The House on Hope Street

Sembrerebbe un libretto da collezione Harmony ma non lo è.
Ovviamente i protagonisti sono ricchi e famosi e c'è una storia d'amore a lieto fine, ma ho trovato parecchi spunti di riflessione. Una lettura piacevole per chi desidera rilassarsi e riflettere anche un po', ma senza angoscia. Molto carino.

Life was good for Liz and Jack Sutherland. In 18 years of marriage, they had built a family, a successful law practice, and a warm, happy home near San Francisco, in a house on Hope Street. Then, in an instant, it all fell apart. It began like any other Christmas morning, with joy and children's laughter. But for Jack Sutherland, a five-minute errand ends in tragedy. And suddenly, Liz is alone, facing painful questions in the wake of an unbearable loss.

This is a good story, which I didn't realize until I was halfway through the book that I had already read once. It talks about tradegy and how each family member deals with it differently.

The House on Hope Street by Danielle Steel
Liz and Jack are married and work together at their law firm, handling divorces. They compliment one another in their work and home lifes.
They have 2 older children and a younger boy who is handicapped. One Christmas day Jack heads back to work to handle a domestic case and meets with the ex husband as he shoots his wife and then Jack.
Liz is devastated but manages to keep things going for the kids year after year. One summer Peter-the oldest gets seriously hurt and ends up in the hospital that leads Liz to stay overnight many times to be with him.
His doctor Bill is a miracle worker and they talk at times during Peter's stay. She decides to put on a memorial day party when Peter comes home and show more it's a success although she's not forgotten about Jack.
4 star rating show less

This is a story of a year of life for Liz and her children after her husband is shot and kill on Christmas day.
During the year it goes through the grief process and a new love and accidents with the kids a very good book

Very sad - cried most of the way through.

During their eighteen years of marriage, Liz and Jack Sutherland had built a tremendous life together. A close-knit and loving family, a successful law practice, and a warm, happy home somewhere near San Francisco, in a house on Hope Street. The couple truly loved one another and were living the good life - life honestly couldn't be better for the Sutherland family.

However, on a bright, crisp Christmas morning, amid the laughter of children and the joy of the Season, tragedy strikes. In an instant, the peaceful life Liz Sutherland once knew is no more - and for Jack Sutherland a five-minute errand turns tragic. Suddenly Liz is alone, suffering in the wake of an unbearable loss.

She wonders how she can possibly go on living without her show more husband, her partner, the man she considered her best friend. How can she grieve herself, when she must be strong and console five devastated children, including one with special needs? Liz contemplates such painful questions, and is filled with despair.

As the months pass, Liz is strengthened by the love of her children. She eventually returns to work and slowly begins tending to her family again, becoming both mommy and "daddy" for her children. One by one the holidays come and go, until a devastating accident sends her oldest son to the hospital - and brings Dr. Bill Webster into her life. Bill becomes a friend to Liz as he slowly heals her shattered son.

As the long, lazy days of summer blend into autumn, a blossoming relationship offers new hope. So, with the first anniversary of Jack's death approaching, bringing with it another Christmas to the house on Hope Street - Liz reflects on life's little blessings; blessings that give strength when nothing else is left. However, Liz must face one more crisis before she can look back at a year of mourning and change - and ahead to the beginning of a new life in the house on Hope Street.

The House on Hope Street is about learning to live again after you think life is over. It is about cherishing the small miracles in life, and believing in the big ones. And it is, above all, about hope.

This was a very enjoyable story; and an easy, quick read for me. I found that the story was typically Danielle Steel - cresting from the highest of highs, to the lowest of lows in the space of a single plot line. While I found this story to be very well-written and interesting, it was slightly disconcerting for me to read about such flawless characters. I would give The House on Hope Street by Danielle Steel a B+! show less

Liz a Jackovi Sutherlandovým přálo v životě štěstí. Během osmnácti let manželství si vybudovali spokojenou rodinu, úspěšnou právnickou praxi a útulný domov ve vile na Hope Street nedaleko San Franciska. Najednou se rázem všechno zhroutí. Den začal radostně jako každé jiné vánoční ráno, byl nabitý očekáváním a prostoupen dětským smíchem. Pro Jacka ale skončila pětiminutová zastávka v kanceláři tragédií. Liz náhle osaměla, ocitla se tváří v tvář bolestným otázkám a dolehla na ni neúnosná ztráta. Jak bude moci žít bez manžela, spolupracovníka a svého nejlepšího přítele? Jak se může oddávat zármutku, když musí utěšovat pět zdrcených dětí, z nichž jedno je show more navíc postižené? Liz se vzchopí a vrací ke své práci, snaží se zastat úlohu matky i otce a připravuje dokonce nejmladšího syna na speciální olympiádu. Přicházejí jedny svátky za druhými, svatý Valentýn bez květin a bez Jacka, Velikonoce, Den nezávislosti... Pár týdnů před Svátkem práce přivede tragická nehoda nejstaršího syna do nemocnice a do Lizina života vstupuje mladý lékař Bill Webster. Jak postupně léčí jejího syna, stává se Liziným přítelem. Na sklonku léta Liz cítí, že tento vztah jí přináší novou naději. S blížícím se prvním výročím manželovy smrti ji však postihne ještě osobní krize, po níž se bude moci ohlédnout za rokem zármutku a vykročit vstříc novému životu. show less