A magical transformation takes place in Danielle Steel?s luminous new novel: Strangers become roommates, roommates become friends, and friends become a family in a turn-of-the-century house in Manhattan?s West Village. The plumbing leaked; the furniture was rescued from garage sales. And every inch was being restored to its original splendor?even as a relationship fell apart. Owner of a struggling art gallery and newly separated from her boyfriend, Francesca Thayer does the math and then the unimaginable. She puts out an advertisement for boarders, and soon her Greenwich Village house becomes a whole new world. First comes Eileen, a pretty L.A. transplant, now a New York City schoolteacher.
Two sisters, two very different lives... Victoria - a chubby little girl with blond hair, blue eyes and ordinary looks - has spent her whole life being second best to her perfect younger sister Gracie, being told that she is a disappointment to her parents, and unable to win their approval. While waging a ceaseless war against her weight, enduring her father's belittling comments about her appearance and seeing her academic achievements go unacknowledged, she knows that she has to get as far away from home as possible. Home is Los Angeles, where beauty and appearance are all. She moves to New York City, where she finds a job she loves - as a high school teacher - amongst the sleek and slinky of Manhattan. Her lifeline to her family is through Gracie - they couldn't be more different, but they love each other unconditionally. Victoria finds her own life in New York, while her battle with her weight continues. And then a chance encounter starts an incredible chain of events. But can Victoria really leave behind all the hurt, neglect and loss that she has tried to forget and step into a new and fulfilling future? And whatever the scales tell her, she is determined to cherish who she is.
Danielle Steel is one of the world's most popular and highly acclaimed authors, with nearly 600 million copies of her novels sold. She has had more UK number one bestsellers than any other author. She is the eighth biggest author of the last decade, outselling James Patterson, Patricia Cornwell and Martina Cole.
Valerie Wyatt is at the top of her game--she has parlayed her talent for entertaining and home decorating into a multimedia empire, and her name is synonymous with class and exquisite taste. And yet, though she has achieved enviable professional success, her ambition and hard work have given her little room for a personal life. She is divorced, and though she has a strong relationship with her daughter, she finds herself alone as her 60th birthday approaches. Valerie's daughter, April, is also a dynamo in her chosen field. A top-notch chef, she owns her own restaurant--a cozy place that dishes up both comfort food and rare delicacies. The restaurant is a smashing success, and April devotes herself to it body and soul. Like her mother, she values professional success more than romance, and she cannot find any room for a man in her life as her 30th birthday grows nearer. The closest she has come to a relationship in years is an ill-advised one night stand. Jack Adams is a famous former NFL player, who is now an immensely successful sportscaster. He is also an incorrigible womanizer, who makes a habit of bedding models who are half his age. Nearing age 50 he begins to wonder if his wild ways still suit him, or if it's finally time to grow up. These three driven professionals share the same birthday. And this year, the day that they share will prove to be one that changes their lives forever (...)
Time to blow out the candles, say goodbye to the past, and make a wish for the future! For April Wyatt, turning thirty is not what she had expected. She's single, with no interest in changing that. Her successful restaurant in downtown New York consumes every ounce of her passion and energy. Ready or not, though, April's life is about to change, in a tumultuous discovery on the morning of her milestone birthday. April's mother Valerie is a popular TV personality. Since her divorce, she has worked tirelessly to reach the pinnacle of her career. But she's having trouble equating her age with how she feels, and all the hours with personal trainers, top hairdressers and plastic surgeons can't hide the fact that she is turning sixty - and the whole world discovers it on her birthday. It is also Jack Adams' birthday - the most charismatic sports announcer and hall-of-fame football star on TV, a man who has his pick of desirable younger women. But he fears his age may finally be catching up with him when he wakes up on his fiftieth birthday needing an emergency visit to the chiropractor...As these three very different people celebrate their birthdays, they discover that life itself is a celebration - and that its greatest gifts are always a surprise. ..
