A Perfect Stranger

by Danielle Steel

The only daughter of a European banking dynasty, Raphaella had always been sheltered from the world. Married to a much older American, she was kept in the privacy of great luxury, tended to by servants, watched over by bodyguards. She was the beautiful dark-eyed woman the young lawyer from San Francisco, Alexander Hale, saw sitting alone one misty evening. Before he could approach her, she rushed away into the garden. She was the "perfect stranger" he couldn't forget. When they met again their lives would change forever.

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

393 pages, Mass Market 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

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It was difficult to imagine being in love anymore, caring deeply about someone, difficult to imagine looking into someone's eyes and wanting to explode with joy."

A Perfect Stranger by Danielle Steel

This is the ONLY Steel book I adored. And I've read several.

I did not expect this novel to steal my heart the way it did. Just goes to show one never knows.

This book -- it really does have a sort of magical feel to it. The stars of the book Alex and Rafaella and are both compelling


I love the Historical element, I love the premise of love at first site and I love Rafaella But this book got me involved in the story and made me root for Alex and Raffi.

So Alex is that rare thing in a romance novel -- a nice guy who has NO bad boy qualities. I say this because almost all romance novels I have read, have a bad boy as the hero. Not here.

And what to say about Rafaella? Her every word is written in gold. She's mysterious, alluring, gentle, breathtaking and so innocent.

Alex is pretty great too but he, unfortunetly has a nutjob for a sister. My how I despised Kate! She'd do ANYTHING for political power.



The Pacing too was great and I love the French aspect to the story. It made the location scenes romantic, exotic and adds a touch of glamour to an already wonderful book.

So Perfect Stranger is just an all around cool book. I do not read a lot of romance, I really don't, but this is one I read a long time ago and have reread. It is her best work that I have read so far.

This book is not all romance as there is an unexpectedly deeply dark and disturbing side plot involving young adult rape. So bear that in mind, if you are interested in reading this book.

SPOILERS:

Love the twist and the husband (whose name I cannot remember..sorry)..is one of the kindest characters I've read about. (And a class act.) I really think if you are seeking a GOOD Steel book this is the first one to select.

[Chenara Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the first DS book i read... since then i never stopped reading all DS Novels... still collecting DS Novels.. never STOPPED, Can't stop!!! =)

[Brandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know what it is about her books that suck you in, especially when 90% of the time you know what is going to happen. I read this one in one day. One thing that did bother me and she does this in a lot of her books. Is that you see so much of the main characters struggles but then when everything is resolved and they get back together, the book is over. That's what I wanted to know about this book. Did Alex & Raphaella get married? Have kids? What happened with Amanda or Kay? Too many unanswered questions. This story also reminded me of Ralph & Phyllis with some major differences though.

[Anu · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am currently 56 pages into this book and I absolutely cannot stand it. I keep giving it the benefit of doubt thinking it'll get better soon but it just doesn't. All the characters annoy me and I'll shortly be going into a detailed rant as to why exactly that is. I don't understand how this book has so many good reviews I have absolutely no hopes for this story to improve.
I have half a mind to stop reading it and start something new. But leaving a book unfinished will bother me so I won't do that (no matter how bad this gets).. Well hopefully.

*SPOILER ALERT*

PLEASE DON'T READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE STORY.

So first of all let's talk about all the instances of complete and utter misogyny in the book. Starting from the beginning when they introduce Alex and talk about how he met his ex wife. How she offered to pay half the bill and it made him want to "half slap her and half rip her clothes off" tell me what exactly is so sexy and charming about a man who not only feels emasculated that a woman wants to pay her half of the bill but also clearly has some domestic violence tendencies.
This is not even the first time he feels like slapping a female he feels that way about his sister when she says something he disagrees with. Clearly Alex is a little insane to put it lightly.
And every time an ambitious woman is described the adjectives "cold and hard and unloving and shrewd" or other synonyms of the same words are used. Apparently both Kay and Rachel are bitches for being ambitious and they can't handle having a career and a family . And according to the main character it was alright for women to be ambitious but not too ambitious. Like his mother for example was an author and she managed to balance work and family . Maybe cause the responsibilities that come with the occupation of being a lawyer / politician are very different from that of an author....
So on one hand while the author talks about how some women are too ambitious there is a parallel story where men marry off their daughters to powerful business men in order to expand their business and that's considered completely normal.
Meanwhile I find it shocking how in none of the reviews I've read so far no one once mentions the fact that John Henry is a pedophile?!
When he first meets Raphaella he is probably 50 or 60 something and she is 17 years of age. 17. SEVENTEEN. Which means she's still a minor and he falls in love with her. And pursues her after that and somehow her dad is completely alright with it?! It makes me sick to my stomach. Alright they get married when she turns 18... But it still means that he was attracted to a minor. And don't leave any comments saying she loved him back. If you've read about her back story you know that she literally hasn't had any human interaction apart from that of her family. She's so overprotected she didn't know what it was to even converse with an unrelated male person until she met this man and he clearly took advantage of that knowledge.
Alex's idea of a perfect woman is an old fashioned home maker who stays at home and produces babies for him to come home to.
And when he realizes that he has to use his mom as bait to ask Raphaella out to lunch he thinks "he'd drag his mother to lunch if he had to haul her out of an editorial meeting by the hair". Sure it's a hypothetical description but to me he seems like an unstable violent person. And that statement literally put the prehistoric image of caveman dragging their women around by their hair. How completely uncivilized.

