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Bittersweet

3.6 of 5 stars 3.60 · rating details · 2,012 ratings · 64 reviews

In Bittersweet, Danielle Steel has written a novel for our times, a story of choices and new beginnings.
India Taylor lived in a world of manicured lawns and neatly maintained calendars: a merry-go-round of Little League, piano lessons, and Cape Cod summer vacations. With four wonderful children, India believed in commitment and sacrifice, just as she believed in Doug, the...more In Bittersweet, Danielle Steel has written a novel for our times, a story of choices and new beginnings.
India Taylor lived in a world of manicured lawns and neatly maintained calendars: a merry-go-round of Little League, piano lessons, and Cape Cod summer vacations. With four wonderful children, India believed in commitment and sacrifice, just as she believed in Doug, the man she married 17 years before. For India, this was the promise she made, the life she had chosen--not the award-winning career as a photojournalist she once had. It was a choice she had never truly regretted. Until she begins to regret it with all her heart.
India couldn't pinpoint the exact moment. Perhaps it was the last time her agent called, begging her to take an assignment Doug insisted she turn down. Or perhaps it was when Doug told her he thought of her as a companion and someone to take care of their kids, and not much more. At that moment, the price of the sacrifices she'd made began to seem high.
And then, she met Paul Ward. A Wall Street tycoon married to a bestselling author, Paul lived life on his own terms, traveling the world on his own yacht. India hadn't planned to become Paul's friend. Anything more was unthinkable. Yet talking to Paul was so easy. India could share her dreams with him, and offer comfort when Paul suffers a heartbreak of his own. And while Paul urges India to reclaim her career, Doug is adamantly against it, determined to keep her tied to the home. But with Paul's encouragement, India slowly, painfully, begins to break free, and find herself again.
Rediscovering her creativity and her courage, India uses Paul like a beacon on the horizon, sharing intimate phoneconversations with a man half a world away, a man who never stops reminding her of all that is possible for her. India is changing, and nothing in her life will ever be the same again. Not her marriage. Not her friendship with Paul. And when India is presented with an irresistible opportunity, she makes a heart-wrenching decision, leaving a safe, familiar place-and the people she loves there-to move into the terror of the unknown.
Bittersweet is her story, a story of freedom, of having dreams and making choices to find them. With unerring insight, Danielle Steel has created a moving portrait of a woman who dares to embark on a new adventure and the man who helps her get there. Her painful, exhilarating journey inspires us all.(less)

Mass Market Paperback, 464 pages

Published May 30th 2006 by Dell (first published March 8th 1988)

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Jan 27, 2013 Nahiyan Asadullah rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: the emotional fools

"Bittersweet" is the second Steel book that I read, the first one was 'Irresistible Forces.' So the story starts off by portraying the life of India Taylor, the photographer. Her father was a Pulitzer-winning passionate photo journalist in his days.

India used to be a very famous photographer 17 years ago. However, her husband Doug whose name actually should be spelled 'Dog' had not let her continue on her passion and interestingly enough India had agreed to bury it thinking of her children and h...more

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Dec 15, 2011 Daisy*•.♥.•* rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I can see why Danielle Steel has had so much success as an author. This is the first book of hers that I have read and I must say that I was surprised. I have seen a lot of her books at used bookstores and have passed them over. However, I picked up this one by luck. I read the excerpt on the story and I took it home with me. It sat on my bookshelf for about 1 year. I finally picked it up this week and began to read it. A few days later I find myself writing this review.

Let me start off by sayin...more I can see why Danielle Steel has had so much success as an author. This is the first book of hers that I have read and I must say that I was surprised. I have seen a lot of her books at used bookstores and have passed them over. However, I picked up this one by luck. I read the excerpt on the story and I took it home with me. It sat on my bookshelf for about 1 year. I finally picked it up this week and began to read it. A few days later I find myself writing this review.

