Daddy [Paperback]

Danielle Steel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1991

Oliver Watson has worked hard to build a safe, predictable world. But suddenly it seems to dissolve around him. The marriage he thought was perfect crumbles after eighteen years. His mother is killed in an untimely accident, leaving his father newly widowed and trying, at seventy-two, to build a new world for himself. Oliver's eldest son rejects him and reaches out towards a life of his own, a life he is not mature enough to handle. Melissa, his daughter, unequivocally blames her father for her mother's desertion, while Sam, the 'baby', is too shaken to deal with it all. Now the only parent, Daddy must somehow cope with his troubled family, even as he explores an unknown world of new responsibilities, new women, and new experiences that are funny, sad, touching, scary, poignant, but always real.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Bestselling author Danielle Steel paints a poignant portrait of Oliver Watson, a man who thinks his life is perfect--he has a great job, a beautiful home, a good relationship with his parents, three healthy children, and a loving wife. Things change the day Oliver Watson comes home from work to learn that his wife is going away to graduate school, leaving him to play full-time daddy, super-employee, and son-on-call; Oliver soon discovers that it is impossible to "have it all," all by himself. Through trial and error, and by watching the courageous examples set by his teenage son coping with his girlfriend's unplanned pregnancy and his father learning to love again after the death of his Alzheimer's stricken wife, Oliver discovers for himself that love can occur more than once and dreams can change for the better. One of Steel's best! --Alison Trinkle --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Steel's captivating 25th novel will send her rocketing past the 125-million mark for books in print and satisfy avid fans with its splashy sentiment, loudly plucked heartstrings and boldly drawn, if superficially developed, cast. Oliver Watson is a successful, rather stolid, advertising executive with a beautiful wife, Sarah, three children, Ben, Melissa and Sam, and a house in suburban New York. But his paradise is teetering over an abyss: Sarah, who never wanted a conventional life, coldly abandons husband and kids to "find herself" by pursuing a master's degree at Harvard. Then Oliver's mother dies of Alzheimer's disease, leaving his 72-year-old father bereft, and 17-year-old Ben fathers a child and drops out of school. Oliver blames the unremittingly icy Sarah for every sorrow, yet initially refuses to get on with his life, even when his father points the way by finding a new love. Steel ( Star ; Zola ) is at the top of her bestselling form as she steers Oliver through a fearsome new world of single parenthood, modern women and radically changed sexual mores before winding up with a paean to family life and romance. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club dual main selection.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Corgi (January 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0552135224
• ISBN-13: 978-0552135221
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,329,757 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Danielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world's most popular authors, with over 590 million copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include 44 Charles Street, Legacy, Family Ties, Big Girl, Southern Lights, Matters of the Heart, One Day at a Time, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina's life and death.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Daddy, December 10, 1999

By 

shannon richey (California, U.S.A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daddy (Paperback)

Danielle Steel's "Daddy" was the best novel i have ever read. All 386 pages were filled with emotion and romance and it was so exciting. Oliver Watson and his three children, Benjamin, Mel, and Sam, and Oliver's ex-wife, Sarah, cause so much emotion through out the book.

When SArah leaves her family in Purchase you want to hate her. However, you realize she is doing what she has always wanted but never been able to do. When charlie comes into thier lives you think that she is the perfect woman for Oliver and the family. When Charlie gets asked " Are you .... are you Charollette Sampson?" and she replies "No the names Watson" you know that Oliver has finally found his happiness in life.

From the title "Daddy" I thought the story would be about a screw up father who does nothing but screw up his family. But i was wrong, it ended up to be the mother that hurt the family. Oliver Watson was the ideal father;eventhough, there were times that things got too out of control he alwys seemed to gain back the control. "Daddy" by Danieele Steel is a perfect ten.I recommend this book to anyone who likes romance and lots of emotion; you honestly can not put this book down.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Put It Down!, December 6, 1999

By 

Eric Q. Sabre (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daddy (Mass Market Paperback)

When this book first came out in the mid to late 80s, I was in high school. At that time I wasn't an avid reader nor did I truly enjoy reading. It was this book that changed that perspective for me. This book was wonderful and exciting to read. The details made visualizing the story easy. Now, as a 29 year old teacher, I still love to go back and reread this book. Granted, I love Harry Potter as much as the next person, but for a truly mature suspense thriller "Daddy" is a sure fire winner. Tom Clancy has nothing on the suspense and emotional investment in the characters that are developed while reading "Daddy." I only wish an excellent screen writer would take it and develop a mini-series. A long major film would lose too much detail and character development in the translation.

This was the FIRST book that "I couldn't put it down! "

The Harry Potter books were the 2nd, 3rd and 4th! :-)

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a terrific read, March 23, 2001

By 

Matt Cohen (Sherman Oaks, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Daddy (Mass Market Paperback)

I've now read Daddy at least 6 or 7 times, and each time, after the first few pages, I'm sucked in for the next few hours. A young boy, with the access codes to hundreds of millions of dollars stashed in his memory, is on the run from the Nazis and in particular, a sadistic, brilliant academic the Nazis have recruited to track the boy down when the military's efforts have failed. Thrown into the mix is the boy's American father, who didn't know he even had a son. Durand nails everything here; the plot goes breathtakingly fast, yet believably, and the characters are terrifically well drawn, particularly Thomas, the young genius.

Jaguar was so-so, and I gave up on Angkor Massacre after the first couple pages, but Durand got it all together for Daddy.