Journey

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: Can't she be alone??
Review: I wanted to read this book because it was on the best-seller list and I had just finished reading His Bright Light, the story about the life of Ms. Steel's bipolar son. The subject matter interested me as the topic of a novel because I prosecute domestic violence cases as misdemeanors and know how hard it is for women to get out of the cycle of violence. Ms. Steel certainly did her homework. The thoughts Maddy had are very common among victims who are emotionally abused. Having been a victim in my first marriage of all those subtle put-downs, the book was somewhat painful to read. The book had a great deal of repetition. I thought it could have been shorter and just as effective. It bothered me that Maddy, who was a top-drawer anchorwoman, never got out of the abuse without a man to help her. I would have liked the story better if she had not gone from one man to another to another. What about a break in between so that she can figure out who she really is? That would have shown real growth on the part of the main character. Maddy was a real likeable character, however. I did enjoy the book for raising the consciousness of those of us who like fiction.

Rating:
Summary: You'll hate her husband!
Review: Not Steel's best works, but a poignant story. What kept me reading with enthusiasm was hating the husband & wanting to see him get what he deserved! I think the story meant well, but it just didn't seem to mesh for me. If you're looking for something good by Steel, I'd recommend Message from Nam, No Greater Love, Safe Harbour or The Long Road Home- They're all about over-coming & surviving.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting and Informative
Review: This was a good book about abuse to women, written by Danielle Steel. She not only tells a story of a woman (Madeline Hunter) who went from one physically abusive relationship, but into another which was more subtle... that of verbal and emotional abuse.

The great thing about this story is that it was not only a good fiction, but it also portrayed the facts and feeling of abusive relationships.

I found myself not only intrigued about the topic, but I also learned. I actually FELT the frustration that so many friends of loved ones of abuse people must feel. In doing so, DS has portrayed that she masterfully wrote a story that was not only entertaining, but also informative.

It was a little on the long side, but I think that was intentional to show just how difficult it is for an abused person to leave and how long the process for a victim to leave really is.

Journey was a wonderful, entertaining, and entirely informative story.