Let me start off by saying that “Bittersweet” was the most perfect title of this book! The whole story really was bittersweet. It had sadness and happiness mixed in as one. Steel definitely has a great writing skill. There were many elements to the story itself that I really liked. I loved that the story was not predictable. There were several times when I was thinking “ok, this is obvious what is going to happen between these 2” , and I would read along only to find out I was wrong. There were elements of surprise too! Without saying too much on the story itself, I will say that I believed that India and Paul would end up having an affair with each other while they were both married and I was wrong! The character that I really disliked with a passion was Doug!! What an ignorant macho-tistic man he was!! Steel did a great job in creating this character and describing him to where I felt he was right in front of me and I wanted to punch him in the face. I really felt bad for India at the beginning of the story. She was sheltered on her dreams and the way Doug spoke to her about her passion in photography was belittling. He not only had no appreciation for her as a wife, or the mother of his children let alone as a human being. It was no wonder to me why she starting to give up on their marriage. Everybody has a breaking point and I am surprised she didn’t reach hers sooner!

One of the things that really surprised me about the story was that Steel doesn’t do much in describing the setting of Cape Cod and New York where most of the story takes place. She does have a few descriptive paragraphs but not enough to where I could actually visualize the setting in my mind. However, this was not an issue with me because she made up for it by focusing the writing more to the characters and the plot. In the end, this worked out great for me! I was able to get into the story and the drama in it!
Steel really followed through on her great reputation as a writer. No wonder the woman is a Best Selling Author!! I look forward to reading more of her novels!(less)

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May 14, 2013 Alice rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle

Half way through the book, I was already feeling daunted by the predictable plot and the hackneyed character development. In a word, it was a yawn. Yet, i still ploughed through the book till the very end.

Bittersweet is a tale about a fortysomething homemaker, India, who is a former award-winning photojournalist, now happily married to her husband, Dough for 17 years, at least she thought they are. They have four happy kids and a regular home life that is admirable to everyone and for 17 years I...more Half way through the book, I was already feeling daunted by the predictable plot and the hackneyed character development. In a word, it was a yawn. Yet, i still ploughed through the book till the very end.

Bittersweet is a tale about a fortysomething homemaker, India, who is a former award-winning photojournalist, now happily married to her husband, Dough for 17 years, at least she thought they are. They have four happy kids and a regular home life that is admirable to everyone and for 17 years India has led a monotonous life, though she still feels there is always a place in her heart for photography but for the sake of her family, she knows she has to compromise. Instead of bracing her way in the deserted jungles or war zones, she is now taking pictures of her kids' soccer games and doing car pools. A conflict arises when she is tempted to take up an assignment but Dough has been adamant of not letting her do it and he also makes it clear that it is the deal that she made once they got married, ie she was to be a stay-at-home-mum. India feels stabs of pain when Dough says to her point blank that he doenst love her anymore and there is no point in romance after being married for years and her role is to take care of his kids and nothing more. India is torn. This is when Paul Ward, a wall street tycoon, comes into the picture and offers her a good solace she has been wanting to get from her own husband. The camaraderie that they shared over the summer has blossomed into many friendly phone conversations and heart-to-heart talks. Paul is especially against the way Dough treats India and he not only offers her a shoulder to cry on, he is fully supportive of her pursuing her dreams, which only makes India more courageous to stand up to Dough when they have arguments. Though they both have secretly developed feelings for each other, they brush it aside and prefer to do the right thing which is to stay faithfully married to their spouse. Then Serene, Paul's wife, dies in an airplane crash. Paul retreats into his yacht and spends months on sea to mourn for his loss. More phone conversations ensue. India is sure by now that she likes Paul more than she thought and Paul, haunted by nightmares and plagued by survivor guilt, makes it clear to India that he could never be "her light at the end of the tunnel". India, in the midst of a divorce crisis with Dough, feels devastated and knowing that her little fantasy of being with Paul is now shattered has been a double blow to her. They still stay as friends and when Paul decides to come to visit India after months of sailing, the chemistry sparkles once again between them and Paul and India take the plunge into this relationship and are so loved up for A WEEK when Paul, suddenly freaks out and thought it is a mistake to start the relationship with India. He is constantly gnawed by his conscience for surviving Serena and the haunting dreams he has make him feel like a betrayer. At the same time, the prospect of rising four potential juvenile delinquents puts him off too. So he leaves India and tells her not to call him anymore. This time round, India is completely crushed, even more so from her previous marriage to Dough.

