Precious Gifts

by Danielle Steel

One act of love will change one family’s destiny

As a devoted mother, Veronique Parker has dedicated herself to her three daughters, before and since her divorce.

Her world is turned upside down when her former husband dies suddenly, leaving her and their daughters astonishing inheritances: a painting of mysterious provenance, a château in the south of France, the freedom to pursue their dreams, and a shocking revelation from the past.

The precious gifts he left will lead them on a journey certain to change Veronique and her daughters’ destinies in the most surprising of ways . . .

From Rome to Paris, New York to Venice, Precious Gifts is an uplifting story about love, loss, and the gifts people pass on that can change lives beyond imagination . . .

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Adult Fiction, Adult, Drama, Contemporary

418 pages, ebook

First published May 1, 2014

About the author

Danielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world’s bestselling authors, with almost a billion copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include All That Glitters, Royal, Daddy’s Girls, The Wedding Dress, The Numbers Game, Moral Compass, Spy, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina’s life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; Expect a Miracle, a book of her favorite quotations for inspiration and comfort; Pure Joy, about the dogs she and her family have loved; and the children’s books Pretty Minnie in Paris and Pretty Minnie in Hollywood.

daniellesteel.com
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Reviews

[Suzzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well Timmie was just an awful character with little redeeming qualities. Good story though, and I liked the other characters a lot. The story had a beautiful French feel even though only some of it takes place in France. Danielle Steel writes surroundings so lovely and rich. This was a really enjoyable story of the mother and daughter relationship and second chances at romance. Enjoyed this one a great deal.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well i dont know ,maybe im not that used too Steel anymore, the story and the writing style are not as sugary sweet as i found her othere reads before, which is a major improvement, but i didnt get atached to any of the charecters,though if choosing between sisters, Timi is probebly my favorit

[Fluff Smut & Murder · Rating 1 out of 5]

I absolutely hate it when the book description doesn’t match the actual plot. I thought this was going to be a story about 3 sisters dealing with their father’s death with his gifts left to them through his will to make their lives better. Instead, it’s a whiny diatribe of how busy each daughter is with their lives and how their divorced mother finds love with a jerk in Europe.
What I loved: That I made a decision to stop reading the novel around page 285. I couldn’t find anything redeeming about any character in this novel. Since Ms. Steel has about 5 new books arriving in 2016, I’m hoping one of them will be decent.

What I didn’t love: Where to begin….. EVERYTHING! This could have been a terrific novel about these three women changing their lives (and the lives of others) with their inheritances or even how their half brother is contesting the will (and the battle to reunite the family), but instead its all about their mother, her douchebag younger lover, and how selfish each daughter is now that they are in their 20s. Over 75% of the novel focuses on Veronique and Aidan and their romance. She was divorced from the girls’ dad for 20 years – she couldn’t find a suitable man then?

What I learned: To look both ways before crossing the street. Maybe you should try it once or twice Veronique..

Overall Grade: D

www.fsam15.wix.com/fluffsmutandmurder

[Susan Becraft · Rating 2 out of 5]

Predictable

All Danielle Steele's books are predictable, but this one is dull. The cast of characters include Paul, a raconteur, who married Veronique, an uber wealthy woman, and the daughters they had prior to divorcing. In Steele style, the story begins with a tragedy. Usually her tragedies are more dramatic, a plane crash, for example, but Steele begins her saga with Paul's death and the reading of his will.

The contents of the will surprise the beneficiaries, but they do not surprise me because the will launches the story. Veronique inherits a painting, and his daughters inherit varying sums of money with instructions about its use. A hands-off father for years, Paul takes a paternal interest from the grave.

Veronique immediately flies to Rome. Another calamity ensues when she is nearly hit by a Ferrari, only to be saved by a young Englishman. In the standard Steele storyline, she meets the Ferrari driver, a Russian richer than Croesus, and Adrian, her savior, who is proud to be poorer than a church mouse. She lets the Russian wine and dine her, but her heart belongs to Adrian, who not only eschews money, but is jealous and controlling.

