Social Concerns
Loving
In the novel Loving (1980), Bettina's journey begins with the towering
influence of her father, an illustrious but narcissistic writer. What seems a
life of glitz and allure is actually an empty shell, a testament to the
insidious allure of fame and fortune. Trapped in a sparkling prison, Bettina is
both indulged and exploited, her existence revolving around appeasing her
father's whims, suffocating her own individuality.
After her father's demise, Bettina finds solace in Ivo Stewart, a friend of her late father, and thus unravels a tale reminiscent of Cinderella. Ivo, sophisticated and far older, offers a love that, while more generous than her father’s, remains patronizing. He allows her to delve into the world of theater, yet keeps her bound by the chains of affluence and protection. For instance, Bettina secures a role in an avant-garde theater but is whisked away each night by Ivo’s limousine.
Ivo's greatest gift to Bettina is prompting her departure, akin to a father realizing his cherished daughter is ready to spread her wings. Bettina catalyzes this separation through an affair with the charming actor Anthony Pierce. Even before Bettina becomes aware, Steel hints at the perilous charisma reminiscent of her father, in Anthony. Thus, Bettina entangles herself in subservience once more, only to be swiftly abandoned by Anthony when she falls pregnant.
At this nadir of her young life, Bettina’s despair culminates in the loss of her child and a tragic suicide attempt. Yet, as she convalesces, a new fantasy beckons with the charismatic doctor attending her. This young physician, himself lonely, illuminates a path to yet another gilded confinement. Although John Fields tends to her needs, he attempts to mold Bettina into the archetypal wife and mother. Her clandestine playwriting endeavors signify the toxic undercurrents of this seemingly idyllic relationship. The façade crumbles with the birth of their first child; her needs disregarded in favor of clinical perfection, with John siding against her.
Bettina’s evolution is marked by her newfound clarity and independence, as she critically evaluates her circumstances and extricates herself, unlike her past where men dictated the terms. Fate leads her to New York, where an improbable stroke of luck lands a producer for her inaugural play. Here, she encounters a new breed of man—gentle, nurturing, yielding to Bettina's ambitions just as she had previously devoted herself to the men in her life. He is even willing to place his career as a respected theater critic beneath her burgeoning success as a playwright. Yet, Steel hints at a lack of passion—a void of intensity and excitement between equally vibrant souls. Bettina yearns for a man as formidable and exceptional as she is, akin to her father, now that she matches his stature, and Steel orchestrates her readiness to embrace this ideal companion as the narrative reaches its conclusion.
Loving serves as an anthology of conventional female fantasies often celebrated in romance literature, with Steel dissecting each to reveal their potential pitfalls for women, especially those who remain unaware of their own desires and identity. Yet, the narrative refrains from being anti-male. It suggests not a system designed by men to exploit women, but rather underscores the responsibility for women to introspect, mature, and experiment until they can love fully and maturely.
In this book, as in several others, Steel delves into relationships that, by society's standards, are often frowned upon. In Bettina’s case, her multiple divorces are portrayed compassionately, presenting her experiences in a light that invites understanding rather than judgment or undue glorification.
Crossings
Crossings (1982) unfolds against the dramatic backdrop of World War II. While Danielle Steel...
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continues to delve into the intricate dance between men and women, this novel also vividly captures the tumultuous social and political landscape of the era. We meet Liane, who begins her journey blissfully wedded to her French husband, Armand de Villers. However, when her path crosses with Nick Burnham—trapped in an unhappy marriage to the pampered Hilary—she initially offers only heartfelt compassion. Nick is struck by Liane's purity and gentle beauty, an ideal far removed from his wife's ostentatious allure. Though Nick clings to his marriage for the sake of his son, Liane's bond with Armand faces shattering external forces.
As war looms, Armand is called back to France, and upon its fall, he faces an agonizing decision. Torn between his love for his family and his patriotism, he sends Liane and the children to America while he remains in Nazi-occupied France, outwardly collaborating with the enemy but secretly aiding the resistance. Liane's loyalty to Armand withstands public scorn and the pressure from her own family, who urge her to divorce. Yet, amidst the chaos, a private turmoil brews as Liane and Nick's paths intertwine once more, sparking a forbidden romance they struggle to contain in a bid to honor their commitments.
Steel intricately weaves a tale of love's torment, where the lovers are neither villainous nor flawless, and yet, their actions leave collateral damage inescapable. Through this poignant narrative, the story urges readers to withhold judgment until the full story is revealed, highlighting that an apparent betrayal may mask a noble sacrifice, and an unfaithful wife may simply be navigating complex loyalties.