Apart from all the misogynistic instances there is the fact that this book is seeping with stereotypes and cliché that will just make you want to eye roll.

The more I read this book the more I hate the characters and I just can't understand why it's been so hyped. Please if there is anyone thinking about giving this book a try I hope you read this and decide not to. There is nothing romantic in it it's gross sexist and annoying

[Ada Iaboni · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a lovely story that makes you think that love at first sight is possible.
The cultural differences of two worlds perhaps even three of the main character make you think of the freedom of thought we as "American" have.
The resolution was a little too abrupt and the ending left me a bit dry, but as a whole it was a good story and kept me reading.

[Katherine 黄爱芬 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Andai novel ini bukan ttg persetujuan perselingkuhan (apapun dalihnya) mungkin saya msh bisa terima dgn nalar saya. Krn saya tmsk penentang dan anti perselingkuhan (kecuali di KDRT & gak ada cara lain utk membebaskan diri), jd rasanya sungguh aneh seorg wanita bisa dikatakan mencintai dua pria yg berbeda jauh usianya.

Raphaella adalah istri dari bankir kaya raya yg sdh stroke parah sejak 7 thn terakhir ini. Usia suaminya sdh 70an sedangkan Raphaella sendiri baru awal 30an. Gap usia ini sdh dijelaskan di awal dan ya saya msh terima. Tapi sejak Raphaella bertemu dgn Alex Hale, mendadak saja tanpa chemistry apapun kecuali fisik, mrk melakukan perselingkuhan diam². Hingga suatu saat diketahui oleh Kay, kakak Alex yg kejam dan manipulatif, yg tidak segan² memberitahu kpd ayah dan suami Raphaella.

Kalau kalian mengharapkan suami Raphaella sedih, justru sebaliknya, dia merestui hubungan selingkuh ini. Disini saya bingung, sebegitu cintakah suami Raphaella ini sehingga rela saja istrinya berselingkuh?

Ayah Raphaella lebih parah lagi, seorang judgmental tapi sbnrnya adalah seorg yg munafik.

Terlepas dari semua yg saya sebutkan tadi, novel ini kebanyakan paragraf dgn narasi super panjang dan super detail. Entahlah apakah ini khas novel awal thn 80an, saya serasa dejavu nonton film serial "Dynasty". Karakter Alex dan Raphaella sbnrnya jg baik, tapi keduanya terlalu bucin satu sama lain. Cinta terlarang emang susah dan lebih baik gak usah dijalankan.

[Shannen]

Generally, when I start a book I always read until the end, but with this I couldn't even make it past 100 pages.

The whole idea of "love at first sight" is one that doesn't appeal to me, as those kind of love stories lack in substance and I don't feel are a very accurate or realistic perception of real relationships. However, I didn't let that put me off and decided to push on forward, but the more I read the more issues I found.

Firstly, Alex's character is very unlikeable. From the get go he's whiny and full of self pity. Furthermore he has no real substance or any aspects to his personality that make him individual. The only thing that defines him is his obsession with Raphaella, which, by the way, is possibly one of the most annoying and mind numbingly boring things to have to read. The 100 pages I read are filled with nothing more than endless inner monologues of him obsessing over the perfect beauty of a woman he's just met and knows nothing about.

Raphaella has about as much personality as a mop. She is nothing more than a pretty object - something to be fawned over and owned by men. Her continual attempts to remain faithful to her dying husband and be morally good are pitiful, since they were instantly followed by her falling into Alex's arms. We're supposed to pity this woman, but I felt nothing but aggravation when reading her story. She is so weak, placid and has no capacity to make her own decisions or take charge of her own life. She complains about feeling like a prisoner, but she is a prisoner by choice and for that I can feel no sympathy.

