Monday, April 28, 2014

Book Review: 44 Charles Street

For this Book Review, I chose 44 Charles Street by Danielle Steel.  I have to say that I love the book cover with the red doors.  I am not usually liking any door that is read, but in this book cover, I do love it.  

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 was prone to leaks, the furniture rescued from garage sales. And every square inch was being devotedly restored to its original splendor—even as a relationship fell to pieces. Now Francesca Thayer, newly separated from her lawyer boyfriend Todd, is desperate. The owner of a struggling art gallery, and suddenly the sole mortgage payer on her Greenwich Village townhouse, Francesca does the math and then the unimaginable. She puts out an advertisement for boarders. Soon her house becomes a whole new world.

First comes Eileen, a fresh, pretty L.A. transplant, now a New York City schoolteacher. Then there’s Chris, a young father struggling with a troubled ex-wife and the challenge of parenting a seven-year-old son who visits every other weekend. The final tenant is Marya, a celebrated cookbook author hoping to start a new chapter in her life after the death of her husband. As Francesca’s art gallery begins to find its footing and Todd moves on to another woman, she discovers that her accidental tenants have become the most important people in her life. 

As the roommates bond, and the house fills with the aroma of Marya’s exquisite cuisine, there are shadows as well as light. Naïve Eileen explores the precarious boundaries of online dating with a series of strangers. Chris’s custody fight for his son escalates to devastating levels. Marya faces an unexpected choice that will take her into untested waters. And Francesca herself will contemplate what had seemed impossible: opening her heart once more.

Over the course of one amazing, unforgettable, ultimately life-changing year, the house at 44 Charles Street fills with laughter, heartbreak, and, always, hope. In the hands of master storyteller Danielle Steel, it’s a place those who visit will never want to leave.

I loved this book.  Francesca is dealing with a divorce, not knowing how to save her business or her home, and she needs to come up with a plan.  For her home, she decides to take in renters.  I know that I am not sure if I would do this, but for her, it worked out perfectly.  Well, almost.  Each tenant has a story of their own, but all together they become a family. 

Her one tenant, Eileen, was not my favorite.  I felt sorry for her.  Eileen used the internet to find men.  Not the nice kind either.  She got herself into trouble, but you need to read this book to find out more.

The second tenant is Chris, a single father to a son.  Chris is divorced and his ex wife has problems.  He worries about his son being with his mother, but no matter what he does, he can not win in court.  

The last tenant is Marya, a widow looking for somewhere to live for awhile.  She is writing a cookbook.

Happy Reading!
Melissa

No comments: