Amazing Grace

Another find at the Friends of the Library semi-annual book sale. For the most part, I enjoy Danielle Steel novels. She does tend to overstate the obvious. I know that this drives some readers crazy. Once you understand that this is her style of writing, you get used to it. Ms. Steel always seems to come up with new ideas, characters and settings.
"Amazing Grace" is a good title for this novel. The main characters find themselves caught in a 7.8 earthquake during a fundraising benefit. The characters come together during and after the earthquake to form bonds (some unusual) over the next year. My interest was held until the end, where some relationships are formed, some are torn apart, and some are changed. Overall, a read that I would show more recommend. show less

Earthquake !!! During a Hospital fundraising event with the famous, young pop star Melanie Free. In the after math Melanie joined with a nun, (Sister Maggie Kent), a world class photographer (Everett Carson) and others to help get everyone to safety. Reuniting hours later in the local shelter to help tend the hurt and comfort the shaken. During it all, Melanie learned a few things about herself, her best friend and her boyfriend. Becoming friends with a nun and helping was just what she needed to see her life and change her life. While Sarah Sloane and her husband Seth had their own life change happening, they had organized the evenings events but their own lives were about to take make a drastic change of their own. With Sister Mary as show more a new friend to them all, her life couldn’t help but change as well.

While the earthquake provided the starting point for these people to come together, it also points to their different walks of life while getting to be the best of friends. The story is was sweet, a little predictable, at times it is slow and mundane. There seem to be too many story lines thrown together. Wish that Danielle Steel had left Sarah and Seth story out and spent more time with Sister Maggie and Everett. I sometimes wonder why authors do that, too many tangents and side stories have a tendency to distract from a really good story, not enhance it. Still a good distraction from real life. show less

This is one of my least favorite novels by Danielle Steel. Usually I read them very fast and one I start reading I cannot stop, but it took me several attempts to finish reading of this book. The plot was promising, but probably because of too many main characters it didn't deliver the usual psychological depth I find in other Steel's novels.

I really enjoyed reading this book althought I do not agree with the way sarah handled her marriage. Till death do us part is till death do us part. Overall this is a good book but is sad for one of the characters.

This story kind of confused me in all honesty in regards to the plot. I thought the majority of the story was going to be based on the earthquake and it ended up being about the aftermath for the majority of the novel. I felt like the characters were a huge random mess of people that would never be together and kinda found the story in my opinion to seem thrown together and scrambeled.

I mean a nun and a recovering alcoholic; a superstar and an average college grad, it just seemed far fetched to me, and that the relatability between the characters were very unlikely.

It wasn't a horrible book, but at the same time in my opinion was very weak in contrast to some of the other Danielle Steel novels that I have read, this one just fell flat show more and didn't really do anything for me unfortantally. show less

Story of the changing lives of four people during the aftermath of an earthquake. They each discover something about themselves and their lives change. Slow read for me.

A good read. Predictable, but pleasant.