All of these issues tie into the main aspect of the story that I struggled with - the portrayal of women. I understand the book was first written in the 80's and that's probably had some influence over this, but as a young, modern woman myself, the one dimensional, almost medieval portrayal of women frustrated me to no end. It was such a stereotypical, narrow view of women that implied a woman can only be one thing. She can only be warm and loving if she has no career and likewise if she has a career she is less worthy than a woman that chooses to devote herself to her husband and children. This was reiterated consistently by the contrast of Alex's sister, the ambitious and ruthless politician, to the sweet, loving housewife Raphaella. More elements of this can be seen at the beginning of the book when Alex ponders over his failed relationship with Rachel. Instead of considering the fact that his wife left him simply because his wishes for the future didn't match up to hers, he accuses her of being cold and unloving for moving away to pursue her career, whilst at the same time playing the victim card.

Just as we are supposed to feel sympathy for Raphaella, we are supposed to feel sorry for Alex and root for him to find love and have his happy ending. But I couldn't muster any of this due to Alex's attitude to women. He doesn't want love, he wants a perfectly beautiful woman that will give him children, love him unconditionally and worship him until the end of his days. He constantly questions Raphaella's decision to stay with her husband, but he wants her to be a slave to him just as she is to Henry. His love for Raphaella is completely shallow and lacking in any real meaning, because it's based purely on the fact that he's now found the perfect woman, completely placid and lacking in opinions or independence, that will simply be faithful and obey him without question for the rest of his life.

Maybe all of these elements wouldn't have been such a big issue, but they are because they're the ONLY aspects of the book. The love story dominates everything, so these themes are relentless and repetitive. There's only so many times I can read Alex declaring his undying love for Raphaella how perfect she is and Raphaella protesting to staying with Alex because of her husband before staying anyway.

In addition to this, the sheer number of cliches and stereotypes that apply to every single character and aspect of the story are completely unoriginal and boring to read. I cringed so many times when reading, particularly at the romantic scenes between Alex and Raphaella, which were more humorous than anything else. These are two people that have JUST MET and they're proclaiming their love for one another and insisting they know each other better than they've ever known anybody else. I know that I'm repeating myself now (maybe the book has rubbed off on me) but it's such a cliche. And a bad one, at that.

If you want to read a slightly different version of Rapunzel, then this is the book for you. Because in this story Raphaella is nothing more than the pretty, young girl held captive in the tower by husband, Henry and Alex is her big strong, knight in shining armour that's going to rescue her.

[Sofija · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me just say before I begin this rant: I HATE insta-love . I'm very disappointed.. This is extremely repetitive and cheesy and I don't know if I should give Steel one more chance... And I feel like there is always a pattern: a girl is larger than life, extremely beautiful, comes from a rich family and she immediately falls in love( literally in like 5 seconds) with a 45 year old man... But then he's sick and dying but enlightened, he realises that he's too old for her. Dude, you had to be ill to realise that u could be her grandfather just after 15 years of marriage?! And then of course there's infertility, cheating, indecisiveness... blah blah blah honestly, I struggled so much with this book, from the beginning I didn't like any character. It was so predictable and bad, that I found myself eye-rolling at least once on every single page.

[Diane Briones · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is an easy read, I read this within a night, but couldn't put it down once I started. It is an innocuous love at first, and it takes you through the sides of torn and what is right and moral.

Raphaella marry's her fathers business partner John Henry when she is 18 years old. When John Henry becomes incapacitated Raphaella does not give up her duties as a wife. Even when she meets a man who falls in love with her she remains loyal to her husband whom she shows great respect.

Perfect Stranger had me so afraid that the book would end badly but the author didn't fail me . As usuall, she brought it to a delightful end. I loved the little boy watching for the black Porsche everyday. A lovely and emotional novel by the great Danielle Steel. --- Diane ™

[Milica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nisam joj dala jedinicu samo iz poštovanja prema impozantnom opusu jedne od najpoznatijih spisateljica ljubavnih romana na svetu.
Suviše bljutavo za moj ukus. Bez ikakve motivacije likova, bez objašnjenja pojedinih postupaka, bez nekih momenata koji bi me „dirnuli“. Ništa. Prazno.

[lacy white · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: A Perfect Stranger
Author: Danielle Steel
Genre: Romance
Format: own paperback book
Series: NA
Star Rating: 3 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.

My favorite author wrote another not-so-good book for me. I'm so disappointed. This had some potential to be just a rocking book. I expected some angst, even though I know Danielle Steel isn’t known for her angst. I just assumed there would be some with the way the synopsis was written. There are a few reasons why I didn't like this book.

