Echoes (Mass Market Paperback)

by Danielle Steel (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Against a vivid backdrop of history, Danielle Steel tells a compelling story of love and war, acts of faith and acts of betrayal…and of three generations of women as they journey though years of loss and survival, linked by an indomitable devotion that echoes across time.

For the Wittgenstein family, the summer of 1915 was a time of both prosperity and unease, as the guns of war sound in the distance. But for eldest daughter Beata, it was also a summer of awakening. By the glimmering waters of Lake Geneva, the quiet Jewish beauty met a young French officer and fell in love. Knowing that her parents would never accept her marriage to a Catholic, Beata followed her heart anyway. And as the two built a new life together, Beata’s past would stay with her in ways she could never have predicted. For as the years pass, and Europe is once again engulfed in war, Beata must watch in horror as Hitler’s terror threatens her life and family—even her eighteen-year-old daughter Amadea, who has taken on the vows of a Carmelite nun.

For Amadea, the convent is no refuge. As family and friends are swept away without a trace, Amadea is forced into hiding. Thus begins a harrowing journey of survival, as she escapes into the heart of the French Resistance. Here Amadea will find a renewed sense of purpose, taking on the most daring missions behind enemy lines. And it is here, in the darkest moments of fear, that Amadea will feel her mother’s loving strength—and that of her mother’s mother before her–as the voices of lost loved ones echo powerfully in her heart. And here, amid the fires of war, Amadea will meet an extraordinary man, British secret agent Rupert Montgomery. In Colonel Montgomery, Amadea finds a man who will help her discover her place in an unbreakable chain between generations…and between her lost family and her dreams for the future—a future she is only just beginning to imagine: a future of hope rooted in the rich soil of the past.

With the grace of a master storyteller, Danielle Steel breathes life into history, creating a bold, sweeping tale filled with unforgettable characters and breathtaking images—from the elegant rituals of Europe’s prewar aristocracy to the brutal desperation of Germany’s death camps. Drawing us into a vanished world, Echoes weaves an intricate tapestry of a mother’s love, a daughter’s courage…and the unwavering faith that sustained them—even in history’s darkest hour.


From the Hardcover edition.

About the Author
Danielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world’s most popular authors, with over 570 million copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include Rogue, Honor Thyself, Amazing Grace, Bungalow 2, Sisters, H.R.H., 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.


From the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Dell (September 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440240786
• ISBN-13: 978-0440240785
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #218,976 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerfully Moving Story, March 31, 2006

By	L. Shirley "Laurie's Boomer Views" (fountain valley, ca United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

"Echoes" by Danielle Steel, is a wonderfully moving and emotional story of a family of strong and caring women, who for generations seem destined to 'echo' the trials and triumphs of their predecessors. It is a saga so filled with characters that attracted me to their inner strength, their courage and magnetic charms, and had me living the danger and hardships of their times. There were times I actually found myself with a lump in my throat or my heart beating faster, as they devoted themselves, sometimes putting their lives on the line for what they loved and believed in.

In 1915, as War began to loom, and her brothers were off fighting, Beata Wittgenstein, a young, beautiful, intelligent German Jewish woman, fell in love with a handsome and caring French officer. Both loved their families and their countries, but the love they had for each other had no equal. Defying their parents,their traditions, and being cut out of the families, never to be allowed contact again, they sought comfort in each other's arms and married. Not an easy life, they managed to make a home and life for themselves and their two beautiful daughters. Beata converting to Catholicism for her husband, but never forgetting her own deep roots.

It was years later, when a second World War loomed that she anguished as her family disappeared into the horrible fate awaiting them by the Nazis. As her oldest daughter, Amadea grew into a beautiful woman and had become a nun, it was only then she learned of her ancestry. She too had to suffer in silence as her mother and sister were taken away, and she herself is forced to live in a concentration camp . Amadea would then go on to become a respected member of the French Resistance, doing what was in her power to fight for freedom and to save other lives from being destroyed. She also finds love and must decide between her devotion to God and the man she loves.

It's a story filled with love. But it is much more than a romance novel. It has adventure, danger, and the all too real horrors of war. It is one that will touch you on many levels, and one that will stay with you for quite a while after the read.

This book is also available in a magnifecent audio edition read by Simon Prebble, that also comes with a bonus audio book of "Fine Things", a lovely romantic story, also by Steel(Read by Richard Thomas). The ISBN for that edition is 0553757148.

Enjoy the read....Laurie

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ECHOES, January 6, 2006

By	S. Brown - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book was hard to put down. It holds you from the first page. You fall in love with all the characters and feel your heart ache with their sorrows. And am now trying to find one that can compare.

1.0 out of 5 stars Danielle, why does your writing have to get in the way?! , June 9, 2008

By	H. Swanson (Galway) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This could've been a great story! First let me say I came in with good hopes for this book, willing to give it a chance. I'd never read Steel before, so I thought I'd give her a shot. "Echoes" sounded like something I could really get into - I'm a sucker for war dramas, lovable female protagonists, and the romances that so often go with them. But it started out very slowly. I could tell that Steel was setting up her romance story, but good grief, did it need to take so long? Finally the character is thrown into the war, and that's when things pick up a bit. The plot became good and fast, especially toward the end. The entire book was a short, very quick read, and I was torn because I couldn't help but thinking this is something I could've loved if only Steel hadn't written it.

See, the plot itself means nothing when it is obscured by Steel's writing. Oh my goodness. Commas everywhere... so many commas in the most random places that I was re-reading to make sure I wasn't halucinating. Then laughing out loud. And I literally started counting how many times she repeated useless plot points and phrases, such as "sit shiva." I'm never this harsh, but from now on, I'm honestly only going to real Danielle Steel to remind myself how NOT to write.