The Promise by Danielle Steel
Talk Reading American Literature
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1ckaren14
The Promise
Danielle Steel
pg.1-100
This story takes place in New York City. Nancy and Michael are madly in love and do everything together. Michael means the world to her and she has never really had someone like that because she doesn't have a family. She was hoping that her and Michael could get married after graduation and live happily ever after, but there is one problem with that. Michaels mom hates her, she thinks that it is just a "fling" and that her son can do better. Marion carried on the family business after her dad died and then again after her husband died. She is not a very nice lady and would do anything to keep her son from marrying Nancy. In the book it says "Marion was no flower girl. She was Michael's mother, and she had all the tenderness of the Titanic. She was a woman of power, of determination, of concrete and steel."
P: This story fits into American history because in this story because in America everybody wants to be "perfect" and the mother in the story wants her son to marry the ideal "perfect". The girl her son is dating does not fit her standards. His mother owns her own business and is a city woman and his girlfriend isn't wealthy and didn't have a very good life. She didn't have a family.
E: In this story two people are in love but the mom wants her son to marry something "better". That tells that the ideal "good life" in this story is being wealthy, owning a business, and living in the city.
A: It doesn't have a theme yet.
R: ?
L: ?
Danielle Steel
pg.1-100
This story takes place in New York City. Nancy and Michael are madly in love and do everything together. Michael means the world to her and she has never really had someone like that because she doesn't have a family. She was hoping that her and Michael could get married after graduation and live happily ever after, but there is one problem with that. Michaels mom hates her, she thinks that it is just a "fling" and that her son can do better. Marion carried on the family business after her dad died and then again after her husband died. She is not a very nice lady and would do anything to keep her son from marrying Nancy. In the book it says "Marion was no flower girl. She was Michael's mother, and she had all the tenderness of the Titanic. She was a woman of power, of determination, of concrete and steel."
P: This story fits into American history because in this story because in America everybody wants to be "perfect" and the mother in the story wants her son to marry the ideal "perfect". The girl her son is dating does not fit her standards. His mother owns her own business and is a city woman and his girlfriend isn't wealthy and didn't have a very good life. She didn't have a family.
E: In this story two people are in love but the mom wants her son to marry something "better". That tells that the ideal "good life" in this story is being wealthy, owning a business, and living in the city.
A: It doesn't have a theme yet.
R: ?
L: ?
2ckaren14
When Nancy and Michael were talking Michael said that they should get married, so they went off to get married. But when they went to get married they got into a very serious car crash and Nancy lost her face. Michael, Nancy, and Michael's friend were put in the hospital. When Michael's mom found out she made Nancy a deal that she would pay for her face to be reconstructed IF she never spoke to Michael again. Marion talked Nancy into taking the deal by telling her that Michael will never love her again because she was ugly so Nancy took the deal and was sent to California.
3ckaren14
The Promise
Danielle Steel
Pg.101-200
Nancy is now in San Francisco, California to get her face reconstructed from being in a severe accident. She has a helper named Faye. She could talk about anything around Faye because she was so comfortable around her. Nancy is having a hard time dealing with the fact that her and Michael can't be together anymore so she spills her feelings to Faye. While all this is going on back in New York Michael hates his life now that he thinks Nancy is dead because that's what his mom told him after the accident. Michael is slowly killing himself by working ALL the time and not doing anything else. THen back in California Nancy finds a homeless dog and takes it back to her apartment with her. In the next chapter it talks about Michael's secretary having a crush on him and her being a really nice girl. But Michael just couldn't get over Nancy so he wasn't interested in his secretary but everybody wanted him to. Later he slept with her but she could tell that he really didn't care much about her because he still loved Nancy. While back in San Francisco Nancy's face was complete and she was now in love with her doctor that she had spent months with. Peter (her doctor) also got her to start doing artwork again too so they were going to an art show together.
P: People think that American people are all hard workers and in this story Michael is the typical American worker. In this story it doesn't describe the outside world very much so it doesn't really talk about any historical or economical events that were going on.
E: In this story Michael's mother has different ethical and moral beliefs then the others. The mother thinks that people should be wealthy and that's the type of woman she wants her son to mary. So in this story the way they think they should live is the wealthy lifestyle because it talks about how Michael and his mother own a business, have alot of money, and Marion doesn't like Nancy because she isn't wealthy like them.