Raphaella is reason number one. Ugh, she was just so wishy-washy. She didn't seem very strong, even though her husband was disabled. You think that would give her strength, but nooooooo. She just seems so spoiled. And she lets her family just walk all over her. I just wanted to scream STAND UP FOR YOURSELF! I know that it’s hard to stand up to your family, but sometimes, you just have to bite the bullet and do it. Just because they are family doesn’t mean they are allowed to walk all over you.

Raphaella dragged Alex around, too. Oh, I don't want to be with him. Oh, wait a minute, yes, I do. That was just beyond irritating. And Alex just let her do it. If I were him, I would have been like No, either you want me or you don't. Raphaella just really ruined the entire book for me. I was rooting for Alex the whole time, and he was more of a secondary character.

The concept of this book was love at first sight. I don't know. That whole concept is so overplayed, in my opinion. The whole dynamic of this book was just really weird, and I was just upset most of the time while I read this book. I would recommend it, I guess, if you are into characters that can’t make up their mind and like to string men along for no good reason. But it wasn't for me, as you can tell by my rather short and scathing review.

[Martina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Svaku večer u isto vrijeme jedan je dječak pratio vraćanje crnog Porschea u garažu. Taj Porsche vozio je Alexander Hale, odvjetnik u San Franciscu. Alex je prolazio kroz kuću koja mu je ostala nakon razvoda od Rachel. Rachel je bila istog karaktera kao i njegova sestra Kay Willard koje su bile usredotočene na karijeru, Rachel na odvjetničku, a Kay na političku. Kad je Rachel dobila dobru poslovnu ponudu u New Yorku, Alex je nije pratio i nakon nekog vremena je shvatio da postala uspješna pod djevojačkim prezimenom, nakon čega ju je ostavio i razveo se od nje. Taj razvod je teško pao njegovoj sestri Kay koji ih je i dalje pokušavala pomiriti. Alex je poslije razvoda živio sam i nije kupio namještaj za dnevni boravak koji je ostao prazan nakon što je Rachel odnijela stvari za New York. U New Yorku je živjela i Alexova majka Charlotte Brandon, koja je nadaleko bila poznata kao uspješna spisateljica ljubavnih romana. Jedne večeri, trčeći naletio je na uplakanu prelijepu ženu na stubama. Probao je poći za njom, ali je vidio da je nestala, a nije znao u kojoj bi kući u tom dijelu mogla živjeti. A živjela je u bogatom dijelu San Francisca. Ta žena je Raphaella Phillips, 32-godišnjakinja francuskih i španjolskih korijena. Raphaella je zadnjih 15-godina žena bogataša Johna Henry-a koji je zadnjih 7 godina prikovan za krevet. Raphaellin otac Antoine je bankar koji je oženio njezinu majku Alejandru i time proširio svoje bankarsko carstvo. Raphaellini roditelji su bili u braku, ali majka joj je živjela u Španjolskoj okružena svojom brojnom obitelji, dok je njezin otac živio u Parizu. Ona je više povezana s ocem i živjela je s njim do vjenčanja. Johna Henrya je upoznala kod oca, on je bio dosta stariji od nje i zbog toga joj je dosta kasno prišao i pitao je za vjenčanje. Iako joj je skoro mogao biti djed, prvih 7 godina braka, bio je vitalan muškarac i Raphaelli je bilo divno s njim. No onda je imao prvi moždani udar, pa kroz par godina još nekoliko što ga je prikovalo za krevet. Raphaella je dane provodila uz njega, iako ju je on tjerao da izlazi i zabavlja se, da ne živi takvim životom. Čak ju je slao i kod njezinih u Pariz i Španjolsku i u New York da se vidi s majkom kad je u prolazu. Tako kad joj je majka opet bila u New Yorku, Raphaella se uputila kod nje i u avionu upoznala Alexa. Proveli su 5 ugodnih sati i nakon što joj je rekao da mu je majka Charlotte Brandon čiju je knjigu držala u ruci, prvo mu nije povjerovala, a onda je bila ushićena i željela ju je upoznati. Prije izlaska iz aviona rekao joj je da će je sutra s majkom čekati na ručku u restoranu. Ona mu je rekla da neće doći, a on joj je rekao da će svejedno čekati. I na kraju