Changes
Changes (1983) delves into the trials of a modern woman balancing motherhood with a demanding career. Melanie Adams appears to have conquered it all, proudly anchoring a national news broadcast while raising two well-adjusted teenage daughters. Yet beneath the surface lies a question—at what personal cost? Scarred by the departure of her daughters' father, Melanie has steered clear of deep emotional ties. However, an unexpected romance prompts a whirlwind of questions for her and her new partner.
Peter Hallman, a renowned heart surgeon, shares Melanie's reluctance to embrace love, still mourning his late wife. Despite their hesitance and a prolonged courtship, love eventually claims them. Their journey together reveals the compromises necessary for a mature relationship. Steel's narrative extends beyond the fairy-tale wedding, exploring the nuanced tensions within even the most affectionate marriages. The plot thickens as Melanie's daughters must adjust to their mother sharing her life with Peter and his three children.
Steel excels at portraying the realistic challenges faced by parents, from a son lost in the wilderness to a relationship between Peter's son and Melanie's daughter that leads to an unplanned pregnancy. Their missteps render them endearing and relatable, for perfection remains elusive, and life's daily tensions can only be eradicated in dreams.
Beneath these surface challenges lies an underlying issue finally confronted, offering a glimmer of hope for smoother days ahead. Both Melanie and Peter face a fear of change. While Melanie bravely embraces the unknown, Peter falters, resistant to shift his life around his newfound love. Eventually, Melanie's temporary departure awakens Peter to her significance and his own stunted growth. The tale underscores that life's rigidity can stifle, whereas embracing change breathes vitality into existence.
In the beginning, Melanie and Peter resemble archetypal figures of contemporary fantasies—Melanie, the triumphant superwoman, balances career success, motherhood, and personal allure. Yet, Steel exposes the cracks in her seemingly perfect life, a quest for fulfillment that captivates readers. Peter, initially the quintessential romantic doctor, reveals a deeper truth. His devotion to medicine leaves little room for personal growth, yet as his layers unfold, he emerges as a more relatable, human character.
Family Album
Upon first glance, Family Album (1984) might seem like a familiar Hollywood saga filled with stardom, scandal, and secrets. However, the glitz and glamour of Hollywood serve merely as a backdrop for the deeper, more intricate relationships among family members. Here, the narrative places even greater emphasis on the dynamic tensions between parents and children, overshadowing the romantic entanglements of spouses.
Faye and Ward Thayer's marriage is a complex tapestry woven with highs and lows, yet their children navigate challenges familiar to parents from coast to coast. Lionel, their eldest, embarks on a journey of self-discovery as he embraces his homosexuality. Steel portrays his quest for identity and love with empathy and insight. The revelation shocks Faye and Ward, especially Ward, but Steel implores her audience to embrace understanding over judgment. With sensitivity, she weaves in intimate scenes and explores a same-sex marriage, a pioneering moment in her storytelling that may surprise her readers. Lionel defies stereotypes, and Steel refrains from assigning blame for his sexual orientation, presenting it as an intrinsic part of who he is. Like others in the tale, Lionel seeks love and security, painting a portrait of universal longing.
Greg, the second son, emerges as an archetypal American hero. Despite his prowess with women and on the football field, he lacks his brother's depth of character. Through Greg's story, Steel delves into a shared familial ordeal: the heart-wrenching loss of a son and brother in Vietnam. Both brothers serve in the war; driven by grief, Lionel volunteers after losing a lover, while Greg is drafted following academic failure. Greg's tragic death, caused by a landmine just two weeks into his deployment, underscores the brutal statistics of war and highlights the cruelty of unexpected loss.
Ward and Faye's twin daughters, Valerie and Vanessa, explore diverse paths in the world of relationships and life's choices for young women. Vanessa, the more rebellious of the two, clashes with her mother and indulges in a wild lifestyle, yet ultimately blossoms into a talented actress. Meanwhile, Valerie chooses the academic route, finding a partner who, though not perfect, complements her. Steel contrasts their lives without passing judgment, suggesting both sisters strive for individual fulfillment and, only then, seek enduring love.
Anne, the youngest of the Thayer children, presents the greatest challenges for her parents, with Steel attributing these struggles to Faye's neglect. Initially blessed with financial stability, Faye devoted herself to her family. However, with Ward squandering their wealth following Anne's birth, Faye becomes the family's sole provider, leaving Anne neglected and overshadowed. Her rebellion is dramatic, as she escapes to Haight Ashbury, joining a cult immersed in drug-fueled excess. Rescued by her family, Anne finds herself pregnant, and Faye insists on adoption. Only later does Faye acknowledge the error of her ways, leading to reconciliation. Anne charts her own course for love and security, forming a surprising but suitable marriage with a friend's father.
