Safe Harbour (Danielle Steel) [LARGE PRINT] (Paperback)

by Danielle Steel (Author) "IT WAS ONE OF THOSE CHILLY, FOGGY DAYS THAT masquerade as summer in northern California, as the wind whipped across the long crescent of beach,..." (more)
Key Phrases: Safe Harbour, Wexler Center, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
An 11-year-old girl strikes up a friendship with an artist and introduces him to her mother, a grieving widow, in Steel's 59th bestseller-to-be, a sweet but slow-moving romance. The girl, Phillippa (Pip) Mackenzie, is walking her dog along a deserted Northern California beach when she encounters a painter at his easel and stops to watch. She likes to draw; Matt Bowles, the artist, offers to help her; and a friendship is born. Pip's world was shattered nine months before when her father and her tormented, bipolar brother died in a plane crash. A distinctive magical quality in young Pip reminds Matt of his own daughter, whom he's not seen for six years. Pip's mother, Ophelie, initially uneasy about her daughter's friend, comes to see that the sad-eyed artist is the opposite of dangerous-a sensitive, kindly, decent man. The rather idealized Pip (her "haunting cognac-colored eyes" get frequent mention) is wise beyond her years; Ophelie, suffering a severe case of post-traumatic stress, is initially passive and limp but her devotion to a volunteer job helping the homeless elicits sympathy. Matt, a successful ad executive in his former life, is rescued from his own sorrows by fostering Pip's budding talent and by his growing romantic interest in her mother. Ophelie's discovery of a love letter her husband received a week before his death and Matt's confrontation with his treacherous ex-wife provide a modicum of suspense, but some readers may find themselves nodding off before they reach the novel's unexpectedly dramatic climax.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
Steel, who lost her own son to suicide a few years ago, here tells the story of a lonely woman reeling from the untimely deaths of her son and husband who have both recently perished in a small-plane accident. The months pass, but Ophelie just can't get past the loss, and she spends most of her time sleeping, crying, or attending support-group meetings for the bereaved. In addition, she has ceased eating almost completely and barely takes notice of her 11-year-old daughter, Pip. The young girl is also reeling from her loss and finds herself alone much of the time and wandering on the beach near their home. It is during these unchaperoned jaunts that the child befriends a grown man who shows up every morning to paint seascapes. Mattie begins showing Pip how to draw, and by his companionship brings some light into her dark life. Pip keeps her friend secret from her mother for a while, but Ophelie soon finds out and, suspicious of the man's motives, forbids further contact. Ultimately though, Mattie is revealed to be a gentle and kindhearted man who also is mourning a personal loss and--more importantly--is single and eligible. Needless to say, things end happily. Kathleen Hughes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Random House Large Print (September 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375728287
• ISBN-13: 978-0375728280
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #816,793 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Time to Fire the Editor!, January 30, 2004

By	Donna Reynolds (Syracuse, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Safe Harbour (Hardcover)

Okay, I give up! Who edited this book? Is Danielle Steel so sacrosanct that her editors are not allowed to edit?

I agree with those who have written that this book was an improvement over the last few. Sure, the main character is the same, weak, indecisive, codependent woman but at least this one has a little gumption and actually stands up for herself. I am beginning to think that these characters have to be a reflection of Ms. Steel's own personality. Why else would she continue to create these weak women?

Danielle Steel knows the pain of losing a child and offers some good suggestions for dealing with that pain. But as many steps forward as Opehlie takes, she seems to take an equal number of steps back. It is so frustrating. At least she reacted correctly when faced with the "ultimate betrayal."

With some heavy editing, this book might have been a three for me. As it is, with all the run-on and incomplete sentences and constant repeating of phrases, I can only rate it a two.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Safe Harbour, November 18, 2003

By	K. Morgan (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Safe Harbour (Hardcover)

Ted Mackenzie and his bi-polar son Chad were killed in a plane crash nine months ago. Left behind to pick up the pieces are Ted's wife Ophelie and daughter Pip. Ophelie is in a severe depression and can hardly take care of Pip except for the basics. Ophelie leases a house at Safe Harbour for the summer and while there Pip befriends artist and recluse Matt Bowles. They become fast friends despite a difference in age. Matt is suffering from the loss of his children through a divorce. Ophelie and Matt meet and although they don't hit it off at the beginning they become good friends. Matt becomes a pillar of support for Ophelie and Pip as they go through the one year anniversary of the death of their husband/father and son/brother. Through their friendship the wounds begin to heal and they begin to move on with their lives.

Safe Harbour was an OK read. It wasn't the best Danielle Steel book I've read. This book seemed more thought about than some of her previous works. The storyline was good and the characters were likeable. The story-telling in itself seemed to be choppy. The story would move along at a pretty good pace and then seem to get stuck with remembering what had already been stated. This is the same repetitiveness as in Steel's more current work. I must say that this book shocked me when a little over halfway through there is a surprising and shocking twist to the story. This twist had me rereading the pages to make sure I was reading it right. This was a very important part of the story and I was just amazed at how well written this plot twist was. I must say I was speechless when I got to this part of the story.

Safe Harbour seemed to have some of the quality of the older Danielle Steel books. Again, the only part I didn't like was the repeated facts that were written every few pages or at least once a chapter. I would have given the book five stars if it wasn't for the repitition. All in all a good read with a good ending.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A story with heart, November 28, 2003

By	Ann M. Macpherson "passionate reader" (Newcastle, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Safe Harbour (Hardcover)

I have read every book by Danielle Steel but recently have been very dissapointed in her style of writing and the sameness of her stories. This book, however, is much different in the story line. She obviously has an insight into the the pain of the loss of a child and the agony of mental illness. Having had a son who suffered both, she writes from the heart. I also lost a child.So I can also identify with the loss that this mother endured. But the story also shows the path of recovery and going forward with your life after tragedy. There are other issues the book deals with. But Steel manages to blend them together for a "happy ever after" outcome.
Her style of writing is still lacking------she uses the word "and" far too much as she runs sentences together. She does repeat herself over and over again far too often. She's a mass producer of stories. If she took more time to work on grammar and proper sentence structure, she'd have a much different book. The way she writes now is not a good quality-----but putting that aside, the story is easy to read. In fact, I skim over most of the words to grasp the story-----a quick read. I would prefer, however, that she go back to school and learn how to write in a way that is respected. She's a "fluff" writer---but the content can be fun.
I enjoyed the fact that this story got to my heart, made me cry and encouraged me to learn more about the people. Now if only she'd write in better form------but I guess we can't expect both from her anymore. She's writing too many books in too short of a time. Slow down-----and continue to tell us stories that have heart. This was one of her recent best.