excess and loss and the price of happiness. You'll fall in love with Serena and her daughters in this enchanting, engrossing read from one of the world's best storytellers.

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Definitely not my type of book.

[Arlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually a reread. Read it back in 2012 but I have forgotten the story. I actually miss reading stories like this. It covers three generations of families intertwined in a lovely story.

[Amel Armeliana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Principessa Serena Di San Tibaldo kehilangan segalanya pada usia 14 thn. Kedua orang tuanya dibunuh oleh Mussolini karena pengkhianatan sang Paman. Nenek Serena terpaksa mengirim Serena ke sebuah biara di Amerika. Ketika perang berakhir, Serena kembali ke Italia hanya utk mendapati rumah neneknya dan rumah orang tuanya sudah berpindah tangan. Beruntung Serena bertemu dgn pengasuhnya dulu, Marcella, yg tetap tinggal di rumah tersebut sebagai pelayan. Serena akhirnya ikut bekerja sebagai pelayan di rumah yg dulu miliknya.
Rumah Serena kini menjadi tempat tinggal seorang Mayor Amerika, Brad Fullerton. Brad yg saat itu sudah mempunyai tunangan di Amerika, jatuh cinta dgn Serena yg berusia 19 thn. Gayung bersambut, Serena juga jatuh cinta pd Brad. Tp status pertunangan Brad membuat Serena mundur. Ketika Pattie, tunangan Brad, mengetahui bahwa Brad jatuh cinta dgn Serena, Pattie murka. Tp Brad bersikeras menikahi Serena dan memutuskan pertunangannya dgn Pattie yg diatur sang Ibu utk memuluskan karir politik Brad nantinya.

Pulang ke Amerika, Sang Ibu yg bertangan besi sangat membenci Serena dan memaksa Serena utk menandatangi surat persetujuan agar Serena tdk mendapat sesenpun harta Brad apabila Brad nanti meninggalkannya. Dan ketika Brad meninggal akibat perang di Korea, Serena tdk mempunyai uang dan tempat tinggal. Bersama Vanessa, putrinya yg msh kecil, Serena berjuang dibantu oleh Teddy, adik Brad yg juga mencintai Serena. Serena sukses berkarir sebagai model yg kemudian mempertemukannya dgn Vasili Arbus, seorang fotografer jenius tp mempunyai masa lalu suram. Mabuk kepayang, Serena menikah dgn Vasili dan pindah ke London. Tp tdk lama kemudian, Vasili yg ternyata pecandu obat-obatan menjadi mimpi buruk bagi Serena. Setelah hampir mati akibat proses persalinan, Serena akhirnya memutuskan meninggalkan Vasili dan membawa Vanessa serta bayinya yg baru lahir, Charlotte kembali ke Amerika. Tp Vasili berhasil menemukannya dan memberikan akhir yg tragis pd kehidupan Serena.
Apakah yg terjadi pd Serena? Lalu bagaimana nasib Vanessa dan Charlotte?

Akhirnya, pecah juga telor di th 2021 ini. Tp bukannya ngelarin buku yg belum dibaca, malah reread si Remembrance ini 🤭. Dulu, belasan thn yg lalu, kayaknya ni buku bagus banget. Tp dibaca ulang skrg, biasa aja. Jelek ngga, bagus banget juga ngga. Khas DS, agak2 soap opera yg dibalut sejarah. Serena, yg digambarkan sebagai keturunan bangsawan yg cantik jelita dan berpenampilan aristokrat, kadang suka cetek banget cara berfikirnya dan lemah. Paling kesel pas bagian dia ngga pergi2 juga dr si Vasili yg gila itu. Kasian dgn Vanessa yg menurutku justru lebih pinter dari emaknya. Untungnya DS memberi ending yg indah buat Teddy, kalo ngga kelewatan banget.
Overall, Remembrance bisa dibilang ok, karena aku emang paling suka dgn cerita yg berlatar "jadul". Kalau dulu (setelah ngintip di GR 🤭) ngasih 4 ⭐, sekarang 3 ⭐ is fair enough.

[Lindsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are no words for how much I hated -- HATED -- this book, and I've been looking forward to the opportunity to put it through the wringer upon finishing it.

Holy sh**, Danielle Steel. You think you can write? I take so much offense to your poor style (have you ever in your life heard of a semicolon or a dash? No? Familiarize yourself), myriad clichés (i.e. "she was his to her core," "her heart melted" -- *pounds head on wall*), and overwhelming use of passive voice over active voice. All Danielle Steel does in every single book is TELL instead of show, which is the single rule you DO NOT BREAK as a good writer. You don't fill up your 500 page romance novel describing fur coats, wallpaper, gleaming hair, and laughter. You PORTRAY EMOTION.

Throughout this entire novel, not ONE of the characters felt real. Do you know how much profanity I'm tempted to use here as I attempt to convey my frustration? OK, Steel, you've made it quite clear that a woman should always be perfect (flawless figure, long and lean, shining hair, amazing fashion sense -- piss off, why don't you), ready to have sex multiple times a day at the drop of a hat, and -- if at all possible -- a princess. They also receive diamonds, fur coats, and endless amounts of wealth at the drop of a hat. No biggie. Happens all the time.

And yeah, let's talk about the sex scenes for a minute. 1) Overly descriptive; 2) Characters go from lust to love in .4 seconds; 3) The men in this novel seem to be genuinely interested in the female characters they sleep with for the first time, with one even proposing afterward (and he happens to be a renowned playboy). Yeah, no. Danielle Steel, what PLANET do you live on? One night stands with no foundation do not end in proposals. ALSO, ALSO! The age difference between the lovers in this novel is SICKENING (30 f***ing years). Does anyone else have an issue with this?!?!

Also want to throw out there that Steel actually describes a "heated" interaction between one of the couples in this novel by having the man state, "You'd better get out of here, or I'm going to have to rape you."

NO. JUST NO. HOW IS THAT EVER OKAY.

And the characters? INFURIATING. Absolutely INFURIATING. The "heroines" of this novel are simpering, foolish, feelings-dominated women who are not smart, strong, or logical. Abuse is painted as a "tragedy that stemmed from what once was love," with the main character giving her junkie husband 50,000 chances before finally deciding to leave him (and chooses him ahead of her daughter's safety).

I honestly could go on for five pages about all of the reasons why I hate this author and this stupid book, but I'm tired and have simply decided never to read her again.

The end!

[Jessica.DC]

Questo romanzo è diviso in 3 parti.
La Prima parte racconta di come Serena, la principessa serena di San Tibaldo, ha vissuto prima durante e dopo la guerra, di come ha perso i genitori per mano di Mussolini e dello zio, di come la nonna ( la principessa Alicia) l'abbia portata con sé a Venezia e di come poi l'abbia mandata in America con le monache per proteggerla.
Durante quegli anni Serena aspettava solo di tornare a casa sua, in Italia e così appena finita la guerra avendo appena compiuto 18 anni parti per tornare a casa. Ma arrivando a casa la situazione non era come l'aveva lasciata, così decide di farsi assumere dagli americani come domestica per poter continuare a vivere nella sua casa insieme Marcella ( una domestica di quando era piccina) che ora era diventata la residenza militare degli americani, e qui conobbe Brad che però era fidanzato con Pattie ( odiosa e viziata) che ha una famiglia molto potente in America. Ma piano piano Serena inzio a fidarsi di Brad ( nonostante odiasse i militari fin dall'inizio della guerra) e le raccontò tutta la verità su di sé e iniziarono ad essere complici..
Nella seconda parte del libro invece si parla della storia di Serena con Vasili, della sua carriera da indossatrice e di come le cose possano cambiare e precipitare in modo vertiginoso. Di Vanessa e di come si cresciuta, di Teddy e di Linda.
Nell'ultima parte del libro si parla di Vanessa e Charlie, di un viaggio alla scoperta di se e del proprio passato e di come si possa amare incondizionatamente qualcuno.
Ho divorato questo libro in un giorno, ho amato ogni singolo avvenimento, sia bello che brutto, ho vissuto con loro gioia e dolore, e ho rivisto un Serena miliardi di donne che lottano con tutte se stesse per far vedere agli altri chi sei davvero, di resistere in situazioni assurde perché si sentono in colpa, sole ma di come alcune riescono poi a trovare il coraggio di salvarsi ma questa salvezza non sempre è eterna.
Ho trovato in questo libro che non solo serena che è la protagonista sia un bel personaggio ma di come Teddy che dalla prima all'ultima parte sia perfetto, di come sia leale, sincero e un amico, fratello, zio e marito splendido.
Consiglio a tutti di leggerlo almeno una volta nella vita. Credo che era davvero molto tempo che non leggevo un romanzo ( non fantasy) davvero così ben scritto, descritto e EMOZIONANTE.

