Rating: 
Summary: Tough read...but well done!
Review: "Tough read" because of the subject matter and as usual Danielle Steel does an excellent job! Having been through an abusive relationship, not only involving myself but also my daughter, I applaud Danielle for having the guts to take on a topic so volatile. It was hard to read at times, yet hard to put down as well. While fiction it is very evident Ms. Steel did her homework...as usual. Would highly recommend this book because I, too, believe maybe someone can be helped because of its contents.
Rating:
Summary: Journey
Review: A wonderful book about an attractive girl named Maddy who breaks free from an emotionally abusive relationship with her husband Jack. Jack is a control freak and is a powerful and wealthy man. With Jack, Maddy has a spectacular life filled with fine things and special privileges. Maddy chooses to give those up for personal dignity, freedom and self determination. As she breaks free from his control, she is able to help others in similar situations. She soon develops a new life on her own. And she meets Bill Alexander. The story has a great message and a happy ending!
Rating:
Summary: A Journey worth taking.
Review: As usual Danielle has taken a subject that is much on the minds of women today. Abuse, for years abuse was thought of as black and blue marks on the outside but in reality more women suffer from the black and blue marks on the inside. These women can be seen just as our Maddy is,as beautiful, successful, and with a got it together attitude. But all of this is a front, many a night these women are abuse through bad language and put downs that creates a feeling of being useless, ugly,un-loved and a feeling of never doing anything right. This book tells of someone who escapes the a life of black and blue on the outside to be plunged into a life of black and blue on the inside. This is a story of Maddy's escape a second time. I would recomend this book to all women but especially the one's that live a life like Maddy's, a life that makes them wonder if they can take the journey and be happy or are they destined to a life of co-dependency that they will never escape from.
Rating:
Summary: wakes us up to a less publicized abuse - emotional abuse
Review: DS did a great deal of intensive research for her to come thryu with such an understanding of this problem of abuse in its many forms. I read the book in 24 hours, could not put it down and then asked my husband to read it for his interpretation. We both thought it was very informative. Learning about the people who both take and give the abuse was shocking in itself. But the most important message was , there are groups for people to go for help and they have to make the first move.
Rating: 
Summary: Is this the 1st draft? Dangerously ignorant.
Review: Having been in abusive relationships, I couldn't wait to read this although I rarely real Steel. The 1st thing I noticed, from page one, is that Steel starts off every other sentence with the word And. She uses run-on sentence (4 sentences in one, all separated by the word And) one after another. I'm also a writer & there is no possible way this book was edited or went through a second draft. It is written at the level of an 6th grader at best.The story would have been great if it had been realistic, as other reviewers have noted. I applaud that someone finally wrote about the more subtle forms of abuse. The problem is Steel repeated herself for about 1/3rd of the book! Then Maddy only breaks free by using another man! If only Steel had consulted with a psychologist about the sickness of ending this book that way & the message that gives to the public, this book COULD have been great. Unfortunately, it tells abused women that they NEED a man in order to break free. Also Maddy was supposedly seeing an experienced psychologist about her abusive marriage, yet Maddy's excuse for not getting out was not knowing how. Excuse me Ms. Steel, next time call a hotline from any phone book or at least consult a professional. First of all, ANY woman in an abusive relationship of ANY kind if urged to get out immediately, while Maddy was encouraged to STAY WITH her abuser while trying to figure it all out, with her life at risk on a daily basis! The first thing a psychologist must do in this situation is provide resources for an abused client to get out of harms way! Every city has women's shelters, safe houses for immediate escape. All phone books should include toll-free hot lines, if not, call a local hospital and ask for the number of a Domestic Violence/Abuse hot line. No one should read this book & take ANY of Maddy's actions to heart as a valid way to respond to this kind of abuse. Instead, call the hotline & get help NOW. Emotional & verbal abusers can turn physically violent at any time, as Maddy's husband Jack did when he bit her nipple til it bled--yet Maddy stayed with him for almost a year afterwards, suffering progressively worse abuse from her husband that was absolutely unnecesary! One aspect that was apparent from how Steel structured this book--she must believe having access to a plane, a weekend house, luxury and more is worthy of continuous abuse. Maddy was definitely addicted to her luxurious lifestyle, which she used as an excuse not to leave her abuser! I hope Steel at least has an editor to do the work for her before she attempts writing another book on any serious subject such as this one. It is terrifying that someone as widely read & "famous" as Steel could write so dangerously bad--grammatically & ignorantly.
Rating: 
Summary: Could not get into it...total waste of time
Review: I absolutly love D.S. but this book was just boring. I dont like reading about things with political issues and stuff like that, but other than that, I just couldnt get into it. Save your pennies for Star, Malice, and mixed blessings.
Rating:
Summary: Could not get into it...total waste of time
Review: I absolutly love D.S. but this book was just boring. I dont like reading about things with political issues and stuff like that, but other than that, I just couldnt get into it. Save your pennies for Star, Malice, and mixed blessings.
Rating:
Summary: The Journey
Review: I agree with the other person who commented on Danielle's overuse of the word "and". Her run-on sentences are very annoying, but I can usually overlook them if I like the story. Of course, this is a very disturbing story, but that was not my main objection. It was the constant use of vulgar language. I truly believe she could have had just as effective a story without the use of language, especially by Maddy. Maybe the awful husband, but Maddy did not need to stoop to his level of speech. It changed her character when she began using his gutter language back to him.
Rating: 
Summary: Rainy Day Book
Review: I am a very devoted Danielle Steel Fan. I read her books sometimes over and over again and have a vast collection of them. As I read this book, however,I was shocked. I recommend reading this book only if you are open-minded. The way the main character is portrayed, it makes women seem dependent on men. I have been fortunate not to ever have been in an abusive relationship, but if you have I caution you about this book. It's not one of my favorites, but it is a nice read for a rainy day. Definately not one to read over and over again.
Rating:
Summary: Not What I Was Looking For
Review: I am a writer of romance novels and find Ms. Steele's popularity a bit confusing. In the past, she seems to basically repeat the same story, rich man, rich woman, only changing the characters' names and the setting. I was hoping this one would be different, since it deals with an abusive relationship. But alas, she still seems to follow the same guidelines as with her others. Much repetition, and I was disappointed with the writing style.
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