Full Circle
In Full Circle (1984), Steel crafts the tale of another young woman, Tana, as she navigates self-discovery and the nature of romantic love. Tana views her mother's long affair with a married boss with disdain, especially when the man refuses marriage even after losing his wife. Her first encounter with intimacy is marred by trauma, as she suffers a rape at the hands of the boss's son. Her mother's disbelief only deepens the wound. Despite these early scars, Tana gradually heals, making her own missteps along the way. She forges a deep platonic bond with one man, engages in a brief but doomed affair with an older man, and finds herself in a scenario reminiscent of her mother's: entwined with a recently separated man. He remains emotionally tethered to his wife, leaving Tana alone and waiting. Both she and the reader reevaluate earlier judgments, gaining insight into the complexities of love. Summoning courage, Tana ends this fruitless relationship, seeking true compatibility. However, this too falters, and ultimately, Tana meets and marries a truly compatible partner.
Tana's journey also brings to the forefront a pertinent social issue: the balance between a successful career and personal life. As a thriving lawyer, she faces conflict with both her mother and the men in her life, centered on her passion for her profession against traditional expectations of women's roles. Her mother urges her to marry for stability and social standing, yet Tana asserts her independence, having carved her own path. Her lover reacts with jealousy to her success, subtly hindering her progress. It is only in her final relationship, with a supportive husband, that Tana realizes she can indeed "have it all"—a fulfilling marriage, an exhilarating career, and a nurturing family.
Steel's narrative gracefully bridges the span of two generations, weaving together the tapestry of Tana's mother's life during the tumultuous aftermath of World War II. This exploration sheds light on the decisions and paths available to the older woman, setting the stage for a striking contrast with Tana's own journey. Ironically, Tana finds herself entangled in a relationship eerily similar to the one her mother settled into. The novel also delves into the political climate of the times, as Tana navigates her way through a southern girls' college and becomes roommates with its pioneering first black student. Pulled into the civil rights movement, Tana witnesses a heartbreaking tragedy when both her roommate's brother and the young woman herself are killed. Yet, this poignant moment is but a fleeting chapter in Tana's life, as she distances herself from further involvement in the movement.
Likewise, the echoes of the Vietnam War reverberate through Tana's world when a close friend, driven by duty, joins the draft. To Tana's horror, he returns home, a shadow of his former self, forever altered by war wounds. Yet, Tana channels her formidable energy not into opposing the war, but into reigniting her friend's zest for life. A brief dalliance with a fiery student radical unfolds, though she remains aloof from his perilous pursuits—a wise decision, as he is caught in an explosive conspiracy against the governor's estate.
These vivid political and historical backdrops enrich the novel, anchoring it firmly within the annals of American history. Yet, they remain secondary, serving to underscore Tana's evolving comprehension of love's intricate dance.
Five Days In Paris
In Five Days In Paris (1995), Steel revisits the intricate tapestry of romance, exploring themes of "duty" versus "passion" reminiscent of Robert James Waller's celebrated The Bridges of Madison County (1992).
Peter Haskell, the formidable president of a pharmaceutical giant, possesses it all—power, prestige, a flourishing career, and a family he cherishes above all else, for which he has made countless sacrifices. Integrity forms the bedrock of Peter's existence, even as compromise colors his life. Olivia Thatcher, entangled in her senator husband's ambitions, finds herself emotionally drained. Her soul, once vibrant, is now a barren landscape. The loss of her son extinguished the last vestige of connection to the man she once adored.
Amidst the chaos of a bomb threat, these two soul-weary protagonists collide in the enchanting city of Paris. As Olivia gingerly steps outside the confines of her life, their hearts spill open amidst the cozy ambiance of a Montmartre café. Peter, once so steadfast in his convictions, now grapples with risking his career and marriage if he chooses to embrace Olivia. Meanwhile, Olivia finds herself teetering on the edge of uncertainty, knowing she can no longer endure the life she's known.
Upon returning home, both must navigate the turbulent waters of their lives, steered by memories of Paris, as they confront challenges, betrayal, and the necessity of compromise.