je ipak došla te su proveli ugodno vrijeme za ručkom. Nije mu rekla da je udana i kad ju je ispraćao pitao ju je u kojem je hotelu odsjela i kako se preziva da ju može naći i da će ju čekati tu večer u hotelskom kafiću. Majka mu je rekla tko je ona, ali Alex se odlučio boriti za nju i ne odustati od nje. Kasnila je na sastanak u kafić i kad je došla, rekla mu je tko je i opet nestala. Kad se trebao vratiti za San Francisco, na putu do zračne luke, Alex je odlučio stati u Raphaellin hotel i pozdraviti se s njom. Ona je u tom trenutku ostala sama, nakon što joj je majka s rodbinom nastavila putovanje. Kad je Alex upao u njezinu sobu, bila je iznenađena ali ga je pustila. Na kraju su završili zajedno u krevetu i proveli su vikend zajedno, te su se vraćali istim avionom za San Francisco. Kad su se vratili, Raphaellu je uhvatila grižnja savjesti pa je otišla do Alexa i rekla mu da prekida sve to i bili su razdvojeni 2 mjeseca. Onda je na Dan zahvalnosti odlučili nazvati Alexa i čestitati mu Dan zahvalnosti pa ju je pozvao kod sebe i ona makinalno pristala doći. Tu večer su opet proveli zajedno, dok Alexa nisu nazvali njegovi i rekli mu kako je njegova nećakinja Amanda silovana i pretučena. Alex je odmah otišao u New York i dok je bio uz Amandu, sam s majkom odlučio je nakon oporavka odvesti Amandu kod sebe. Njegova sestra Kay nije došla iz Washingtona 2 dana, a njegov šogor, kirurg George, samo je pregledavao kćerkin karton. Kad je Kay napokon stigla, Alex joj je rekao kako vodi Amandu sa sobom i priprijetio joj je, a ona mu rekla kako bi to mogao zažaliti. Raphaella je pripremila sobu za Amandu, iskradajući se iz kuće i kupujući stvari te uređujući. Bila je gotova s uređenjem taman na dan kad su Alex i Amanda dolazili. Bilo joj je žao što ne može vidjeti Amandinu reakciju. Kad su se upoznale, Amanda je zavoljela Raphaellu i Raphaella nju. Dočekivala ju je iz škole i svašta radila s njom dok se jednog dana Kay nije nenadano pojavila i prepoznala Raphaellu. Tad im je priprijetila, ali oni su se i dalje viđali. Kad je na ljeto Raphaella išla do svojih, svratila je u New York ostaviti Amandu Charlotte, no umjesto nje, po Amandu je došla Kay i zaželjela joj sretan put. To je Raphaelli bilo malo čudno jer znala je da se Alex i Kay baš i ne čuju. No, kad je došla u Pariz i kad ju je otac napao za vezu s Alexom i da tako ubija John Henrya, saznala je što je Kay smjerala. Otac ju je čak izbacio iz svoje kuće, nazvavši je kurvom. Dok je bila na Svetoj Eugeniji i majka je saznala za njezinu vezu i osudila je što slobodnom muškarcu sprječava ispunjenje pa ga je odlučila napustiti i nije mu se javljala sve dok se slučajno nisu sreli pred Božić na plaži. To vrijeme je Raphaella bila nesretna i živjela je kao zombi, a i John Henry je probadao. No Raphaella nije znala da je John Henry znao za njih i da je dao blagoslov Alexu. Kad ju je ugledao na plaži, Alex je prišao Raphaelli i tražio je objašnjenje, onda su se počeli opet viđati, ali nisu spavali zajedno do Nove godine kad je Amanda otišla s Charlotte na Havaje. Te noći je John Henry počinio samoubojstvo popivši tablete za spavanje, cijelu kutijicu. Kad je stigao, otac je ispitivao Raphaellu gdje je bila i kad je shvatila da zna, rekao joj je kako je ona ubila Johna Henrya i da će ići u Španjolsku s majkom nakon sprovoda. Nakon sprovoda je Alex jedva došao do nje, i rekao joj je kako mu je John Henry dao blagoslov, no ona nije marila. Otišla je na Svetu Eugeniju i ondje se zakopala u svoje misli kažnjavajući se i polako probadajući. Sve dok nije prošlo 9 mjeseci i ona odlučila otići u Pariz kod oca. Nije uspjela dobiti oca, pa mu je došla nenajavljeno i zatekla ga s ljubavnicom, ženom ministra. Onda mu je sve sasula u lice i odlučila otići u San Francisco prodati John Henryevo imanje. Kad je sve sredila, i prodala kuću, otišla je do Alexove kuće i s njom se pozdraviti, ali taman je Alex dolazio s posla. Kad ju je ugledao prišao joj je i privukao u naručje. Sve je to pratio jedan dječak koji je volio Porsche, ali ga nisu zanimali ljubavnici, nego auto.