Veronique and Adrian gallivant around Europe, and she almost loses him when she takes him to her Paris home, which Steele describes as one of the grandest homes in Paris. Poor Adrian (literally and figuratively). He is sickened by the opulence, especially because he realizes that Veronique, not her husband, brought wealth into the marriage. Almost in tears, he cannot reconcile her bundles of cash with his determination to remain a starving photographer, who specializes in taking pictures only of the most downtrodden. Veronique successfully convinces him that rich people can be nice, and thus their journey to the South of France continues.

The daughters are making their dreams come true almost immediately. They are horrified at the thought of their beautiful mother having a life outside of catering to them.

Veronique returns to her fancy digs in Manhattan, where she is run over by a bike messenger. By now I have concluded that she stay away from moving vehicles. The prodigal daughters become even more unlikable, Adrian is the White Knight, and the silly story ultimately comes to a merciful end.

I always wonder if Steele is paid by the word. If she had written War and Peace, it would be 3000 pages long. Her writing is atrocious, as usual, with its run on sentences, constant repetition and split infinitives. And yet I and her ardent fans overlook her foibles to read an adult fairytale. Precious Gifts is not her best, but I bet it is on the bestseller list.

[Els · Rating 3 out of 5]

It reads very naturally, just like the previous book I have read from this author. Personally I didn't like the characters much. The daughters where rather heartless creatures and especially in the end when th mother is in the hospital due to an accident.

[Deborah Imhof · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable, a spiritual quality.

It was a romantically driven story with bits of a spirituality quality. Loved the main character, her children were not easy but the situation was completely relatable

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one just didn't do much for me. The daughter's were so self centered that it was hard to get past that. The theme of the story was good, the characters, not so much.

[Ler aos poucos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Danielle steel, autora de vários best-sellers, escreveu à volta de 190 livros e já vendeu mais de 800 milhões de cópias. Filha de mãe portuguesa, escreve essencialmente romances com bastante drama familiar.

Com este currículo, é quase obrigatório ler, pelo menos, um livro da autora. E esta foi a minha primeira experiência com a sua escrita.

Paul Parker, morre e deixa um testamento fora do comum, que vai mudar o destino das suas filhas e da ex-mulher. As filhas ganham uma nova motivação para realizar os seus sonhos, deixando a mãe livre para reencontrar os seus.

É um livro sobre novas oportunidades, relacionamentos e sobre o amor. Pela sinopse prometia um pouco de mistério, o que não se concretizou.

O que mais gostei foram as descrições das viagens e de “ver” cidades europeias como Veneza e Florença pelos olhos da protagonista. Foi muito interessante e deu-me uma imensa vontade de viajar. Se fosse com o mesmo luxo e desprendimento da personagem, melhor ainda.

É um romance com uma escrita delicada e suave, com bastante glamour e cenários sumptuosos, que nos faz pensar que vamos sempre a tempo de ser felizes e que por vezes nos temos de libertar do passado e dos outros.

[Mackenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Song for summary: I'll Be Missing You by Puff Daddy

I quite enjoyed this book! The characters are elegant, generous, and sentimental; while the plot is a bittersweet blend of loss, grief, and moving on. This was a deep and poignant read, and will certainly satisfy fans of Danielle Steel.

[Laura Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novel by Danielle Steel. I family type stories. I love reading this type especially after a novel of suspense or drama. I find Danielle Steel novels easy to read and comprehend without having to think to much...lol.

[Lisa Barclay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a very good DS novel, wouldn't surprise me if there were ghost writers. Three things really annoy me about it - DS needs to get into this century!
1) The fat shaming. The middle daughter is pudgy, bigger than her sisters, likes to sample her own baking - but is pretty anyway. Got news for you - you don't have to be model slim to be beautiful!
2) No one calls the airline to book a flight anymore - you do it online. No one faxes anymore - you email. Get with the times. At least there was some texting.
3) The main character was married to a guy 28 years older than her and the age difference was no big deal (she wanted a father figure). But when she dates a guy 11 years younger, it's a huge issue! Oh, and the younger guy is around the same age as the older daughter's boyfriend who's 10 years older than the daughter. Once again, the focus is on the woman dating a younger man rather than the age gaps in general. Let's move past the sexist notion that men can date younger women but women can't date younger men - the world has moved past that. Oh, and stop writing a 52 year old like a she's 80 and her life is over.
Much about the book annoyed me, making it hard to enjoy.