Lightning
Lightning (1995) unravels the tale of a woman whose existence is irrevocably altered by an unforeseen bolt from the blue. Alexandra Parker, a partner at a prestigious New York law firm, juggles the demands of her career, her marriage, and a young child born when she was forty. She feels blessed, her life and marriage a source of happiness—until an unexpected jolt of 'lightning' turns her world upside down. A routine medical check-up delivers devastating news that shakes her to her core.
Sam Parker, a dynamic venture capitalist and Wall Street standout, proudly cherishes his enduring marriage to Alex and his thriving career. Accustomed to wielding control in New York's financial sphere, Sam finds himself blindsided by Alex's illness. Haunted by specters from his past and paralyzed with fear at the thought of losing his family, Sam is unable to provide the emotional support Alex desperately needs.
As Sam withdraws, unable to meet her needs, a chasm grows between them, alienating them almost overnight. When another lightning strike shatters Sam's promising career, leaving his life in disarray, the future hangs in the balance. Alex must confront her feelings for Sam, pondering whether they can ever reclaim their former life or if she must forge a new path without him, forever changed by the capriciousness of love and marriage.
Days of Shame
Days of Shame (1996) paints a vivid portrait of families torn asunder, lives fractured, and a nation riven by prejudice during a dark chapter in American history.
In the early 1920s, Masao Takashimaya, a forward-thinking Japanese professor from Kyoto, harbored a fervent passion for modernity, clashing with his wife's devotion to ancient traditions. Fast forward twenty years, and his daughter Hiroko, now eighteen, is caught in a tug-of-war between her mother's heritage and her father's dreams. Boarding the SS Nagoya Maru bound for California, Hiroko seeks to honor her father and pursue education, landing in America in August 1941.
Settling into the Palo Alto home of her uncle Takeo and his family, Hiroko finds California a world unto itself—a realm of barbeques, station wagons, and collegiate life. Her cousins, more American than Japanese, epitomize this new world. Unexpectedly, Peter Jenkins, her uncle's assistant at Stanford, becomes the bridge linking her past and future. Yet, despite his influence and the promises made to her father, Hiroko yearns for home. At Berkeley, she faces the harsh reality of prejudice and fear, as her world is reshaped in ways she never anticipated.
In a matter of hours following the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, the world is thrust into the chaos of war, and Hiroko finds herself branded an enemy on foreign soil. Fear-stricken, she pleads to return home, but her father's resolute command anchors her in California. He insists safety lies in this land, not her homeland. For a fleeting moment, his belief holds true—until calamity strikes and her reality shatters.
The Heavy Hand of Executive Order 9066
On February 19, President Roosevelt's signing of Executive Order 9066 grants sweeping powers to the military to displace Japanese individuals from their neighborhoods at will. Takeo and his family are given a mere ten days to sell their cherished home, abandon their livelihoods, and report to a relocation center. Alongside thousands of other Japanese and Japanese Americans, they face an uncertain future. Families are torn apart, leaving behind the fragments of their homes, their businesses, their cherished freedoms, and the lives they once knew. Hiroko, together with her uncle’s family, is first sent to Tanforan, only to be moved again to the detention center at Tule Lake.
A Tale of Endurance and Heartbreak
Through this tale, Steel captures a poignant message of human suffering and resilience, of divided loyalties and enduring love. Set against the turbulent canvas of war and transformation, the novel brings to life the oft-recounted saga of betrayal by one's own government and highlights the indomitable spirit of a woman ensnared between cultures, unwavering in her will to persist.
Adaptations
Presented below is an array of captivating television films that have drawn inspiration from Steel's celebrated novels. These miniseries have masterfully captured the intricate plots and profound emotions woven by Steel, significantly augmenting her standing in the literary and entertainment realms.
Changes - Premiered in April 1991
Crossings - Brought to you by ABC in 1986
Daddy - Graced the screens in October 1991
Family Album - Debuted in October 1994
Fine Things - Arrived in October 1990
Full Circle - Unveiled in the fall of 1996
Heartbeat - Emerged in February 1993
Jewels - Sparkled in October 1992
Kaleidoscope - Appeared in October 1990
Message From Nam - Delivered in October 1993
Mixed Blessings - Graced the screens in December 1995
No Greater Love - Made its entrance in January 1996
Now and Forever - Enchanted audiences in Australia, 1983
Once In a Lifetime - Debuted in February 1994
Palomino - Rode in during October 1991
A Perfect Stranger - Unveiled in September 1994
Remembrance - Presented in the fall of 1996
The Ring - Circled into view in September 1996
Secrets - Revealed in April 1992
Star - Shone brightly in September 1993
Vanished - Disappeared into homes in April 1995
Zoya - Captivated viewers in September 1995
