The House
by DANIELLE STEEL
| Binding: Hardcover |
| EAN: 9780739464625 |
| ISBN: 0385338287 |
| Label: Delacorte Press |
| Manufacturer: Delacorte Press |
| Number Of Items: 1 |
| Number Of Pages: 352 |
| Product Group: Book |
| Publication Date: 2006-02-28 |
| Publisher: Delacorte Press |
| Sales Rank on Amazon: 496,853 |
| Studio: Delacorte Press |
| UPC: |
Source:Product Description
The restoration of a majestic old home provides the exhilarating backdrop for Danielle Steel’s 66th bestselling novel, the story of a young woman’s dream, an old man’s gift, and the surprises that await us behind every closed door….
Perched on a hill overlooking San Francisco, the house was magnificent, built in 1923 by a wealthy man for the woman he adored. For her and for this house, he would spare no expense and overlook no detail, from the endless marble floors to the glittering chandeliers. Almost a century later, with the once-grand house now in disrepair, a young woman walks through its empty rooms. Sarah Anderson, a perfectly sensible estate lawyer, is about to do something utterly out of character. An elderly client has died and left her two gifts. One is a generous inheritance. The other, a priceless message: to use his money for something wonderful, something daring. And in this old house, surrounded by crumbling grandeur, Sarah knows just what it is.
A respected attorney and self-described workaholic, Sarah had always lived life by the book. With a steady, if sputtering, relationship and a tiny apartment that has suited her just fine, Sarah cannot explain the force that draws her to the mansion and its history–to the story of a woman who once lived in the house, then mysteriously left it, to a child who grew up there, and a drama that unfolded in war-torn France…and to a history she never knew she had.
Taking the biggest risk of her life, Sarah enlists the help of architect Jeff Parker, who shares Sarah’s passion for bringing the exquisite old house back to life. As she and Jeff work to restore the home’s every detail, as one relationship shatters and another begins, Sarah makes a series of powerful discoveries: about the true meaning of a dying man’s last gift…about the extraordinary legacies that are passed from generation to generation…and about a future she’s only just beginning to imagine.
In a novel of daring and hope, of embracing life and taking chances, Danielle Steel brilliantly captures one woman’s courageous choice to pour herself into a dream–and receive its gifts in return.
The restoration of a majestic old home provides the exhilarating backdrop for Danielle Steel’s 66th bestselling novel, the story of a young woman’s dream, an old man’s gift, and the surprises that await us behind every closed door….
Perched on a hill overlooking San Francisco, the house was magnificent, built in 1923 by a wealthy man for the woman he adored. For her and for this house, he would spare no expense and overlook no detail, from the endless marble floors to the glittering chandeliers. Almost a century later, with the once-grand house now in disrepair, a young woman walks through its empty rooms. Sarah Anderson, a perfectly sensible estate lawyer, is about to do something utterly out of character. An elderly client has died and left her two gifts. One is a generous inheritance. The other, a priceless message: to use his money for something wonderful, something daring. And in this old house, surrounded by crumbling grandeur, Sarah knows just what it is.
A respected attorney and self-described workaholic, Sarah had always lived life by the book. With a steady, if sputtering, relationship and a tiny apartment that has suited her just fine, Sarah cannot explain the force that draws her to the mansion and its history–to the story of a woman who once lived in the house, then mysteriously left it, to a child who grew up there, and a drama that unfolded in war-torn France…and to a history she never knew she had.
Taking the biggest risk of her life, Sarah enlists the help of architect Jeff Parker, who shares Sarah’s passion for bringing the exquisite old house back to life. As she and Jeff work to restore the home’s every detail, as one relationship shatters and another begins, Sarah makes a series of powerful discoveries: about the true meaning of a dying man’s last gift…about the extraordinary legacies that are passed from generation to generation…and about a future she’s only just beginning to imagine.
In a novel of daring and hope, of embracing life and taking chances, Danielle Steel brilliantly captures one woman’s courageous choice to pour herself into a dream–and receive its gifts in return.
Average Customer Review: 3.0
Total Customer Reviews: 51
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful:
Rating: 2
Summary: Easy read, predictable
I have read many Danielle Steel books and this one was on the light side. I would rather she publish fewer books that have more substantial, less predictable story lines.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful:
Rating: 2
Summary: Don't waste your time.