[Charmaine Saliba · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed it. Danielle Steel is one of my favourite authors, I really love her style and she never disappointed me. Precious Gift is a lovely story and I laughed and cried especially in the end. It is a fast read in fact, I read it in one sitting. It is a touching story of betray, lost, love and opportunities dealt with a sense of humour.
Veronique is a devoted mother, she is always there for her all grown up daughters. When they have a problem, they know that she will drop everything and help them. On a summer day Veronique was in the South of France when her eldest daughter called her and told her that her father died. Even though they were divorced for twenty years, Veronique still cared for him and was shocked even it wasn’t a surprise consider how sick he was lately. Her daughters took it hard, the three of them in different way. He wasn’t a good father neither a good husband and he had betrayed them even after his death.
Veronique and her daughters had to deal with this situation and have to decide what to do with the inheritance he left to them with the hope to make their dreams come true.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have enjoyed this book more if it didn't make me so angry! Nobody describes the wonders of Europe and new romance better than Danielle Steel, however this heroine let everyone walk all over her, from her children to her new boyfriend. Her favorite strategy was lying by omission to stay on everyone's good side. It was a miracle that she still had any of her inheritance left. I actually found myself hoping for some cataclysmic event that would wake her totally self-absorbed children up, but nothing of that magnitude happened, nor did they ever actually change (except to grudgingly accept her boyfriend). Thus, my anger.

I also wondered as I read it how much of the story was autobiographical, as I am sure that with the fortune that Danielle must have amassed as a best-selling authoress of 30-something years, she must have encountered her share of fortune hunters as well as fortune shunners.

While I was able to finish the story, it seemed a bit long and didn't have any really original elements that haven't been explored in previous Danielle Steel books.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is nothing quite like a Danielle Steel novel. This book was a fun escape, with a story about a very selfish father who leaves some very specific items in his will; items that will change each of their lives in a positive way. As usual with Danielle Steel books, the characters are highly glossed and somewhat stereotypical, but the story was fun and engaging. The main character, Veronique is a selfless mother and ex-wife who has always put others ahead of herself, and despite a vast family fortune, Veronique is a loving and caring person, not spoiled by her wealth. As Veronique attempts to learn the authenticity of a sentimental painting, she meets a handsome young photographer named Aiden, and they quickly develop a relationship. I really enjoyed this fun story.

[Minty McBunny · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was readable and predictable, as her books usually are. Really, not much happens and there's not too much conflict. The main character is kind of a rich, beautiful doormat with a jerk for an ex, a bigger jerk for a stepson and 3 jerky-to-her but beautiful and hard working daughters. Then she meets a hot younger than her jerk & lives happily ever after.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Precious Gifts by Danielle Steel is a typical read. The cover of the book was beautiful and it prompted me to read it. The places visited in the story ( Venice, Rome, Paris) brought back pleasant memories of my trips. ( not the expensive hotels, ships or restaurants). The ending was surprising and emotionally pleasing. 3.5 stars

[Denise Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a typical Danielle Steel book. Like so many of her books it is about family and love. It fell short with some of the characters. One in particular Nicoli. I would have liked more interaction with the sisters and more put into the ending. It had so much more potential.

[Bonnie Eldridge-labaff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book. No matter if you are rich or poor makes no difference it is what is in your heart. I love the dynamics between mother and daughters and how it shapes us as people. Love knows no age

[Jo Pendolino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book by an incredible author!!

[Sanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Timmie, Juliette en Joy Parker zijn 3 zussen. Ze zijn grotendeels door hun moeder Veronique opgevoed. Hun vader, Paul, was nauwelijks aanwezig en vooral altijd met zichzelf bezig. Nadat hij komt te overlijden krijgen ze allen een deel van de erfenis. Maar deze heeft hij bijzonder verdeeld. Een ieder krijgt wat haar toekomt. Met deze erfenis kunnen alle 4 de vrouwen op hun eigen manier, verder met hun leven.