[Akila Perera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Serena witnessed the death of her parents at the hands of her uncle, brought away to Venice by her grandmother, she soon loses the only family she knows as she is shipped off to a New York convent for her safety during the war.

Years later Serena makes her way back to Venice in search of her grandmother, to find out that she has passed two years ago.
At the age of 19 Serena had nowhere else to turn, so she makes the difficult journey to Rome, to her childhood home where she was once the  Principessa di San Tibaldo. Now on her return she is just another maid in the household owned by the US Army. ~
The house is soon occupied by Major Bradford Fullerton, who cannot seem to believe that Serena is a maid. Engaged back home to a debutante, Pattie. It's not long before Bradford and  Serena give in to the intensity of their feelings.
But when Pattie makes a sudden visit to Brad, it  only takes her one look at Brad to convince her of her suspicions.

With Serena rightfully his, neither of the two can ignore the harsh reality that awaits for them in America; will the prestigious Fullerton family accept Serena?
The happiness and love she found will it be for a lifetime or will she only be given moments to treasure in rememberance??

The book is in 3 parts. I loved the first part, and the build up of Serena's and Brad's relationship, Serena and Teddy's (younger brother of Brad) friendship. But during the second part the book lost all its interest to me. Serena's entire character development was destroyed for me.
While Danielle Steel is known famously for her strong female leads this was definitely a disappointment.

[Amanda Peterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Steel’s strength and at times weakness can be the epic scale. While sometimes if there is one character, or multiple done right, it can be a journey to follow. When a lot happens and you make it difficult to get attached to characters it can become a speed read. Did like historical references as far as Mussolini and Italy and would like to read more on that in the future. Also had issue with the fact that a fair bit of the story was spoiled midway through the book flap, which made it hard to get invested when some moments came.

[Teneka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly love this book. It definitely made me cry of all of the things that Serena went through and lost in her life. However, I felt like we went through 29 chapters of explanations of so many things and then when she finally got with Brad there was such a quick turnaround for him to die and then her to move to the States get a job and then quickly marry someone else and go through some more turmoil. Her survival chapters seem to rushed as well as the final chapters after she passed away and it was about her daughter Vanessa and Charlotte. They just all seemed very rushed to in the story.

[barbara hust · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful read and lots of crying through out. Love reading your books. Just wan them to go on forever. I've read everything you have written just wish more were made into TV movies like they used to have. Try and make that happen. Thanks

Loved everything about this book. Please make more of your books into TV movies like they did years ago. I cried many times reading this book.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow, this certainly was a saga! WWII, Mussolini's effect on Italy, American GIs, a new start for a young Principessa of marriage and family, but the dream went sour with life's tragedies! Decades passed with children, fashion modelling and a tragic end that affected Serena's children - different journeys which eventually culminated in a joyous reunion! That is the basis of this saga which definitely caught my attention to eagerly find out how things turned out up to the last page!