Customer Reviews

Southern Lights

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

Danielle Steel is an author that no matter how many times she disappoints, you continue coming back for more in the hopes that she will redeem herself. I must say that I enjoyed this story. She stepped away from the fairytales, and attempted something more edgy and realistic. I loved the tight knit relationship between Alexa and Savannah, and I thoroughly despised the character of Luisa, and pitied the weakness of Tom, which is a testament to the dynamic of Steel's writing, because I loathe a story where everything, including the characters, are sugarcoated and nauseating. I did get a sense that the romance between Alexa and Edward was a bit rushed and underdeveloped, but that's to be expected I guess when writing a book from a couple of different angles. I, too, hope that Steel continues taking the time to craft stories that don't fit the cookie cutter molds she has been cheat sheeting with as of late. Because 'Southern Lights' was a long awaited step foward for her imo.

I sense a new maturity in Danielle Steel's latest books. The glamorous fairytales have given place to more down to earth stories about people and their lives and strives. Yes, we are still dealing with successfull people from the upper classes. Moneyed families living in fabulous mansions. But the difference is there. And distinct.

Alexa Hamilton is single mother to 17 year old Susannah. After a bitter divorce ten years ago, Alexa becomes a lawyer and has built a brilliant career as an assistant D.A. in New York. When accused serial murder Luke Quentin is captured and put to trial, Alexa is handed the case, which is an opportunity of a lifetime.

Not long after she has started the trial preparations, threatening letters, addressed to beautiful young Susannah, start arriving. Suspecting that Luke Quentin may have something to do with the letters, Alexa, still hurt by her ex-husband Tom's betrayal, feels forced to send Savannah back to him and his new family until the trial is over.

The book is first of all a story about love, betrayal, bitterness and finally - healing - within a family. Parallell with the trial, we follow as old wounds are being exposed, the healing process and how it all affects both the relationship between mother and daugther and the whole family as such. And apart from circumstances and surroundings, it's not so different from similar incidents lots of people go through in the course of a lifetime.

Danielle Steel has always been a great storyteller known for light entertainment told with - especially lately - warmth and wisdom. There may be luxury and glamour but there is no doubt the author has known loss and suffering. Both earlier and later work bears proof of that.

Still as busily writing as ever, Danielle Steel can be trusted to deliver. As the saying goes, she is a phenomenon!

Enjoy!

After over 70 books, Danielle Steel had gotten into a ho hum rut. I wasn't sure how this book would be. She hit it out of the park!!! She skillfully wove 2 stories together into a single conclusion.

Alexa was divorced from Tom and raised her daughter Savannah alone. Forced out of the marriage was more like it. Tom's ex-wife got pregnant and he had to re-marry her. Alexa meanwhile went to law school in NY and became an assistant DA. She is given a difficult case of rape and murder with 18 victims in different states. Her daughter is sent threatening letters by either the defendant or his accomplice. Alexa makes the difficult decision to send 17 year old Savannah to Charleston SC to live with her father, Tom to keep her safe.

Tom's wife in enraged and refuses to even be polite to Savannah but the rest of the family including her half brothers and sister welcome her. The grandmother had been instrumental in destroying Alexa's marriage to Tom, but realized that she had made a mistake. At first she was cool to Savannah, but when Savannah said she wanted to know about her Southern history, the grandmother decided that she liked her. She is a hard core Confederate and couldn't reconcile herself to Tom's marriage to Alexa who was a "Yankee."

What makes this work is the successful back and forth telling of Alexa's trial work on this case, and Savannah's adjustment to life in Charleston which she hadn't seen since she was 6 years old. Tom tries to admit to Alexa that he never stopped loving her but Alexa with great class tells him to never tell her that again. She says they MAY be able to be friends.

I hope she can keep up this roll. Her last few books were too repetitive of the same theme. Husband divorces wife and marries younger woman. That was BORING!!!

Don't let my one star rating fool you - I only gave that much because I found no grammatical or spelling errors in the book. That alone deserves at least one star.

Having said that, as a long time fan of Danielle Steel, I am profoundly disappointed in her disinterest in writing. The past few books have been a tremendous letdown, and I'm shocked. One of two things happened: either I have outgrown her style of writing, or she has gotten lazy and unimaginative.

This reader is insulted by her weak attempt in writing about the South. As someone who has travelled all over the United States, and lived on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line, I'm embarrassed FOR Danielle Steel - she clearly has no concept on real southern living. If I had to read the phrase "Bless Her Heart" one more time, I felt that I very well would have to stab myself in the eye.

Take a break from writing Danielle Steel - its time to let reality visit you and allow your readers to lick our wounds from this latest embarrassing attempt at writing - we're wounded because you assumed we had a third grade education and a complete disregard for our very realistic and very diverse cultural exposures.

Retire - take a vacation, or better yet, retire. Please.

Divorcee, Alexa Hamilton is a New York Assistant District Attorney who has been assigned to a case-alleged serial killer and rapist, Luke Quentin. She sends her 17 year old daughter packing back to her daughter's father in Charleston for protection after she received threatening letters. The Aristocratic, affluent Charleston family was responsible for breaking the marriage up in the first place. This is another look into the typical "Charleston" character traits that place them on a separate plain than the rest of the world. The story becomes less about the murder case and more about the family drama which ends up with secrets being revealed and strong bonds being made. Wonderful, enjoyable read!

I think she was just as bored writing this book as I was reading it! I felt I was "fast-forwarding" through this book. I would not recommend to a friend.

Leave the South to Southern writers, please. I don't understand San Francisco and wouldn't presume to write a book about the culture of San Francisco. You, Danielle Steel, came into Charleston and enjoyed our famous Southern hospitality, and then proceeded to do exactly what you accuse Southern women of doing--writing "nasty-nice" things about our people. I've done my share of traveling and living in other parts of the country, and I've found "nasty-nice" people (a/k/a hypocritcal people) all over. I also enjoyed the first part of the story and felt that the ending was rushed--the romance-marriage proposal was squeezed into ten pages or so at the end. We don't need every heroine getting a marriage proposal on the last page! The story lost all reality at that point. We're told over and over again that our heroine is terrified of even a date--then after she makes peace with the past, suddenly she's ready to get MARRIED? It could have ended much better and more realistically with a hint of things to come, but with the heroine enjoying a relationship, period.

This book starts out very well. Bad guy arrested for a horrendous crime. Alexa's (main character)daughter gets threatening letters from someone.Because Alexa is prosecuting attorney of bad guy in jail. Daughter is wisked away to daddy's whom she has no relationship with. New wife hates daughter. Bad guy goes to prison, daughter comes home. That is about as exciting as it gets. There was so many openings for twists and turns in this book. But it was simply this dry and boring. I kept thinking oh he didnt do it, someone else is writing the letters, someone else is setting the guy up for the crimes.... but alas NOPE

This was probably the most boring book I've ever waded through. Big build up about serial killer trail..........found guilty as charged with no excitement in the courtroom whatsoever. Threatening letters turn out to be "as suspected"......again, no excitement. This book was predictable from the first page to the last. Reads like a high school girl's imagination.

The story of NY ADA Alexa Hamilton and her daughter Savannah Beauchamp. Thirty-nine year old Alexa was abandoned by her ex husband Tom Beauchamp who returned to his first wife who had previously betrayed him. Alexa Hamilton avoids dating and plunges into her work which includes the challenging case of Luke Quentin who has been arrested on charges of multiple rape/murders. Due to her daughter Savannah receiving threatening letters as fallout from Alexa's prosecuting Quentin, Savannah is sent to live in Charleston, S.C. with her father Tom and his rather nasty wife Luisa. The book s shifts back and forth between Luke's trial and Savannah (who is visited by Alexa for weekend) in Charleston S.C. The travails of Alexa and Savannah are examined until alls well that ends well and a very quick plot resolution with both Alexa and Savannah finding Love.

The drawbacks of the story include the constant explanation of the significance of the phrase "Bless Your Heart" which is described by several categories as the way of Southerners wishing bad on people. Savannah is always "stifling giggles" when she hears it. And the story of Alexa's doomed marriage is done to death. She explains it to her co-worker and a boyfriend who comes into the picture towards the end of the book. Also, the descriptions of the perfection of Alexa and Savannah with their long blonde hair flowing down their backs. Tom's character is really hard to believe--why he accepts his domestic situation with Luisa does not makea a whole lot of sense. Also Alexa's discussion of Savannah's birth control methods and loss of virginity is a bit much.

Overall this book is an improvement over Steel's recent efforts since the characters with some exceptions were basically likeable. I think it would have been more realistic had Alexa found a love interest in NYC (there was one man who wanted to ask her out for years).