[penelopewanders]

Read in Mallorca.
I think it must be close to thirty years since I've read anything by this author, and I have to admit I came close to simply putting the book away several times. I did push myself through to the end, but this was really not my cup of tea. The love at first sight scenario is difficult enough to swallow, but all the characters are such caricatures, that it's almost unbearable. The put-upon macho man, surrounded by overbearing yet successful females, yearning in vain for a true woman who will make his home a home.... the heroine who waivers between her overbearing father and her great sense of duty and guilt...the stricken husband, the demonic sister, the misunderstood teenager... the cliches abound.
A holiday read, but not the best by this author.

[Subtle Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

In love with Danielle Steel's way of writing.
I slide through her words like butter. I hardly have an easy time taking a pose. I just want to take the journey in one gulp.

A perfect stranger is an illustration of a delicate flower feeding from both old and fresh waters.

Happy Reading Lovelies.

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another four star DS that I didn’t review at the time.

[Pati · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best Danielle Steel books I've ever read.

[Judit Rozsonits · Rating 5 out of 5]

<3 <3 <3

[Yoyovochka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buku ini bisa dibilang buku yang paling saya favoritkan dari karya-karya Danielle Steel karena gaya narasi beliau jauh lebih berkurang di buku ini. Tetapi, seperti biasa isi dan kisah di dalamnya bikin saya naik darah dan berakhir dengan menghabiskan buku ini dalam waktu singkat.

Dikisahkan dalam buku ini seorang gadis muda bernama Raphaella yang menikah dengan John Henry, pria yang notabene jauh lebih tua daripada dirinya dan merupakan sahabat ayahnya. Sayangnya, suatu ketika John Henry mendapat serangan stroke dan sejak itulah kehidupan Raphaella berubah drastis karena ia harus mengurusi sang suami yang sudah tidak berdaya. Saat sedang putus asa karena 7 tahun ia setia mendampingi sang suami tanpa kehidupan pribadi, Raphaella tanpa sengaja bertemu dengan Alexander yang kemudian jatuh hati padanya.

Jujur, kisah ini mengombang-ambing nilai moral yang saya anut. Pasalnya, selingkuh, apa pun namanya dan alasannya jelas tidak saya benarkan. Apa yang dilakukan Alex dan Raphaella jelas selingkuh meski John Henry sudah mengizinkan Raphaella untuk pergi dan mencari kebahagiaannya sendiri karena tidak tega mengurung gadis muda tersebut. Dan buku ini menggambarkan betapa karakter-karakter di dalamnya memang kurang komunikasi. Bikin saya gregetan. Kenapa pula Alex nggak bilang dia bertemu John Henry biar Raphaella nggak tersiksa. Kenapa pula John Henry nggak bilang sama Raphaella atau bapake Raphaella kalau dia mengizinkan Raphaella cari lelaki lain dan merestui hubungan Alex dan istrinya. AMPUN! Belum lagi kelakuan Kay yang pengin bikin saya uyel-uyel kepala dia. Sayangnya, nggak ada karma atau hukuman buat Kay selain kekalahan dalam pemilu seperti di sinetron-sinetron Indosiar biar saya puas gitu.

John Henry ini memang tokoh yang mudah disukai. Biarpun kaya, lelaki ini nggak sombong dan baik hati. Tema pernikahan beda usia yang jauh begini memang umum ya kayaknya. Tetapi dari sisi saya sendiri saya kurang sreg. Kenapa? Ya kayak Raphaella begini, sekuat dan segagah-gagahnya lelaki yang sudah berumur, suatu ketika diserang sakit dan apa yang bisa dilakukan si gadis muda yang menikahinya? Cari selingkuhan? Aneh menurut saya. Ninggalin suaminya? Jahanam sekali. Mungkin karena itu kebanyakan pernikahan terpaut usia gini jarang yang pakai hati ya (CMIW) karena kalau kayak Raphaella dan John Henry begini pasti susah sekali karena mereka berusaha sama-sama setia. Yah, walaupun yang sama usianya juga kadang ada penyakit dll, cuma yang ini kayak lebih drastis aja begitu apalagi usia suaminya seumur sama bapaknya sendiri.

Buku ini secara keseluruhan bagus. Alurnya di awal-awal memang lambat, tetapi setelah halaman 200-an cepat kok.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about a middle aged man who is torn apart when he discovers that while his wife is in New York working on her career she was also having an affair. She doesnt want to try to work things out, she wants to advance her career and not be tied down to a husband and a house.
Alex goes running to destress when he comes upon a beautiful young woman who is so sad sitting on the steps crying, he is drawn to her then she disappears. As luck would have it he is seated by her on a plane, the attraction is intense between them, they meet for coffee and she tells him that she is in her 30's and the daughter of a very rich and powerful French man and her 80 plus year old husband is also very rich but is health is failing rapidley. He has had several strokes in the past several months and he is only a shell of his former self so she is saddened and very lonely.

