The Gift [Paperback]

Pete Hamill (Author), Edward Dorn (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Turtle Island Foundation, Netzahaulcoyotl His (December 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0913666033
• ISBN-13: 978-0913666036
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (90 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,923,133 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

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching Story, August 11, 2005

By 

Raj "raj_thatsme" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gift (Hardcover)

I had seen a few TV movie adaptations of Danielle Steel's novels but never got the time to reading any of her books. So I finally decide to get `The Gift', seeing that it would be a short read, just to give her books a try. I must say that I loved reading this book, and have already bought other books of hers to add to my bookshelf.

5 year old Annie Whittaker died of meningitis, the day after Christmas, leaving a bruise on the rest of the family: Tommy, her brother; Elizabeth, her mother; and John, her father. Each member of the family slowly secludes themselves from one another in their own way. What used to be a close knit family doesn't exist now. Meanwhile, we are introduced to Maribeth Robertson, a 16 year old girl who makes a mistake that would change her life. She runs away from her family and friends, and starts working in a restaurant as a waitress, where she meets Tommy. The two immediately hit it off, but there are a lot of problems standing in their way which they must face.

The story is very sweet, and we get to read how Maribeth changes the Whittakers and makes them a family again. Though the ending is a little sad, you feel touched by the story overall. Danielle Steel, famous of writing matters of the heart, does an excellent job in depicting the love between two lovers, between a mother and a daughter, and the love within the family.

Whether you are a fan of Danielle Steel or not, if you like reading romantic novels, then this book will be a perfect `gift' for you.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars short and sweet, May 6, 2002

By 

Mary (Okemos, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gift (Mass Market Paperback)

Set in the 1950s, The Gift by Danielle Steel is a touching novel about two separate families who meet and are changed by a special gift. It begins with the story of Tommy Whittaker and his family. They have a beautiful daughter named Annie, whose love changed the family into happiness and cheer. When her senseless death arises, the family is crushed; the loving marriage starts to unravel and Tommy begins to fend for himself, going out to eat by himself and rarely talking with his parents.

Then the story switches over to a girl named Maribeth Robertson who has one meaningless experience with a boy, and ends up pregnant. Her father sends her to the nun's and tells her not to come home until she gets rid of it. When she arrives, she hates it there and decides to leave with the money her father gave her to pay the nuns. She takes the train to a city where she gets a job at a café. One day she was working, that is where the two families first intertwine.
Tommy walks in to have dinner and Maribeth waits on him, eventually Tommy comes in everyday and he and Maribeth become very close. They share personal secrets about their lives, and become each other 's need that they were looking for. Maribeth becomes very close with the Whittakers and helps to bind the family back together. When the baby arrives, it is the gift to the Whittaker family of a new baby girl and a gift to Maribeth because she knows that the baby is in good care. When Mrs. Whittaker accepts her offer of adoption it is so emotional and uplifting.
This is such a touching story that I think is aimed more at a younger audience. It is a lesson to young girls out there to be careful, and a message to the world that a kind person can change a life. I really enjoyed reading this and it is a short read definitely worth a try!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book!, April 25, 2002

By 

Theresa W (mi, usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gift (Mass Market Paperback)

This story is short, but you wish it were longer. However, it is it's "shortness" that gives it so much life and the reader so much enjoyment. Good book