Product Description

On a warm May night in San Francisco, the Ritz-Carlton ballroom shimmers with crystal and silver as a glittering, celebrity-studded crowd gathers for a charity dinner dance. The evening is perfect–until, just minutes before midnight, the room begins to sway. Glass shatters. And as the lights go out, people begin to scream….

In the earthquake’s aftermath, the lives of four strangers will converge.… Sarah Sloane, the beautiful wife of a financial whiz, watches her perfect world fall to pieces…. Grammy-winning singer Melanie Free, the event’s headliner, comes to a turning point in her life and career…. Photographer Everett Carson, a former war correspondent whose personal demons have demoted him to covering society parties, finds new purpose amid the carnage…and Sister Maggie Kent, a nun who normally works in jeans and high-tops with the homeless, searches through the rubble–and knows instantly that there is much work to be done….

As the city staggers back to life, a chain reaction of extraordinary events will touch each of the survivors.… For Sarah, it begins with the discovery of a crime and a betrayal, then a strength she never knew she had. For Melanie, volunteering at a refugee camp will open new worlds of possibility. And Everett will be shaken by the unlikely relationship he forges with Maggie, who helps him rebuild his shattered life–and upends her own in the process. But as a year passes, and the anniversary of the earthquake approaches, more surprises are in store–as each discovers the unexpected gifts in a tragedy’s wake…and the amazing grace of new beginnings.

Throughout these enthralling pages, Danielle Steel creates a stunning array of contrasts–from the dazzle of a society benefit to the chaos of a makeshift hospital, from the pampered lives of rock stars to the quiet heroism of emergency volunteers. It is her most powerful and life-affirming novel to date.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #196600 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-30
• Released on: 2007-10-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

From Publishers Weekly
With Bungalow 2 still on bestseller lists, Steel checks in with a Bay Area earthquake that shakes up the lives of three beautiful, talented yet somehow unfulfilled women. Sarah Sloane, 30-something wife of Seth, a wildly successful hedge fund entrepreneur, and mother of two, has planned to perfection a high-ticket charity auction. The only thing she hasn't counted on is the biggest seismic event to hit San Francisco since 1906 and the aftershocks it will cause in her marriage. Meanwhile, hot Grammy-winning 19-year-old singer Melanie Free, flown in to perform at the benefit, likewise finds her life overturned: following an on-stage triumph, Melanie throws away her platform shoes to assist disaster victims, admitting—much to the annoyance of her pushy stage mother and her TV actor boyfriend—that she always wanted to be a nurse. Sarah and Melanie face change with support from the 40-ish Sister Maggie Kent, a California nun whose good deeds draw the interest of recovering alcoholic and former AP photojournalist Everett Carson, who captures her in pictures. As marriage, faith and vows of chastity are tested, there's nothing complicated to spoil the romance. Steel delivers a sparkly story with an uplifting spiritual twist. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
“A sparkly story with an uplifting spiritual twist.”—Publishers Weekly


From the Hardcover edition.

Review
“A sparkly story with an uplifting spiritual twist.”—Publishers Weekly

Customer Reviews

Entertaining start but sloppy finish....
I have been a fan of Steele's for years, and consider her books a guilty pleasure. I don't pick up one of her novels in hopes of reading great literature. With that said I have to agree with the other reviewers that this is not her best effort. I give it three stars as if you're a fan you'll still want to read the book but it is going to leave you a little hungry. This time out the story revolves around a San Francisco bay area earth quake and how it effects the lives of three successful, and of course beautiful woman. The story starts off strong and quickly pulled me in, but I thought it lost focus towards the end. The typical Steele Romance is there but I did not feel connected to the characters. This is one you may want to wait for paperback.

Better Than Previous Books by Danielle
I have to admit, the last few, heck, most books within the last few years by Danielle Steel have been very shallow in storyline, and lacking in character development, making me feel that I'm wasting my time reading them.

I decided to giver her another chance, and picked up the newest release by Steel, Amazing Grace. I have to admit, I read this book in 24 hours. I found it to be a very quick read. I kept finding myself wanting to read on. The characters had a lot of potential, and the story was promising.

What I liked most about the story is that Steel has a unique knack for intertwining several stories with several different characters into her books, without leaving you confused. The characters were all drawn together in one place by one single situation, in this case, an earthquake. The majority of the book discusses how these characters attempt to get back to their normal lives, living with the life-changing effects of the earthquake.

What left me disappointed with the book was that I found the romantic situation in the story between a nun and a photographer (yes, a nun!) not very believable. A nun would not so quickly leave her beliefs behind to get married to a man who got a girl pregnant at 18, and uses vulgar language in her presence. I also felt there could have been a little more "wrap-up" with the characters at the end of the book.

Overall, I recommend this book if you are a Steel fan, but have been disappointed in her last few books. When compared to her other recent releases, Amazing Grace fairs much better with the setting, the situation and the intertwining of the characters, which makes it a very quick read.

Nothing Special !!
This was a mediocre book written by a women who used to be a great author of great stories. Obviously the lure of the almighty dollar has clouded her ability to come up with an intriguing story and interesting characters. This book drags on.

Her early books were truly page turners. Wonderful stories that I couldn't wait to read. Now, they are just average to below average books or short stories.

The jacket on this book states "her most powerful and life-affirming novel to date". Yeah right. There was nothing powerful in this story. Even the earthquake story line was dull. There certainly wasn't anything life affirming.

It was just fair. I certainly wouldn't and didn't pay for this book, its not worth the price. Luckily the library is free.

Steel needs to read her own early books and find her true writing talent again. Anyone can put words to paper. It takes a special talent to make a real story out of it.