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Zoya

3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 · rating details · 6,269 ratings · 213 reviews

Against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution and World War I Europe, Zoya, young cousin to the Tsar, flees St. Petersburg to Paris to find safety. Her entire world forever changed, she faces hard times and joins the Ballet Russe in Paris. And then, when life is kind to her, Zoya moves on to a new and glittering life in New York. The days of ease are all too brief as the...more

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Published June 28th 2006 by Debolsillo (first published January 1st 1988)

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Mar 28, 2012 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is pretty much the only Danielle Steel novel that I ever liked. I would get her books as gifts, or I would pick one up thinking I would like it and just never did--they were all too similar, too lacking in substance--the cotton candy of books for me. Except Zoya. This one, I actually thoroughly enjoyed (it was a gift and at first I though, oh no...) Maybe it's because of the whole Russian history aspect...or maybe Ms. Steel was differently inspired for this book. At any rate, if you don't u...more

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May 15, 2013 Gloria Bernal rated it 3 of 5 stars

I hadn't read a Steel book in many years as the last few I read seemed to be written by an amateur. I noticed in reading other reviews that I wasn't the only one that felt this way. She was getting highly criticized by long-time fans. I also dropped her. My sister recommended I read this when I returned from St. Petersburg, so I did. I was glad I did, even though at times getting through it frustrated me. It's not a story I will easily forget, and actually I should have read it prior to my trip...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Laraemilie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A l’aube de la révolution russe, Zoya, une jeune cousine du tsar se voit obligée de fuir son pays avec sa grand-mère. Toutes deux gagnent Paris, où elles doivent s’habituer à une existence en tout point différent du luxe qu’elles ont connu auparavant. Heureusement, la force de caractère de la jeune fille lui permettra de survivre et de se construire une vie agréable, entre la France et New York.
Zoya retrace le portrait d’une jeune fille incroyable, qui fera preuve d’une capacité d’adaptation ini...more A l’aube de la révolution russe, Zoya, une jeune cousine du tsar se voit obligée de fuir son pays avec sa grand-mère. Toutes deux gagnent Paris, où elles doivent s’habituer à une existence en tout point différent du luxe qu’elles ont connu auparavant. Heureusement, la force de caractère de la jeune fille lui permettra de survivre et de se construire une vie agréable, entre la France et New York.
Zoya retrace le portrait d’une jeune fille incroyable, qui fera preuve d’une capacité d’adaptation inimaginable. N’ayant rien connu d’autre que le luxe de la haute société jusqu’à ses dix-sept ans, la révolution la force à découvrir un monde tout différent, dans lequel elle doit travailler pour assurer sa subsistance et celle de sa grand-mère. Traumatisée par le sort de sa famille en Russie, elle se relèvera pourtant à chaque échec, poursuivant son rêve de bonheur. Et, comme dans toute fiction romantique qui se respecte, elle rencontrera l’amour.
Je dois admettre que, à ma grande surprise, j’ai été transportée sur les pas de l’héroïne sans même m’en rendre compte et j’ai apprécié ce roman qui me laissait au départ sceptique. Il est vrai que les romances ne sont pas vraiment mon genre, mais j’ai décidé de tenter ma chance avec Zoya en raison du contexte de la révolution russe, qui m’intéresse beaucoup. C’est donc sans surprise que je dirai que la première partie a été ma préférée : on y découvre Zoya dans son enfance et son adolescence, on entrevoit la beauté des palais de la famille royale et les paysages d’hiver de ce pays, bientôt détruit par de sanglants combats.
La deuxième partie est située à Paris et offre un contraste marqué avec la première. Fini le luxe, Zoya et sa grand-mère ne sont plus rien. Dans la misère, toutefois, la jeune fille fait preuve d’un courage sans pareil et se rend très attachante de par son fort caractère. C’est là qu’elle rencontrera l’amour, une histoire touchante, mais bien trop romancée et rapide à mon goût.
Voilà donc l’héroïne partie pour New York, où elle fera à nouveau partie des personnes influentes. Cela signifie une fois de plus un changement, et le fait qu’elle doive s’adapter à un nouveau système, mais elle le fait naturellement, sans problème visible. Le bonheur est toutefois de courte durée en raison de la crise de 1929, auquel son mari ne survivra pas. Zoya, elle, s’en sortira, tout comme ses enfants, et quelques années plus tard, elle rencontrera à nouveau l’amour. Bien qu’ayant apprécié cette partie, j’ai trouvé que l’auteur basculait trop dans les clichés, et qu’on passait trop souvent d’un moment de pur bonheur à un instant de profond désespoir, où les évènements tragiques s’enchaînent à une vitesse incroyable.
Malgré ces extrêmes, l’histoire m’a plu, sans aucun doute grâce à Zoya elle-même. Si les autres personnages manquent de profondeur, elle est tout simplement admirable. Le contexte y est aussi pour beaucoup, car Zoya a non seulement traversé la révolution russe, mais aussi la première guerre mondiale, le krach économique de 29 et la seconde guerre mondiale. Oscillant entre la haute société et les couches plus pauvres, elle nous donne un aperçu de la vie à cette époque historique importante et nous emmène par la même occasion dans le monde de la mode.
Zoya plaira donc aux amateurs de belles histoires d’amour. Elle est sans conteste l’héroïne idéale pour un tel roman de par son caractère et le contexte dans lequel elle évolue. J’aurais toutefois aimé avoir davantage de détails historiques et un peu moins de clichés, mais ce fut néanmoins une lecture agréable.
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Jun 15, 2007 Lucille rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: losers