A: The American dream is to own your own business be wealthy and have people that love you. For example in the story it says, "Nothing very pretty. Sometimes I think she's gotten to him, and convinced him that a girl from my 'unsavory background' will harm him professionally." So it is basically saying that the mother didn't want Nancy marying or dating her son because she was poor and could wreck his reputation. Another example is, "That doesn't include marrying a nameless nobody out of an orphanage, an artist yet. She wants him to marry some debutante heiress who can do him some good." So it says the same thing but it adds that she want's someone that will help her career not hurt it.
R: I am kinda confused on why Nancy took the deal from Marion or why when she got her face back why she didn't go looking for him and tell him what happened.
L: ?
Danielle Steel
Pg.101-200
Nancy is now in San Francisco, California to get her face reconstructed from being in a severe accident. She has a helper named Faye. She could talk about anything around Faye because she was so comfortable around her. Nancy is having a hard time dealing with the fact that her and Michael can't be together anymore so she spills her feelings to Faye. While all this is going on back in New York Michael hates his life now that he thinks Nancy is dead because that's what his mom told him after the accident. Michael is slowly killing himself by working ALL the time and not doing anything else. THen back in California Nancy finds a homeless dog and takes it back to her apartment with her. In the next chapter it talks about Michael's secretary having a crush on him and her being a really nice girl. But Michael just couldn't get over Nancy so he wasn't interested in his secretary but everybody wanted him to. Later he slept with her but she could tell that he really didn't care much about her because he still loved Nancy. While back in San Francisco Nancy's face was complete and she was now in love with her doctor that she had spent months with. Peter (her doctor) also got her to start doing artwork again too so they were going to an art show together.
P: People think that American people are all hard workers and in this story Michael is the typical American worker. In this story it doesn't describe the outside world very much so it doesn't really talk about any historical or economical events that were going on.
E: In this story Michael's mother has different ethical and moral beliefs then the others. The mother thinks that people should be wealthy and that's the type of woman she wants her son to mary. So in this story the way they think they should live is the wealthy lifestyle because it talks about how Michael and his mother own a business, have alot of money, and Marion doesn't like Nancy because she isn't wealthy like them.
A: The American dream is to own your own business be wealthy and have people that love you. For example in the story it says, "Nothing very pretty. Sometimes I think she's gotten to him, and convinced him that a girl from my 'unsavory background' will harm him professionally." So it is basically saying that the mother didn't want Nancy marying or dating her son because she was poor and could wreck his reputation. Another example is, "That doesn't include marrying a nameless nobody out of an orphanage, an artist yet. She wants him to marry some debutante heiress who can do him some good." So it says the same thing but it adds that she want's someone that will help her career not hurt it.
R: I am kinda confused on why Nancy took the deal from Marion or why when she got her face back why she didn't go looking for him and tell him what happened.
L: ?
4mrkray
ckaren, Nice job on your posts. You did an awesome job including a quote from your book to support an idea. I can't wait to read some more from you.
5ckaren14
The Promise
Danielle Steel
Pg. 201-307(end)
SPOILER ALERT!
Michael's friend Ben, the one that was in the accident with them, sees Nancy's artwork and wants to use it for the lobby in the new buildings they are building for the company. Nancy knows that it is the same Ben so she doesn't want to talk to him about them using her artwork because she was still upset that michael didn't go looking for her. She just wanted the whole Michael thing to be over. When Ben was telling Marion, (his boss and Michael's mom), "Oddly enough, I met her the last time i was in San Francisco, She's a strikingly beautiful girl. In an almost unreal way. She's almost too perfect", and then said " In fact, the gallery owner said that she has some sort of sponsor. An older man. A doctor i think he said, a famous plastic surgeon." Then Marion knew that the girl that made the artwork was Nancy. Marion called Nancy and set up an appointment, and at that appointment Marion pounded questions on Nancy. Then she came out and said she knows that it is her, Nancy. Nancy asked about Michael and Marion told her that he is now married to his job. Nancy feels hatred toward Marion and asks how she feels for wrecking both of their lives and eventually leaves Marion's appartment. Marion passes out and is in the hospital when her assistant comes in and asks her to marry him, she says yes and tells him about what she did to Nancy and Michael. Marion actually felt bad about what she did. Her assistant reassures her that it will be okay and they will find eachother in time. To make sure they do, Marion sent Michael to talk to Nancy. She spoke to him over the phone and it was a fail to him so he went to see her in person and she still said no. They went to get coffee and they got into conversation about a scar on his neck. He said "Really, It was nothing. A minor accident with some friends." That really made her mad so she shook his hand and walked out. He goes to the beach where she is and she gives him artwork and tells him to get out of her life and do whatever he wants with the work. She then makes plans to go somewhere secretive. Michael goes into Peter's office to discuss the artwork and when he stands up to shake peters hand he noticed a painting behind peters desk that Nancy had made for him and it had been finished. He then knew that his mom lied to him and Nancy didn't die. He went back home to where Peter told him and found Nancy. They found eachother and fell in love like they once were.