Het verhaal liep totaal anders als wat ik had verwacht. Ik dacht dat het vooral om de 3 zussen zou draaien maar het bleek vooral om Veronique te gaan. Juist de verhaallijn van Veronique was er 1 die mij niet direct aansprak. Ook de keuzes die ze maakte vond ik af en toe een beetje dubieus. De 3 zussen vond ik een leuke combinatie aan persoonlijkheden. Allen hadden echt hun eigen ding wat mij erg aansprak. Ik vond het dan ook jammer dat ze soms wat naar de achtergrond werden gedreven.

Voor mij was het wel een lange tijd onduidelijk waar het verhaal naar toe zou gaan. Pas later wordt dit wat duidelijker. In het verhaal wordt er veel gereisd en hierdoor waren er veel verschillende settingen, dit vond ik een erg leuk deel van het verhaal.

Hoewel het verhaal absoluut niet was wat ik ervan had verwacht was het wel leuk om te lezen. Op sommige momenten was het ook echt wel een eve-opener.

[Loretta]

Tbh, I only started reading this because my mum gave me a copy. I haven't enjoyed any of Ms Steele's books before but I thought I'd give her one more try since it was going free. I'm afraid her style just isn't my cup of tea - I will most likely never finish reading this.

[Lendoxia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing spectacular, but a nice quick mindless read.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haven't read Danielle Steel for a long time but found a couple of her books in the newsagent's sale. This one was a cracker, kept me turning the pages

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice story!

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kind of reading pleasure. Some good life lessons and Ms Steele makes me feel like I’m traveling as I read. And, I always appreciate a good romance.

[Bookread2day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Danielle Steel is one my favourite authors. If you love family drama like I do then this is a must buy must read.
Veronique Parker's husband Paul had a blatant affair with a famous model that ended their marriage. But somehow after their divorce Veronique had forgiven him enough to become friends. Veronique had said she did it for the children.

Timmie Parker worked to find housing for eligible members of the homeless population. The youngest sister Joy lived in L.A where she was pursuing an acting career. Juliette ran a tiny sandwich shop and bakery in Brooklyn. The there was Bertie who was Paul's son by his first marriage .

When their father dies each one reacts in a different way and when they are told what has been left in their fathers will to each of the girls, Bertie has been left out of his fathers will. And an even bigger shock is in store for all them. Veronique has been left a painting that they bought on their honeymoon, but she wants to find out if it is a fake or if it worth any value.

Each character has a life that unfolds keeping readers hooked in to every page. I totally loved it!

[Lois · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story line is that Paul, father of three daughters - Timmie, Juliette, and Joy - and ex-husband of Veronique dies. He also has a son - Bertie - from a previous marriage. In his will he leaves everyone what they need in the short term to make their dreams come true. These gifts are very specific and really fit each of the people involved. This overall view of the story could of made for a really good read. However, none of the story lines are well developed. And Veronique's story got very boring - any movement was much too slow. Some of the story lines went too easily - no drama where there should have been drama. Eg. The meeting between Veronique, Elizabeth and Sophie, or the results of Bertie's reaction to the contents of the will.

If you are a writer, you might enjoy reading this - just so you can decide how you would fill in the details. If not, don't bother reading it - it is just not worth your time!

[Shelly Boltz-Zito · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an extraordinary story

Growing up, reading Danielle Steel's books for years, this was the newest one I read . It hit so close to home it was astounding and made me look at life around me with new open eyes. My heart broke four Mom, the girls and I wanted to smack the brother who ends up getting what he deserves. Family is what matters but so many don't realize it until it is too late. Make the time now to love your family. Be there for each other. Before it is too late because you only get 1 chance, and if you screw it up, your family is left paying for your choices. This book brought that to home. What another great book by a treasure who knows how to write with heart, love, compassion and gut wrenching stories.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Danielle Steel is a favorite author of mine. I love the stories she spins! In Precious Gifts, you will fall in love with Veronique, the mother of 3 daughters as she travels between Europe and New York. Her daughters come from money but Veronique made them pursue their own careers without her finances. After her ex husband dies the lives of all 4 women change what they have known. A wonderful story about family and how precious life is!

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical Danielle Steel in that she writes about lifestyles of the rich, but with a bit of a twist. An obviously absent parent during his lifetime, a father thoughtfully gives each of his 4 daughters and ex-wife in death what he couldn't in life . . . a bequest to allow them to follow their dreams. The great ending bumped up the rating--6 out of 10 for me on this one.