Alex sister is the complete opposite of him, she is very cold hearted and doesnt care who she runs over for her political gain. She has a husband who is a surgeon so he is absent all the time as well, so no one is home to raise their 17 year old daughter. one night while they are in New York, the daughter goes out ice skating and is brutally attacked, beaten and raped and left to die, her mother couldnt come to the hospital because she had a meeting with the President, this infuriates Alex who decides he is going to try to get custody of his niece.

Alex starts a relationship with the beautiful young rich woman which infuriates his sister because she dont want any family dirt to ruin her chances of running in a political race so she starts trouble of her own to try and come between them.

a very nice cozy read filled with suspence wondering what would happen next. Truly enjoyed this story

[Carla Marin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me he leído este libro con mucho cariño ya que lo encontré en mi casa, firmado por mi madre en el año 96, 2 años antes de que yo naciera.

Solo me han bastado 4 días para acabarme el libro ya que me he sumergido de pleno en esta complicada historia de amor.

Este libro me ha teletransportado a otra época y me ha hecho sentirme muy afortunada de haber nacido en una época donde la mujer es libre. Me ha hecho reflexionar sobre la realidad que muchas mujeres sufrían y las cárceles de oro que se construyen alrededor de muchas de nosotras todavía hoy en día.

Danielle ha conseguido, que desde la rabia en gran parte del libro, valore que hoy en día las mujeres tengamos la potestad de poder decidir sobre cómo queremos vivir nuestras vidas. A su vez, me ha generado cierta nostalgia el ver cómo se ha perdido el romanticismo y las ganas de esforzarse en las relaciones en la actualidad.

Pese a que Rafaela le sea infiel a su marido, me ha gustado mucho que la autora base las relaciones en el respeto y cariño, dejando el odio y el rencor de lado y centrándose en la felicidad del otro, siendo el amor el claro ganador de esta historia.

Todos nos merecemos ser dueños de nuestro camino y buscar la felicidad a nuestra manera.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Danielle Steel's novels and in this one, I didn't know that I could get so angry about a character in a fictitious story! Kay Willard is a high-flyer in the world of politics; a wife and mother but her marriage I think was one of convenience and her daughter a pawn to be shown off when it was necessary for her climb up to the US Senate! And during her journey no rape incident or adulterous scandal would mar her way to get what she wants! Now one would think that this was the main character in this story - well she certainly tries to drive a wedge through the real main characters of this love story! Her handsome lawyer brother, Alex, is recently divorced after an out of the blue collapsed marriage, who, when he is not looking, crosses paths with 'A Perfect Stranger' - a sad but beautiful European woman - one that constantly seems to occupy his mind! And then on a fateful plane trip to New York Alex finds her again and here begins the real story of these two star crossed lovers, who are not totally free of their obligations and the people that cause heartache for them .........

[Rin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review ini (kemungkinan) akan mengandung spoiler.

Hal yang membuat buku ini menarik adalah Kay (kakak Alex) dan ayah Raphaela yang ugh, sangat menyebalkan. Gereget sekali melihat sikap mereka yang rasanya sungguh keterlaluan kepada kedua tokoh utama kita di buku ini: Alex dan Raphaela.

Aku tidak bisa banyak berkata-kata mengenai buku ini, hanya saja ceritanya sangat khas karya Danielle Steel yang ber-genre drama (lebih lekat daripada romance) dan ada beberapa bagian seperti saat Raphaela mengasingkan diri serta tarik ulurnya terhadap hubungan terlarang mereka; membuatku merasa gemas sekali dan menyayangkan itu terjadi. Sikap Raphaela yang cenderung kurang tegas dan labil membuatku heran dan bertanya-tanya padanya: apa maumu dan mengapa terus menyiksa diri? Akan tetapi jika sikapnya tak seperti itu, maka ceritanya tak akan panjang.

Yah, cerita ini bagus dan aku cukup menyukainya... tetapi bukan cerita yang kurasa luar biasa.

Tambahan: edisi terjemahan buku ini enak dan nyaman dibaca.

[BookLover · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of Danielle Steel novels. She's my go to for a good lovely read and this book doesn't disappoint.

Raphaella is a sheltered thirty something woman who married a man as old as her grandfather. He is a kind man and also a multi millionaire who spoiled her and kept her hidden like a doll. She has servants, lives in a mansion and flies all over the world. When her husband gets sick her perfect world changes and she becomes a prisoner in their mansion.On a chance encounter she meets Alexander Hale, a dashing young attorney. When they meet at an airport its love at first sight. Although Raphella's husband is gravely ill she still loves him even thought he hasn't made love to her in years.