India, now divorced with four kids, with her ex-husband in the midst of marrying his new girlfriend, Paul's leaving is an insult added to the wound. All the emotional torments she has undergone have toughened her up especially after she survives a car crash. She becomes a renewed person and she channels her energy into taking care of her kids and taking up assignments. By happenstance, she meets Paul again during her assignment in Rwanda, they both agree to rekindle their friendship. From the conversations they have, it is evident that India has grown up more mature and she talks about how her right guy would be the one coming though the hurricane for her. Paul, obviously still very much in love with her, is in self-denial again saying his perfect woman is his late wife, Serena, while battling within himself to say it is her, India. After the assignment is done, both go back to their separate lives until one day Hurricane Barbara threatens to hit her place and Paul comes through the storm to find her. The story ends in both embracing each other, standing in the storm. Pretty predictable, no?

I give it three stars even when I think the plot is cliched and it is so predictable. Having said that, there was some surprise thrown in here and there for good measure and it makes reading this book a good experience though I have to say it is definitely not a page-turner. I love the portrayal of India in Bittersweet by DS in the later part of the novel when she has come to her senses. All the while, she is the one doing all the giving and loving but in return she gets a broken heart. Now she is more assured of herself and knows she deserves better, which makes her even more dazzling to Paul. India is one strong character that many career-women-turned-homemakers would be able to relate to. I am not at all warmed up to Paul's character in as I think he is indecisive for a man of great achievement and living in self-denial has made him look weak.

Overall, it is an okay but not a compelling read.
(less)

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Jul 13, 2012 Summer rated it 2 of 5 stars

So India (the main character) was a very famous photographer 17 years ago and she wants to get back to work... but the "big" trouble is that, the jackass she calls husband, Doug, dont let her.

This is the first book of Danielle Steel that i read and i have to said that im a little bit dissapointed.
When I first started reading, I read one review that said India was the bravest heroin that she ever read before... hell no.

So i started reading the book ... and are fifty pages for her to ask for permi...more

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Sep 04, 2011 Eyna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Some melodrama about a woman named India, who wants to be
more than just a wife and a mother -- Wants to pursue her
career in photojournalism, but her narrow-minded husband,
Doug, won't allow it; India then meets Paul, a Wall Street
tycoon who lived his life in his own terms - in a yacht!,
and whose glamorous wife dies in a plance crash.

India's life begins to change in ways she didn't plan on when
she meets this indecently handsome & ruggedly alluring hot stuff!

Strong story line but with v...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Sunshine rated it 2 of 5 stars

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May 19, 2013 zyra.cyra.xyra rated it 2 of 5 stars

Reasons why I gave two stars..

I’m not pretty sure (doubtful) if I liked India’s character in the story. She was too much under her husband Doug who wouldn’t let her get back to work as a professional photographer. She was easily manipulated by her husband. But optimistic signs of her which I liked- She’s a great mother, determined and humble. As I was reading the first few chapter, I found it irritating that same thing/conflict comes out-and that is India’s insistent of getting back to her work...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Maria rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourite, prateleiras

Adorei este livro. O meu pai comprou-mo no Sábado, há dois dias atrás e peguei nele imediatamente e não me desiludiu. Tinha grandes esperanças desta autora, já li imensos livros dela e este é um dos meus preferidos.

Não vou falar do que ele fala, mas é um livro a não perder; incentiva-nos a nunca desistir dos nossos sonhos e citando a autora : " Because giving you who you are, what you do, and what you need is giving up your dreams, and if you give them up, sooner or later, it will kill you."

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Jun 16, 2011 M-J rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fabulous!!! A wonderful story - one any woman who has had or has a controlling husband should read. It is a story of survival and finding oneself again. And, being a travel photographer, I could totally relate to the photographic side of the main character, India, and was right with her on her journey. I could relate to India on many plains and cheered her on throughout.