I really liked this book when I was 10, mainly because I was obsessed with the Russian Revolution and cherished the possibility that I might be Anastasia Romanov. I've read it since then and it is the usual Danielle Steel schlock with tons of ellipses to fill space, lots of cliches, and banal unevocative descriptions. But, there's no such thing as a cliche when you're 10! It's a good read for people who are younger, not widely read, or big fans of Danielle Steel, as I used to be.

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Aug 10, 2012 Ces rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Ces by: My Algebra Tutor

Shelves: college-reads, pre-owned, surprisingly-good

This is one of the two books from Danielle Steel that I've read. And I can't even remember the title of the other one (Update: Hey, It's The Gift! Lol). But this one's something else.

I have always been curious about the Russian Revolution since having watched the animated movie 'Anastasia'. I've researched extensively about the Romanov family and watched a lot of documentaries about it. So when my Algebra Tutor mentioned that she used to read this book about the Czar and his fallen family (it w...more

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Jan 14, 2009 Kandice Poirier rated it 5 of 5 stars

well, i read this book like 30 times throughout highschool, and i still love it. even if it is a cheesy love novel.

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Feb 20, 2008 Liz rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is one of my favorites. I'm not a huge D.S. fan but this story is one that I love to read; over and over again. Fictional characters fit so seamlessly into actual historical events and she describes it all so beautifully. Almost makes you wish you had been there to see it and enjoy the ride of highs and lows along with the characters in the story.

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Jul 10, 2012 Regina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, danielle-steel

For weeks, I've been craving to read a Danielle Steel book and was happy to find one among my pile of books. I've actually been putting off reading it, because the cover doesn't tell me much. Well, it does in terms of a girl dancing ballet, not much further than that. I did noticed that the protagonist has red hair but didn't think much of it until start reading the book.

Zoya is a young Russian Countess living in times of war, descendant of the Tsar family, surrounded by luxury and protection u...more For weeks, I've been craving to read a Danielle Steel book and was happy to find one among my pile of books. I've actually been putting off reading it, because the cover doesn't tell me much. Well, it does in terms of a girl dancing ballet, not much further than that. I did noticed that the protagonist has red hair but didn't think much of it until start reading the book.

Zoya is a young Russian Countess living in times of war, descendant of the Tsar family, surrounded by luxury and protection until the palace is invaded by revolutionaries which forces them to abandon their country in order to survive. In fact, Zoya and her grandmother are the only ones able to escape along with a faithful servant. They travel to France, but arriving upon destination their future doesn't look very prosperous either. In times of war, Zoya is forced to work, which doesn't make her grandmother happy and they face tough times financially. When Zoya meets Clayton, an American soldier, they both fall in love and he takes her to America, after the passing of Zoya's grandmother. But years later with the death of her husband and with two children to take care of, Zoya has to step up to the plate again.

I really admired Zoya for having the strength to not give up in times of despair and having faith that things would work out. And the author many times compared Zoya's hair colour with fierceness and perseverance, which I couldn't think of a better comparison.
Even with everything that she went through ( the loss of her family and her husband's death) she did not become a bitter person. She was always looking to take care of her children and did her best. There were ups and downs, Clayton had lost her fortune in the Great Depression which left Zoya without any financial resources just like when she had to run away from her country and she did not let herself get beaten by it. She was the perfect heroine in my eyes. But not the same can be said about of of her kids, Alexandra , who thought she owned the world.
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Jan 12, 2009 Amarantha rated it 5 of 5 stars

one of my fave novels of her.

It's about a Russian girl's life before and after the chaos in Russia. She was one of the people who close to the Tsar's family. Really interesting, she really tasted the sweet and bitter life and best of all, she fought for her happiness and survived the hard times.

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Jan 31, 2013 Shilpa rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another typical Danielle Steel novel set against the backdrop of Russian Revolution that moves around the life of Zoya Romanov who was forced to flee her country with her grandmother after the rest of the family died.
Her Life would have been perfect as it was with the connections that she had and the lineage that she belonged to had the war not started that changed it completely forever.
It is a story of survival instinct and the human spirit to live and carry on.
What saddened me was the frequenc...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Ishabelle added it

Shelves: danielle-steel

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Aug 05, 2008 June rated it 5 of 5 stars

loved this book. counldn't stop thinking about it. Was about a girl who grew up during the Russian revolution during the rein of the Czar. Follow thru her escape from the revolutionaries into Europe and the the US.

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Apr 13, 2009 Carolineb rated it 4 of 5 stars

I don't read Danielle Steel, the last book I read by her was clearly written by a 10 year old ghost writer. But, Zoya was a great book, well written and full of history about Czarist Russia.

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Apr 22, 2008 Kristen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

This is a classic love story that deals with a Russian legacy between a Russian princess and the man she falls in love with. A classic love story to tell the hands of time.

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Nov 22, 2008 Tanya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Danielle Steel's books always have a bit of real life history added which makes them more interesting.

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Nov 25, 2008 Susan rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of my all time favs from her. It made me laugh, smile and cry. I never do that in a book.

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Aug 07, 2012 Lily Bart rated it 3 of 5 stars

Reading this book is like watching the trailer for an incredible movie -- and then realizing that you just watched the movie and there was nothing more to come!

Every time Zoya is in some new and interesting situation, you think, ah, now it will get really exciting and romantic. Only it never does! She's a pampered princess in Russia for like, five pages. Then she's poor in Paris. Then she's rich again. Then she's poor again. And all the time it was like, when will the action really start?

Daniel...more

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Jun 02, 2007 Elham rated it 4 of 5 stars

a great novel with full of sad and happiness occurs..

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Jun 03, 2007 mayra added it

everyone has their crap reads. lol.

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May 03, 2013 Chloe Curley rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 08, 2013 Onka rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-novels, sk-cz

Danielle Steel once again proved that she is a great author. On the contrary to popular belief, she does not write these 'sweet' romances. Her heroines have to overcome so many obstacles to reach their happy ending that a reader only wonders 'Should a life be so cruel and hard?' and 'Is it even worth it?'. I don't know but I find all of her novels so realistic and believable...
In this case, our main character a young countess Zoya lives a pleasant life with her family in St. Petersburg. However,...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Charlotte (Buried in Books) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 16, 2011 Sasha Dayo rated it 5 of 5 stars

OMG. When I read this book. I did not return to the owner. I become bitchy about and boy did I just own it!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've read this book many tyms and I have never got bored with it. Zoya from the tym she escapes the Russian Revolution with her grandma, the hardships and pain she went through. wow. Its tells of the tale of richness, to glory , to poverty, war, deaths, beauty and survfival of a young Russian princess from the 1900s to the Cold War. She survived all the wars. IT IS LOVABLE.

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Aug 25, 2009 Olean Public Library rated it 3 of 5 stars

Set against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution, Zoya was a good "beach" read while vacationing in the Outer Banks of NC. In typical Danielle Steel fashion, leading character, Zoya, is a strong, determined, beautiful woman who must face and overcome many challenges and obstacles. The writing was somewhat "flat" and when characters died I didn't feel any emotion. The historical setting and connections to the Russian Tsar were the most interesting part of the book for me.

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May 27, 2009 ♥sharay♥ chappell rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: girls

Shelves: favorite

it's about this girl who lives in russia and she is jew and the nazis kill her parents and brother the only family member she had left was her grandma who shortly dies they go into hidding into paris and she falls in love with a american soldier and he dies in the warthen she works at this store and she marries another store owner and he dies leaving her with kids and she has another relationship with a guy but never marries.

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Aug 01, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

I originally read this book when I was 17, and instantly fell in love with the story. So much so, I specifically remember watching the "made for TV" movie on NBC. Now, approx 15 years later ... this book stil captures me. After reading a variety of her books, this is still my favorite.

Yes, it's cheesy ... yes, it is cliche .. but what is wrong with a little embellished romance?

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Jul 10, 2012 Misty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: to-reread, library-dp

I vividly remember this book - my grandmother gave it to me and I read it when I was a teenager. I absolutely loved it. It led me to other Danielle Steel books, which for some reason I kept reading, even after I realized they were all almost exactly the same. This one is, without a doubt, her best (in my opinion), and I'd love to reread it to see if it holds up after over 20 years.

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Aug 24, 2009 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

Okay, I know this is a Danielle Steel book, but it was actually quite good! It reminded me a little of Gone with the Wind. It is about a Russian royalty girl, who ends up having to run away from the revolution and becomes a ballerina. It is all about her travels throguh Europe and to America. I really liked this book! Quick read, even though the book is huge!

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Jul 06, 2012 Jaja rated it 2 of 5 stars

The fact that the book relates to history, sets from Russian revolution, to the world wars is quite interesting. Zoya is a strong woman, beautiful at heart and also outside. What she goes through is emotional to any person and anyone can relate to her. Although that is not specifically what we today we go through. Its fiction but sends a message.

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Sep 25, 2012 Romaine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

I read this before our class in World History and I was appalled about the tragedy of the Romanov family. It was a tragedy too, for Zoya who grew up spoiled, protected and well-loved by her family. This book expressed how she coped up with life during the war, fell in love, got married, and live a very old age.

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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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“Sometimes, I think one should only live in the present. The past is only a heavy burden to carry with you. And yet… it’s so hard to let them go… to forget… to move ahead…” — 5 people liked it

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