Danielle Steel

"Magic is the mesmerizing new novel from Danielle Steel, whose many #1 New York Times bestselling tales have made her one of America's most beloved writers"--

A Novel

Magic

Lacy W

Perhaps it is time that I give Danielle Steel a rest for a while. Her books are just not enticing me like they used to anyway. This one is a perfect example. It was an okay book and it was written well but it just lacked that spark. 

The book basically follows two couples and two singles. We have Jean Philippe and and his wife Valerie. We have Gregorio and his wife Benedetta. The two singles are Chantal and Dharam. Each of them know each other and are great friends. The are invited to a dinner called the White Dinner.

The concept of the White Dinner is actually pretty cool and I will have to look it up and see if this is a legit thing. A naval officer and his wife wanted to celebrate their wedding anniversary years ago. So they did a White Dinner, which takes place in front of different Parisian monuments. No one officially knows where it will be held, all diners have to wear white everything and they bring their own tables, food, silverware and whatnot. It was set up and taken down entirely by the people, which is exclusive invite only. You leave the place just as you found it. It's all very romantic and cool. I'm making it sound very lame. 

That was about the only highlight of this book. The rest of it was just following the lives of these people. I did enjoy reading about Benedetta and Gregorio, simply because they had the most drama. Chantal annoyed me with her stupid decisions. Jean Philippe and Valerie were average. They dealt with normal things that couples with powerful jobs deal with. Dharam was okay but his character wasn't fleshed out very well even when he met Benedetta. 

The lack of character growth really stuns me because that is what Danielle Steel does best. She creates characters that seem almost child like but then the grow throughout the book. Even the characters that are adult and mature grow under Steel's careful writing. 

I think, for now, I will giving Danielle Steel a rest. Her stories have become redundant and the characters in this book really have upset because I know that she can do a lot better than what she did in this book.

Fran Lewis

It starts on a summer evening, with the kind of magic found only in Paris. Once a year in the City of Light, a lavish dinner takes place outside a spectacular landmark. Selected by secret invitation, the guests arrive dressed in white, and when the night is over, hundreds of white paper lanterns bearing everyone’s fervent wishes are released into the sky. Amid this wondrous White Dinner, a group of close friends stand at the cusp of change. Jean-Philippe and Valerie are high-flying, successful and devoted to their young family. But a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in China may lead to separation – and temptation. Bernadetta and Gregorio run an Italian clothing empire in Milan, but Gregorio has a weakness that will ignite a crisis in their company, and their marriage. Screenwriter Chantal and Indian tech entrepreneur Dharam arrive as friends, but their paths will be set on dramatically different courses before the night ends. A transformative year of successes and heartbreaks is to come, until the next White Dinner . . . Danielle Steel is famous for her inspirational stories about family, love and life. Her novels will be enjoyed by readers of Penny Vincenzi, Jodi Picoult and Diane Chamberlain.

Magic A Novel

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