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May 30, 2011 Talitha rated it 4 of 5 stars

i love this book. menceritakan tentang India Taylor, ibu rumah tangga beranak empat dan bersuami pekerja kantoran yang semakin lama semakin dingin setelah tujuh belas tahun pernikahan. India adalah mantan fotografer andalan setiap media yang terpaksa gantung kamera akibat pernikahannya. Hari dimana dia bertemu Paul Ward adalah hari yang akan mengubah hidupnya selamanya

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Mar 28, 2011 Sana Rose rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a touching read when it comes to India's suffering. And elevating when it comes to the part when she starts being brave..
It's not adventurous or even page-turning but it has got a message. I loved the character of Paul in some ways. And Doug elicited much hatred. Well there, again it's about second chances. A typical Danielle Steel.

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Feb 06, 2013 Nirmala Kasinathan rated it 5 of 5 stars

It's a modern day tale of a career woman ( a famous photographer in the case of India Taylor) giving up her career to become a full time wife and mom and finding herself and her need to return to work with the help of another man.....It's one of Danielle Steels classic piece of work.... Touching !

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Apr 25, 2012 Lorma rated it 4 of 5 stars

Bittersweet is one of Danielle Steel's best books.A wonderful story -Set in Cape Cod. It is a story of survival and finding oneself again. India,the main character is very likable and easy to relate to on many levels. One can not help cheering her on her up and down journey in life.

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Apr 10, 2013 CC rated it 3 of 5 stars

Read it be since , I don't know why, but liking Danielle Steele book... Kind of a slow read... Some parts really enjoyed and other dragged... But I would recommend this to a specific type of person because it makes a statement of being true to yourself which I really enjoyed...

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Apr 30, 2013 Yajayry Fletcher rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. But at the same time it made me so mad (at almost at the end of the story) it made me scream at the book. But I really loved the end. so lovely and romantic. I too. want a man who would pass through a huricane or storm just to be with me.

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Aug 09, 2011 Bethany Stoelting added it · review of another edition

Very slow moving and repetitively frustrating at times, but Steel shows her knowledge of real-life situations. It was tragic and beautiful. Expect to be upset and frustrated until the last third of the book. I still enjoyed it immensely despite its speed.

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Jun 02, 2012 AlohaKarina Chapman rated it 4 of 5 stars

I liked this one. The protagonist is an enjoyable character; her husband is a world-class jerk. But the romantic interest irritated me a little. I'm tired of wishy-washy men! The romantic interest is what busted this from a 5- to a 4-star book.

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Jul 23, 2011 Kristie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this in a little over a day, such a sweet story! I read it a long time ago as I have many of D.S. books but didn't remember the storyline in this one. Of course it had a happy ending, my favorite kind lol!

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Jun 10, 2012 Stefani rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Danielle steel fans

Steel just goes on and on about India wanting to photograph and spending all her time with her kids and seeing Doug for dinner. She wants to feel the excitement and the adriline rush once again, but nothing happens for a very long time. The divorce sets her free. She finds a man who supports and undersatnds her.

Overall impression - nothing happens for too long. As a reader i got bored until the divorce occured.

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Feb 18, 2011 BJ rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, my-shelf-nook, womens-fiction

Hadn't read a Danielle Steel in awhile, and this was typical of her writing style. Hated the main character's husband and it took half the book to get rid of him. By the time she got rid of him, I didn't like her much either!

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Jul 17, 2011 Lily Bart rated it 3 of 5 stars

Pleasant enough but a little short on romance.

India is a nice enough heroine, but her husband is such a one-dimensional jerk it's hard to believe she was married to him for fourteen years.

Paul Ward is a nice enough hero, but I wish there was more romance and less angsting about the death of his first wife in a plane crash. Serena was actually a much more interesting character than Paul -- or India either for that matter.

Also given that India sees herself as a wife and mother first and a caree...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Candy Brown call rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved it! Good down to earth, about home, kids, and love of the right kind. Made me have a deeper desire to photograph every moment of life. Thanks Danielle!

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Jul 14, 2012 Brittany rated it 2 of 5 stars

Took me many years to read, I would start then quit, then try again in a few months. Once I finally finished it, it really wasn't too bad, but very hard to get into

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Jul 09, 2009 Stasha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

'Bitter' because India Taylor had to make a great sacrifice in order to find her true self but 'sweet' because she was finally able to fulfill her dreams.

