12 September, 2014

#BookReview :: A Perfect Life by Danielle Steel

The epitome of intelligence, high-powered energy, beauty, and grace, Blaise McCarthy is an icon in the world of television news, asking the tough questions and taking on the emotionally charged issues of world news and politics with courage and insight. A single mother, she manages her well-ordered career meticulously, always prepared on the news or interviewing world-renowned figures and heads of state. To her audience, Blaise seems to have it all. But privately, and off the set, there is another untold story she has kept hidden for years.

Blaise's teenage daughter, Salima, was blinded by Type 1 diabetes in childhood, and her needs have kept her away in a year-round boarding school with full-time medical care and assistance ever since. When Salima's school closes after a tragedy, Salima returns to her mother's New York City apartment, and suddenly they face challenges they've never had to deal with before, and that Blaise feels ill-equipped to handle. A new caretaker provided by Salima's school creates as many problems as he solves. Handsome, accomplished, thirty-two-year-old Simon Ward, with strong opinions on every topic, questions how mother and daughter view themselves and each other. Simon opens new doors for both of them and refuses to accept Salima's physical limitations. He turns their world upside down, and the three become friends.

Then everything starts to unravel and Blaise can't keep her two worlds separate anymore. A beautiful young anchorwoman is hired at the network; it is no secret that she is being groomed to take Blaise's place. Her career as she has known it is threatened, and her previously well-ordered life feels totally out of control. For the first time, Blaise's life is not perfect, but real.



Blaise McCarthy seems to have it all - a successful career, intelligence and grace. She asks all the right as news anchor and is not afraid to discuss the controversial matters. She gets to interview many public figures and seem to be climbing higher up on the popularity ladder all the time. But she has personal life and a secret hidden from all. She has a daughter who was blinded by diabetes and lives in a boarding school where all her special needs are taken care of. When the school closes down and her daughter Salima moves into her apartment with a caretaker, Simon. Soon Blaise is facing issues that she feels unequipped to deal with. Her personal life affects her career and she finds out that the network is grooming another person to take her place. With her world slowly crumbling down around her, will Blaise ever manage to get back in control of her life?

Danielle Steel is consistent about producing strong female protagonists, who no matter what life throws at them toils through it all to emerge as an epitome of feminine strength. Blaise McCarthy is no exception to the rule. She is intelligent, smart and a woman not afraid of going after what she wants. On one hand she has her career that going perfectly and on the other hand she has her daughter Salima. Things aren’t so perfect when it comes to Blaise’s personal life. She has a special needs daughter who moves back in her apartment when her boarding school closes down for a few months. The mother and daughter relationship is rocky at the best. Enter Simon, the assistant provided to Salima by her school. Simon, fresh out of a relationship, gains Salim’s trust first and then Blaise’s heart.

The plot is a typical run off the mill Danielle Steel trademark plot and thus is quite predictable. A
nd as usual the author repeats certain information over and over again… But that as well is expected from Danielle Steel novel. The narration style remains as heartwarming as ever. Wonderful world building and interesting backgrounds make up for the predictable elements of the book.





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