17. Amazing Grace by Danielle Steel
Synopsis:
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.
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.
My Review:
Danielle Steel delivered once again. Amazing Grace follows the lives of four people who come together in an unexpected way. When Sarah planned the annual charity event for work, she didn't expect the evening to end with tragedy as an earthquake strikes and shatters everything. Each of the four characters brought something unique to the story as they learn more about themselves during the aftermath. For Sarah, her life was perfect and her husband treated her well with whatever she wanted. She didn't know that he lived a private life as an embezzler and once he can't finish a transaction, the world as she knew it crumbles beneath her. Sarah discovers an impeccable strength in herself as she deals with his court case played out in public, the sentencing, and deciding to file for divorce because she can't look behind his betrayal. For Melanie, a pop singer who had it all, her life was controlled by her stage mom manager. She was the most sweetest and humble person. As she volunteers with a field hospital/refugee camp type of thing, Melanie finds out that there's more reward in helping others than there is in the power of money, no matter how much a person makes. She comes of age as she realizes she has free choice and can speak up and control her own life as a celebrity and incorporate her other dreams at the same time. For Everett, as a recovering alcoholic, he was back to covering celebrity and society parties for photography instead of what he really wanted to photograph. Through Maggie's help. Everett starts to rebuild all he lost from his past mistakes, including trying to reconnect with his son. He may have hit rock bottom, but he also finds a strength he never knew he had and learns that it's never too late to start over. And then there's Maggie, a nun who honors her life and work to the vow she made to God. She gives from the heart and enjoys helping people as she also provides medical assistance to everyone injured in the earthquake. As an unexpected relationship starts to form with Everett, she questions everything she gave up to become a nun and explores other options in a way.
All four characters grow and realize how much they got out of going through a tragedy during the aftermath throughout the course of a year. They each get their own amazing grace as they embark on new beginnings.
In this story, the earthquake they experience is said to be the biggest earthquake that San Francisco ever had. Since it's fiction, that's not true, but San Francisco did experience one of the biggest earthquakes in the world with the 1906 earthquake. Some of the things incorporated in the story comes from that.
As this book is called Amazing Grace, it has special meaning to me as Amazing Grace is my favorite hymn and song of all time. I just love the meaning behind it and how God is always there for you in times of struggle.
Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!
~Meg~
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