The theme of this story is that you should never give up on things you love, no matter what people tell you. In the story Marion made a huge mistake of making a deal with Nancy. I think that was part of how America is, people make mistakes all the time. But at the end when Marion sets it up so that her son Michael will find Nancy again that shows there is good inside of people. The theme tells people that they should live a good life. Don't let other people tell you what to do or what you are capable of. In America the American dream is too be wealthy and be loved by everyone, and in this story Michael, his mother, and the family business are living the "American dream". However, Michael is not happy with it at all. He doesn't care about having money or being loved, Nancy was the only thing he cared about and when his mother told him she was dead he died inside. The thing that makes this story "American" is that Nancy took the deal from Marion to get her face done instead of being with Michael. Alot of people know America as being greedy, so Nancy wanting to get her face done instead of being with Michael could be an example of being "American". I absolutely loved this story because it was easy to picture the whole thing and it was a really cute love story.
Danielle Steel
Pg. 201-307(end)
SPOILER ALERT!
Michael's friend Ben, the one that was in the accident with them, sees Nancy's artwork and wants to use it for the lobby in the new buildings they are building for the company. Nancy knows that it is the same Ben so she doesn't want to talk to him about them using her artwork because she was still upset that michael didn't go looking for her. She just wanted the whole Michael thing to be over. When Ben was telling Marion, (his boss and Michael's mom), "Oddly enough, I met her the last time i was in San Francisco, She's a strikingly beautiful girl. In an almost unreal way. She's almost too perfect", and then said " In fact, the gallery owner said that she has some sort of sponsor. An older man. A doctor i think he said, a famous plastic surgeon." Then Marion knew that the girl that made the artwork was Nancy. Marion called Nancy and set up an appointment, and at that appointment Marion pounded questions on Nancy. Then she came out and said she knows that it is her, Nancy. Nancy asked about Michael and Marion told her that he is now married to his job. Nancy feels hatred toward Marion and asks how she feels for wrecking both of their lives and eventually leaves Marion's appartment. Marion passes out and is in the hospital when her assistant comes in and asks her to marry him, she says yes and tells him about what she did to Nancy and Michael. Marion actually felt bad about what she did. Her assistant reassures her that it will be okay and they will find eachother in time. To make sure they do, Marion sent Michael to talk to Nancy. She spoke to him over the phone and it was a fail to him so he went to see her in person and she still said no. They went to get coffee and they got into conversation about a scar on his neck. He said "Really, It was nothing. A minor accident with some friends." That really made her mad so she shook his hand and walked out. He goes to the beach where she is and she gives him artwork and tells him to get out of her life and do whatever he wants with the work. She then makes plans to go somewhere secretive. Michael goes into Peter's office to discuss the artwork and when he stands up to shake peters hand he noticed a painting behind peters desk that Nancy had made for him and it had been finished. He then knew that his mom lied to him and Nancy didn't die. He went back home to where Peter told him and found Nancy. They found eachother and fell in love like they once were.
The theme of this story is that you should never give up on things you love, no matter what people tell you. In the story Marion made a huge mistake of making a deal with Nancy. I think that was part of how America is, people make mistakes all the time. But at the end when Marion sets it up so that her son Michael will find Nancy again that shows there is good inside of people. The theme tells people that they should live a good life. Don't let other people tell you what to do or what you are capable of. In America the American dream is too be wealthy and be loved by everyone, and in this story Michael, his mother, and the family business are living the "American dream". However, Michael is not happy with it at all. He doesn't care about having money or being loved, Nancy was the only thing he cared about and when his mother told him she was dead he died inside. The thing that makes this story "American" is that Nancy took the deal from Marion to get her face done instead of being with Michael. Alot of people know America as being greedy, so Nancy wanting to get her face done instead of being with Michael could be an example of being "American". I absolutely loved this story because it was easy to picture the whole thing and it was a really cute love story.