This was my first experience with Danielle Steel, and I will not have a second. I canNOT believe that this kind of writing comes from a supposed best selling author. I am sorry to fans of Danielle Steel, but her writing is just lousy. Her book is, to me, going against everything I teach about "showing and not telling." She has weak descriptions and several metaphors are done with no taste. (Yes, there is actually a reference to Helen Keller.) I was so disappointed, but I can't not finish a book. I trudged on. The ending was ridiculous. There were probably ten two page chapters trying to highlight all the great things that were happening to the main character. It was like a little kid writing who just can't end their story because they want to tell you every single good thing that happens. The plot was decent enough, but I just couldn't handle the writing style, or lack thereof. Even the dialogue was bad. One minute Sarah is saying, "[...] you!" and the next minute she is saying, "Double wow!" It just wasn't believable. I will not be reading any more of Steel's books, and I would never recommend one to anyone that appreciates even mediocre writing. (Sorry.)
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful:
Rating: 1
Summary: Ehhhh...
After reading a very lackluster DS book (Miracle) I decided to give her one more shot. After all, some of my favorite authors had books that were 'meh' so I figured that this book would be better. It had a different premise/storyline that sounded good, so I picked it up. It's gotta be better than Miracle, right???
... It wasn't. Ms. Steel makes the same mistake of finding ways to repeat the same thing over and over. Just when I thought DS had finally made something clear and would move on, she just repeated herself with slightly different wording. It was extremely frustrating to see what seemed like a great story idea get this treatment from Ms. Steel.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful:
Rating: 2
Summary: Factory ordered predictable story
I think Danielle Steele may have a contract with her book company to write a certain amount of books per her contract, so she fulfills this obligation with this kind of factory cookie-cutter book to basically tell a story without putting much thought into the story or the characters. It's a formula story with no interesting or multi-dimensional characters. The kind of book that I totally forget soon after I've finished reading it, because there is nothing that interests or intrigues me enough to remember in this story. Not recommended - basically just a way to fill up paper.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful:
Rating: 1
Summary: Not a literary masterpiece...
I persevered and finished this book. What a waste of time. I found myself skipping paragraphs, something I never do with a good book. It was repetitive and boring. Very disappointing.
Total Customer Reviews: 51
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful:
Rating: 2
Summary: Easy read, predictable
I have read many Danielle Steel books and this one was on the light side. I would rather she publish fewer books that have more substantial, less predictable story lines.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful:
Rating: 2
Summary: Don't waste your time.
This was my first experience with Danielle Steel, and I will not have a second. I canNOT believe that this kind of writing comes from a supposed best selling author. I am sorry to fans of Danielle Steel, but her writing is just lousy. Her book is, to me, going against everything I teach about "showing and not telling." She has weak descriptions and several metaphors are done with no taste. (Yes, there is actually a reference to Helen Keller.) I was so disappointed, but I can't not finish a book. I trudged on. The ending was ridiculous. There were probably ten two page chapters trying to highlight all the great things that were happening to the main character. It was like a little kid writing who just can't end their story because they want to tell you every single good thing that happens. The plot was decent enough, but I just couldn't handle the writing style, or lack thereof. Even the dialogue was bad. One minute Sarah is saying, "[...] you!" and the next minute she is saying, "Double wow!" It just wasn't believable. I will not be reading any more of Steel's books, and I would never recommend one to anyone that appreciates even mediocre writing. (Sorry.)
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful:
Rating: 1
Summary: Ehhhh...
After reading a very lackluster DS book (Miracle) I decided to give her one more shot. After all, some of my favorite authors had books that were 'meh' so I figured that this book would be better. It had a different premise/storyline that sounded good, so I picked it up. It's gotta be better than Miracle, right???
... It wasn't. Ms. Steel makes the same mistake of finding ways to repeat the same thing over and over. Just when I thought DS had finally made something clear and would move on, she just repeated herself with slightly different wording. It was extremely frustrating to see what seemed like a great story idea get this treatment from Ms. Steel.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful:
Rating: 2
Summary: Factory ordered predictable story
I think Danielle Steele may have a contract with her book company to write a certain amount of books per her contract, so she fulfills this obligation with this kind of factory cookie-cutter book to basically tell a story without putting much thought into the story or the characters. It's a formula story with no interesting or multi-dimensional characters. The kind of book that I totally forget soon after I've finished reading it, because there is nothing that interests or intrigues me enough to remember in this story. Not recommended - basically just a way to fill up paper.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful:
Rating: 1
Summary: Not a literary masterpiece...
I persevered and finished this book. What a waste of time. I found myself skipping paragraphs, something I never do with a good book. It was repetitive and boring. Very disappointing.
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