Family Album [Mass Market Paperback]

Danielle Steel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 10, 1989

Through forty years—from Hollywood's golden days in World War II to the present—Faye Price would create first a career as a legendary actress, then a family, and finally she would realize her dream of becoming one of Hollywood's first woman directors. But nothing was more precious to Faye than her five children. In a changing world, a milieu where family values are constantly challenged from without and within, the Thayers would face the greatest challenges and harshest test a family can endure, to emerge stronger, bound forever by loyalty and love. It is only when Faye is gone that they can each assess how far they have come, and how important their family album is.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a collection of three stunning, ethereal novellas. Karen, the adolescent protagonist in "The Talisman," is doing poorly in Catholic boarding school. Every time she attempts to memorize facts, people from her past burst into her imagination: her mother, Natalia, often appears and begs Karen to understand Mark, Natalia's boyfriend; sometimes Mark arrives smelling like alcohol and tells Karen stories which require him to feel her body; always her friends, Missouri and Nicolasa, come to comfort and advise. In the title story, anecdotes about Ximena's Nicaraguan family are told through memory, conversation and descriptions of often-faceless photographs. Ximena, a middle-class woman living in Paris, wants to understand the relationship of her own comfortable French life to the tortured existence of her relatives in Samoza's Nicaragua. "Village of God and the Devil" is the story of the magic village of Deya, where ghosts are as real as memory and imagination. Written in deceptively simple and imaginative prose, Family Album is a dynamic blend of the natural and supernatural. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Jesse Larsen --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

Through forty years -- from Hollywood's golden days in World War II to the present -- Faye Price would create first a career as a legendary actress, then a family, and finally she would realize her dream of becoming one of Hollywood's first woman directors. But nothing was more precious to Faye than her five children. In a changing world, a milieu where family values are constantly challenged from without and within, the Thayers would face the greatest challenges and harshest test a family can endure, to emerge stronger, bound forever by loyalty and love. It is only when Faye is gone that they can each assess how far they have come, and how important their family album is.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 438 pages
• Publisher: Dell (July 10, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440124344
• ISBN-13: 978-0440124344
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.2 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #388,680 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #52 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( S ) > Steel, Danielle

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

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A WONDERFULLY SUPERB BOOK!, July 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Family Album (Mass Market Paperback)

Steel is at her best again. Faye is a woman with five children all of who are extremley different from one another.Her husband seems to take off everytime a problem arises.Faye is determined to love her children unconditionally even when she learns that her oldest son is gay. This book will take you through the ups and downs of life and how this family deals with their problems. It teaches you a lesson about life, not to give up when the going gets tough.So sit back and enjoy your ride.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Family Album, March 7, 2006

By 

Anna M. Ligtenberg "AnnaLovesBooks" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Family Album (Mass Market Paperback)

ISBN 0440124344 - Oddly, I seem to be on a roll, reading books that begin during WWII and end in the next generation! Steel's done better, but it's a good story. The problems are more in the details than the storyline - Ward is an engaging, charming man one moment, and a petulant, spoiled child the next. Faye is a strong, capable woman, but it's hard to imagine that any strong, capable woman would put up with Ward's reactions to things not going his way. Most of the family falls in love with their soul mate on their first try, even if they don't realize it at first. It does take some effort to swallow some of it.

The Thayers have gathered to bury the heart of their family and Ward Thayer is devastated to the point of numbness. He met Faye Price during the war, when she traveled to entertain the troops. From Guadalcanal to the south of France, their love story is like everyone else's - they have their ups and downs, they fight, raise a family, have and lose everything, and love each other through it all. What makes it interesting, that their love story is so common, is that they are not. Ward is heir to a shipyard fortune and Faye is one of the brightest young stars of her time. Their life is glamorous and frivolous. All that ends when Faye discovers that Ward has been keeping a secret: they have almost nothing left! At this point, they've got five children, each other and a mountain of debt. Faye has a spine and Ward has an affair... and that's just the beginning.

The story of the family is realistic; the kids are people you can relate to, despite their wealth, most of the time. Besides, even in fiction, we all like to know that living in Hollywood doesn't mean they're not human, too. It's a fairly quick read, given that it's 400+ pages. I wouldn't buy it new, unless you're a big Steel fan.

- AnnaLovesBooks

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First and Favorite, July 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Family Album (Hardcover)

I have read almost every novel that Danielle Steel has written, but Family Album was my first and it remains my favorite! This is a truly touching story about a family which, like many families, was full of problems and imperfections, but was also full of love. It was very easy to become attached to this cast of characters, and to feel as if they were people you knew. Faye Thayer is a truly phenominal woman who commands respect and admiration as she juggles a family and a successful career with style and grace at a time when most women couldn't even conceive of doing both. Family Album was the book that got me hooked on Danielle Steel, and it remains at the top of my list of favorites by her.