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May 07, 2013 VaughanPL added it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, this-months-picks

click here to find it in the catalogue.

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Sep 05, 2010 Desislava rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: danielle-steel

Dont forget who you are, what you need and what you do, because this way you neglect your dreams and that can kill you.

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Aug 11, 2011 Homer H. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think there were too many thoughts from the characters described here. Beautifully written!

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Oct 14, 2010 Karen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Mmmm ok, quite predictable, bit boring in parts, easy read but not a page turner.

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Oct 27, 2011 Randy Wiggins rated it 5 of 5 stars

A great book of love and loss and new found love. Terrific family drama.

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Apr 10, 2013 Lynda rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was ok although I did find it slow in pace. Love eventually wins out without much fanfare.

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About Danielle Steel

Since 1981, Ms. Steel has been a permanent fixture on the New York Times hardcover and paperback bestseller lists. In 1989, she was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for having at least one of her books on the Times bestseller list for 381 consecutive weeks. But Guinness was premature. The fact is that one or more of Ms. Steel's novels have been on the New York Times bestseller list for...more Since 1981, Ms. Steel has been a permanent fixture on the New York Times hardcover and paperback bestseller lists. In 1989, she was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for having at least one of her books on the Times bestseller list for 381 consecutive weeks. But Guinness was premature. The fact is that one or more of Ms. Steel's novels have been on the New York Times bestseller list for over 390 consecutive weeks.

Twenty-one of Ms. Steel's novels have been adapted for television, each earning high ratings and critical acclaim, including two Golden Globe nominations for JEWELS, a four-hour mini-series that starred Anthony Andrews.

In addition, Ms. Steel is the author of the "Max and Martha" series of books for young readers. They are ten illustrated storybooks written to comfort the young as they face problems, such as a new stepfather, new baby, new school, loss of a grandparent, and other crucial dilemmas in a child's life. She has also written the "Freddie" books, four of them, about real-life situations in children's lives, like a visit to the doctor and the first night away from home. Ms. Steel has also written nonfiction, HIS BRIGHT LIGHT, about the life and death of her son Nicholas Traina, released by Delacorte Press in September 1998 and immediately jumped to the New York Times Non-Fiction bestseller list and "Having a Baby." She has also written a book of poetry entitled LOVE: POEMS BY DANIELLE STEEL.

In 2002, Ms. Steel was decorated by the French government as an "Officier" of the distinguished Order of Arts and Letters, for her lifetime contribution to world culture. She was awarded the second highest rank of the Order.

Ms. Steel also has a passionate interest in emerging contemporary artists. She has had an art gallery for several years, and and continues to sponsor and organize free lance art shows and events to show the work of emerging and mid-career artists. She has a degree in design herself. In addition to her writing, Ms. Steel has varied philanthropic interests. She founded and runs two foundations, one named in honor of her late son, The Nick Traina Foundation, which funds organizations involved in mental illness and child abuse. The second was established to assist the homeless. She has won numerous awards for her personal work with mentally ill adolescents and children. Ms. Steel maintains a passionate interest in the welfare and well-being of children, particularly those in jeopardy. She has raised nine children of her own. And they continue to keep her busy, as she juggles writing and family. Her family is her first priority, despite her many interests.

From an education in New York and Europe to a professional background in public relations and advertising, and teaching, Ms. Steel moved on quickly to her literary career and has been hard at work writing ever since. She wrote her first book at nineteen. Often, she works on five books at a time — researching one storyline, writing another, and editing the third. Still, she often spends two to three years researching and developing a single project. In the heat of a first draft, it is not uncommon for her to spend eighteen to twenty hours a day glued to her 1946 Olympia manual typewriter.

Family, children, and young people are the central focus of her life, and her passion, which frequently shows in her writing. She deals with the themes that touch on the most pressing issues of real life, which makes her books universal, and touch so many people. She is fascinated by the pressing life situations that affect us all, how people handle them and are often transformed as a result. And her novels have explored subjects such as kidnapping, incest, mental illness, suicide, death, divorce, adoption, marriage, loss, cancer, war, among others. She also frequently writes about historical themes, shedding new light on familiar historical events with meticulously accurate research.

Despite her varied interests and activities, (less)

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