Name: Property of a Noblewoman
Rating: 4 (2 reviews)
ISBN: 9780425285398

Danielle Steel

The discovery of a cache of letters, photos and jewels in an abandoned safe deposit box brings together several unlikely people who investigate the mysterious disappearance of a beautiful young countess 75 years earlier.

Property of a Noblewoman

An abandoned safe deposit box in a New York City bank is opened to reveal a bundle of old letters, photographs and priceless jewellery. Court clerk Jane Willoughby is charged with discovering more about the mystery of the box's owner, the late Marguerite Wallace Pearson di San Pignelli. Why did Marguerite never claim these most precious possessions? Who are her heirs? Are they still alive? After arranging for the jewellery to be valued, Jane and Christie’s auctioneer Phillip Lawton are thrown together in a quest to find out more about Marguerite’s story. But neither of them could imagine where the contents of the box could lead them . . . or how it will change their lives forever. An extraordinary, sweeping story from master storyteller Danielle Steel.

Julie Twist

This is a story of coincidences and fate. It's about Valerie Lawton and her son Philip, Jane Willoughby, and the beautiful jewellery found in a bank's safe deposit box. Jane is working at the surrogates while she waits to graduate law school. She is dealing with the safe deposit box and contacts Philip Lawton who works at Christies. When Philip tells his mother about it, there are too many coincidences to ignore, and Valerie tries to find out more about her family history. What she uncovers is entirely unexpected.

"Property of a Noblewoman is the fascinating, moving 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

Lacy W

First things first. I  LOVE  Danielle Steel. She is my favorite author after JK Rowling. I have a goal to read every single one of her books. So far, I'm failing. The only reason this book got four stars was because I love Danielle Steel. If it had been any other author, I would have given the book two or three stars. 

But anyway, this book is basically about Valerie instead of who the synopsis says it's about. Yes, it starts with Jane when she gets a call about an abandon box from a bank. She meets Phillip, who is to assess the jewellery and it's worth. Since DS is a romance writer, I bet you can guess what happened next? 

However, the story takes a turn and focuses on Valerie, who is Phillip's mother. She discovers that (view spoiler)[ the contents of the box belong to her mother, whom she didn't know she had.  (hide spoiler)] See, Valerie thinks the parents that she had, who were pretty heartless, were her flesh and blood parents. But that isn't the case. Valerie goes through the emotions in finding out this secret like any person does. She even meets someone new and falls in love. The end. 

I don't know. I feel like DS was phoning it in for this one. The synopsis told a story of something differently than what I got. I mean, don't get me wrong, I liked the story but it just wasn't what I was expecting. I thought that I would get the story of Marguerite Pearson, not the story of Valerie. I mean even the romance that Valerie developes just seemed so out there. 

I will continue to read DS but this book just really disappointed me. I've read much better stories than what she gave me with this one. I hope the next one I pick up is a lot better.

An abandoned safe deposit box in a New York City bank is opened to reveal a bundle of old letters, photographs and priceless jewellery. Court clerk Jane Willoughby is charged with discovering more about the mystery of the box's owner, the late Marguerite Wallace Pearson di San Pignelli. Why did Marguerite never claim these most precious possessions? Who are her heirs? Are they still alive? After arranging for the jewellery to be valued, Jane and Christie's auctioneer Phillip Lawton are thrown together in a quest to find out more about Marguerite's story. But neither of them could imagine where the contents of the box could lead them . . . or how it will change their lives forever. An extraordinary, sweeping story from master storyteller Danielle Steel.

Judy Hudgins

I read Danielle Steel when she first came out, decades ago. In fact, my old roommate, who wasn't much of a reader, would read Danielle Steel. And cry. But it has been quite some time since I have read one of her books. Checking in books at the library, Property of a Noblewoman caught my eye and I checked it out to bring home, not realizing it was a Steele book. 

Jane and Phillip are going along in their lives, separately, until an unclaimed safety deposit box filled with stunning jewelry bring them together. And then the twists and turns really start. The owner of the box, a childless elderly lady who has passed three years earlier, left more than jewels behind. She left a lifetime of secrets.

As Jane and Phillip go about the legalities of selling the jewels for the state, it seems those secrets hit closer to home than they could dream.

A great, quick read. Quick because you don't want to put the book down. A great reintroduction to Danielle Steel for me.

Property of a Noblewoman

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