Will she stay by the bed side of her sick husband or will she leave her rich life and start over with the young attorney?

This is such a fun easy read! Highly recommend. After reading the book and liking it so much I purchased the movie too. It was just as good as the book if not better!

[Katee Englefield]

Cannot rate as I DNF, and I was going to lie and just complain, but I’ll be honest. I could not handle the extensive descriptions, every piece of dialogue had an action and thought to accompany it, every motion was given gravitas and meaning. Maybe later in the book there is a reason we are told Raphaella’s parent’s backstory, and how they met and what they did, but I couldn’t give less of a shit if I tried. This is a romance drama, meant to focus on the characters it directly concerns. I’m sure Raphaella was greatly affected by whatever her parents got up to in their lifetime, but do I need all the details? Or really, any more than a paragraph? We get pages! A chapter or two. I’m sorry, Danielle Steel. This is the second book I’ve tried and I simply can’t make it. Lucky for you, though, my mother gave me two more of your books. We’ll see if I can survive them someday, but not anytime soon, that’s for sure.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A história não é má, abrange temas interessantes como os laços familiares, uma vida demasiado protegida, a escolha entre a obrigação (pelo marido doente) ou o amor (pelo amante), o isolamento, a doença... Mas ao mesmo tempo, Alex é demasiado irreal e a forma como se apaixona demasiado depressa retrata isso mesmo. Rafaella acaba por ser demasiado insegura devido à vida protegida e a sua indecisão acaba por ser massacrante. Por fim um ponto estranho neste livro: as mulheres que lutam por uma carreira são todas vistas como caprichosas e egoístas e as mulheres que não fazem mais nada a não ser passear e fazer compras são as "boas", isto para não falar da forma como as mulheres, neste caso espanholas, são vistas como flores de estufa que têm de andar em bandos e superprotegidas, mostrando um contraste com as norte americanas que têm uma carreira... mas afinal é um livro escrito nos anos 80.

[Hannah Edmonds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Danielle Steel's books are entertaining for sure, but I can't say they're well written when compared to other authors of similar genres.

Her prose isn't poetic, in fact she starts too many sentences with the words "and" and "suddenly" for my liking. Her descriptions, apart from of the emotions conveyed by people's eyes don't always paint a clear picture in my mind either and her descriptions of her protagonists appearamces are so unrealistically over the top at times that it's almost laughable.

That said, I'm not ashamed to admit that parts of this book made me cry; Raphaella's relationship with her husband, her family and the guilt she carried throughout the latter part of the book was well written.

The characters weren't very three dimensional, but A Perfect Stranger is a nice, entertaining break from reality and into a different world.

[Rajavarman Alamelu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of my first novel i read from front cover to last... liked for reasons.. but there some pages in which author had just wanted drag by not letting the character to do what would appropriate for the situation... kay had lost in election fine.. she must have be smashed by alex.. i was expecting it.. i liked alex's mother and Amanda characters.. i wish it would have been for being my 1st novel.. i love reading true stories instead of fictional.. its find gonna read some reviews on Daniele Steel and go for her other books..

[Sara Latini]

I just drove from San Fran to Massachusetts. In the middle of Iowa at a church bizarre I picked up a 1982 copy of this book and another old paperback for a quarter. I used to steal my mom’s Danielle Steel books when I was a kid and read only the smutty parts. So this was the first time I’ve ever actually read one. Wow what a ride. I can’t rate this. It was a strange, silly fairytale. I enjoyed the whole thing. It was complete nonsense. Definitely concerned for the author’s internalized misogyny tho

[Jula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Libro para pasar el rato. Bien escrito, pero a mi gusto no envejeció bien. Muy anticuado desde la escritura hasta la historia en sí. Incluso el desarrollo de personajes es casi nulo, muy chato. Creo que hoy todos tienen distintas caras y eso hace que puedas empatizar hasta con el que menos te identifica. Tampoco me cierra la traducción. Quizá me acostumbre a leer autores argentinos o en mi idioma, y eso me choco. Termina bien, tiene algunos detalles lindos. Pero no lo recomendaría.

Pd: primero que leo de la autora, probablemente tenga mejores

[Jose Manuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Very very charming characters and the background of both of them were also quite interesting. I really liked her name and her aura overall, Raphaella. However, there were moments in which she was “naive” and straight out stubborn leading to a frustrating read but only at times. I also loved and found Alex very charming for his patience and his genuine love for her. Overall, loved the book. From time to time I remember her name and some facts about them, therefore this book has left an impact on me.