A Good Woman: A Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Danielle Steel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 25, 2009

Nineteen-year-old Annabelle Worthington was born into a life of privilege, but everything changed on an April day in 1912, when the sinking of the Titanic shattered her family and her world forever. Finding strength within her grief, Annabelle pours herself into volunteer work, igniting a passion for medicine that would shape the course of her life.

But for Annabelle, first love, and a seemingly idyllic marriage, will soon bring grief caused by the secrets of her husband. Betrayed, and pursued by undeserved scandal, Annabelle flees New York for war-ravaged France, hoping to lose herself in a life of service. There, in the heart of the First World War, in a groundbreaking field hospital run by women, Annabelle finds her true calling, studying medicine and saving lives. When the war ends, Annabelle begins a new life in Paris—now a doctor, a mother, her past almost forgotten…until a fateful meeting opens her heart to the world she had left behind.

Filled with breathtaking images and historical detail, Danielle Steel’s new novel introduces one of her most unique and fascinating characters: Annabelle Worthington, a remarkable woman—a good woman—who triumphs against overwhelming odds. More than compelling fiction, her story is a powerful celebration of life, dignity, and courage—and a testament to the human will to survive.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Nineteen-year-old Annabelle Worthington, the only daughter of a wealthy New York banker, weathers a life of unexpected catastrophe with superhuman patience in Steel's solid latest. After her father and brother die in the sinking of the Titanic, Annabelle and her mother go into mourning, and Annabelle marries the kindly older banker Josiah Millbank. After two years of unconsummated marriage, he reveals that he's contracted syphilis and wants a divorce so he can join his male lover. When Annabelle refuses to divorce him, Josiah files for it on the basis of adultery, forcing Annabelle, now the victim of vicious rumors, to flee New York. Alone in Paris, she draws on her experience volunteering at Ellis Island to pursue a career as a doctor as WWI looms. Steel toys with the premise of a modern woman, though the characterization of Annabelle as a good woman who has been dragged through the mud somewhat mitigates her strength and elemental stubbornness. Steel's fans will eat this up—Annabelle is one of the better protagonists Steel's conjured recently. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Annabelle Worthington, 19, lives a fairy-tale life thanks to wealthy and doting parents. Then she gets the flu and is unable to accompany her family on vacation. Unfortunately, the Worthington clan has booked passage on the newest luxury liner, the Titanic. Her father and brother die when the ship goes down, and although her mother, Consuelo, survives, she is traumatized. As for Annabelle, she throws herself into work as a medical volunteer at Ellis Island. There she meets Josiah Millbank, a gentle, loving man who’s old enough to be her father, and marries him. But Josiah has a scandalous secret, and after their divorce, Annabelle is unfairly relegated to life as a pariah. Embarrassed and disillusioned by the treatment she receives from her acquaintances and so-called friends, Annabelle leaves for war-torn France to put her medical skills to good use in a female-run hospital on the front. But fate has even more in store for Annabelle. Once again, the legendary Steel, with 570 million books sold, has combined triumph and tragedy to create the story of a woman who, though tossed by the whims of fate, still manages to survive on her own terms. --Shelley Mosley --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Dell; Reprint edition (August 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440243300
• ISBN-13: 978-0440243304
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #154,909 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Romance > Authors, A-Z > ( S ) > Steel, Danielle
  • #24 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Women's Fiction > Domestic Life

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

31 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Wow - what a bad book, November 16, 2008

By 

M. Bottiani (Goleta, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Good Woman (Hardcover)

I have never read a Danielle Steel book before, but if this is any indication of her writing, I will never read another as long as I live. My husband bought this book for me at Costco and was very excited to give it to me, as he thought it sounded interesting. According to the jacket write-up, it should have been interesting. What starts out as a great premise for a book turns out to be boring, trite, lacking in descriptive detail, and repetitive. It was as if we had to keep being reminded, chapter after chapter, about the same information from earlier in the book; as if we forgot what had previously happened in the story. I see Ms. Steel has written a slew of previous novels, many of which were apparently very popular. Maybe she's getting tired, or maybe she's getting paid by the word or something. The only reason I finished this book was, well I'm not sure. Maybe hope that at any moment it would get good. Well, it didn't.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Average Book, Lots of Repetition, AGAIN!, November 23, 2008

By 

LuvsLabs09 "Nunya" (Ca.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Good Woman (Hardcover)

Steel once again writes a story of a character who loses loved ones on the Titantic. Been there done that.

The book is mediocre, at best. The main character, in typical Steel style faces lots of tragedies, but the way the story is written, it just doesn't draw the reader in. She could have made it more interesting as this female character becomes a physician. But...it isn't interesting.

As in the Steel's books over the last 5-7 years, since she pumps them out in record time, this one is filled with repetition. Over and over the same words saying the same thing. I read this book in a day and a half. It seems most of her books could qualify for novellas. I wonder if she gets paid by the word??

Get this from the library, save your money.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Woman by Danielle Steele, December 1, 2008

By 

Karen A. Fillebrown "KKKEOKA" (Waterford, ME USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Good Woman (Hardcover)

When I first started to read this book, I said to my self, "this is just like another one of her books." I kept reading and the more I read the more I enjoyed it. This is one of her better books, she hit just about every subject imaginable, from death, to marrying a gay man to working in a war zone, to going to med school, being raped and coming around full circle to love again. I would recommend this book