Blessing in Disguise by Danielle Steel-Review

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Description:
As a young intern at an art gallery in Paris, Isabelle McAvoy meets Putnam Armstrong, wealthy, gentle, older, and secluded from the world. Isabelle’s relationship with Putnam, and her time at his château on the Normandy coast, are the stuff of dreams. But it turns real when she becomes pregnant, for she knows that marriage is out of the question.

When Isabelle returns to New York, she enters a new relationship that she hopes will be more stable and traditional. But she soon realizes she has made a terrible mistake and again finds herself a single mother.

With two young daughters and no husband, Isabelle finally and unexpectedly finds happiness and a love that gives her a third child, a baby as happy as her beloved father. And yet, once again, life brings dramatic changes.

The three girls grow up to be very different women and Isabelle’s relationship with each of them is unique. While raising her girls alone, Isabelle also begins building a career as a successful art consultant. Then one final turn of fate brings a past secret to light, bonds mother and daughters closer, and turns a challenge into a blessing.

Review:

Blessing in Disguise by Danielle Steel is a wonderful heartwarming standalone novel that I read in one day, as I could not put the book down.  This is a story revolving around an independent woman, building a successful career in the art world, who has three daughters with different fathers, and the relationship over time with their lives.

We meet our heroine, Isabelle McAvoy, when she is spending the summer in Paris, working as an intern in an art gallery.  When she is assigned to deliver various paintings, she meets a wealthy recluse, Putnam Armstrong, who is an art connoisseur.  In a short time, Isabelle will fall in love with the older, Putnam and spend many weeks visiting him, as they succumb to their feelings for each other.  Isabelle knows there is no future for her with Putnam, as he is used to his ways as a loner, and cannot handle any kind of permanent relationship.   When she returns home to New York, she realizes that she is pregnant, and decides to keep the child, though her father warns her how difficult it will be for her, with no real income.   Isabelle manages to get a job at an art gallery, where she will work her way up, and Putnam is determined to help support Isabelle for whatever she needs.

The friendship between Putnam and Isabelle was an important part of the story early on, as she and her daughter Theo, travelled to France every year to spend the month of August with Putnam.  Though one month was all he could handle each year, he was very supportive, loyal and loving to Theo, as well as convincing Isabelle to find someone to love and marry.

Isabelle will eventually meet and marry another man, whom turns out to be a mistake, as he was a con man. When she realizes he was using her, she files for divorce, and is now also pregnant.  She has another daughter, Xela, and then becomes pregnant again a few years later, when she falls in love with a wonderful man, who gets killed before they marry, and again she is pregnant with a third daughter (Oona).  What follows is following Isabelle throughout her life of trials and tribulations, success, and dealing with her daughters as they grow up to lead their own lives.

I will not tell too much more, as you need to read this story for yourself.  I fully enjoyed reading about Isabelle, who made a fantastic heroine, as we watch her lead an interesting life, and also see how life changes for each of her daughters.  Blessing in Disguise was very well written by Danielle Steel.  I wholly recommend that you read this wonderful insightful story.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher