16th out of 62 books
—
115 voters
Zoya
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
Paperback, 0 pages
Published
June 28th 2006
by Debolsillo
(first published January 1st 1988)
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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
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
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
Zoya retrace le portrait d’une jeune fille incroyable, qui fera preuve d’une capacité d’adaptation ini...more
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.
Aug 10, 2012
Ces
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Ces by:
My Algebra Tutor
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
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
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.
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
Zoya is a young Russian Countess living in times of war, descendant of the Tsar family, surrounded by luxury and protection u...more
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
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
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 Depression strikes, and she loses everything yet again. It is her career, and the man she meets in the course of it, which ul...more
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
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
Jun 03, 2007
mayra
added it
everyone has their crap reads. lol.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
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
In this case, our main character a young countess Zoya lives a pleasant life with her family in St. Petersburg. However,...more
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
Yes, it's cheesy ... yes, it is cliche .. but what is wrong with a little embellished romance?
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.
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!
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.
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.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| Danielle Steel Bo...: Zoya | 1 | 3 | Nov 20, 2012 03:25am |
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
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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…”
—
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Feb 17, 2012 03:33pm