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The Kiss
Author: Danielle Steel
Book Information
Publisher: Dell
Book Type: Paperback
Rating:
ISBN-13: 9780440236696 - ISBN-10: 044023669X
Publication Date: 10/1/2002
Pages: 448

Book Description:
In her 53rd bestselling novel, Danielle Steel explores how a single shattering moment can change lives forever. The Kiss is at once a moving testament to the fragility of life and a breathtaking story about the power of love to heal, to free, to transform, and to make broken spirits whole.

On a warm June evening, a red double-decker bus, full of pasengers, speeds down a London street. A few blocks away, a man and a woman climb into a limousine, reveling in a magical evening of dancing and champagne. As their driver pulls into an intersection, the couple shares their first, searching kiss. For a moment, etched in time, all stands still—until, in a flash of metal and glass, their limousine is struck at full speed, crushed under the bus's tremendous weight. And a long journey begins—toward healing, toward hope, toward dreams of an infinite future...

Isabelle Forrester is the exquisite wife of a prominent Parisian banker who has long since shut her out of his heart. For lonely years, Isabelle has lived a life of isolation, pouring her passions into caring for her desperately ill son, Teddy, and into making their Paris home as happy as possible for her teenage daughter, Sophie. Isabelle allows herself one secret pleasure: a long-distance friendship by telephone with an American man, a Washington power broker who travels in the highest circles of politics and who, like Isabelle, is trapped in an empty marriage. To Bill Robinson, Isabelle is a godsend, a woman of extraordinary beauty and intellectual curiosity—a kindred spirit who touches him across the miles with her warmth and gentle empathy. Their relationship is a gift, a lifeline that sustains them both through the heartache of marriages they cannot leave and will not betray. Agreeing to meet for a few precious, innocent days in London, Isabelle and Bill find their friendship changing. Then, amidst the sudden crash of steel against steel, they are thrust onto a new path, a path fraught with pain but also with possibility.

Now, inside the cool, sterile wards of a London hospital, Isabelle and Bill cling to life, their bodies shattered almost beyond repair. In the days and weeks that follow, they slowly, painfully traverse a road to recovery littered with challenges of the body, spirit, and heart. Together, they must find the strength not only to embrace life again but to face what they have left behind. For Isabell, a loveless marriage turns into a brutal power struggle. For Bill, a time of healing exposes wounds that cut deeper than steel and realities that will test him to his core. For both, a tangle of changing relationships and the tragedy of another loss conspire to separate them once again. And this time they could lose each other forever.

In a novel that is as compelling as it is compassionate, Danielle Steel weaves a story of courage in the face of unimaginable loss. With the grace of a master storyteller, she explores the strength it takes to conquer our greatest fears, showing us how the toughest choices can yield the most unexpected rewards...and how the longest, most winding journeys can begin with a single kiss.


From the Hardcover edition.
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Genres:Other Versions of this Book: Paperback, Hardcover, Audio Cassette (Unabridged), Audio Cassette (Abridged), Audio CD (Abridged)


Rate These Member Reviews

Kelly S. (Kellyruns2) from SUPERIOR, WI wrote on 6/25/2007...


never read...new!

Blair W. (Blair) from LONGVIEW, WA wrote on 3/1/2007...


If you have read her books, you will like this one too.Gr

Cheryl G. (CherTLC4u) from BOCA RATON, FL wrote on 2/9/2007...


First kisses are often explosive, but not all are quite as disaster-ridden as the one that propels Steel's latest romance. Isabelle Forrester, elegant and refined wife of cold and indifferent Paris-based banker Gordon Forrester, has spent most of her marriage caring for her desperately ill teenage son, Teddy. Isolated in her Paris home, Isabelle's only comfort is her long-distance friendship with millionaire Washington power broker Bill Robinson, also stuck in an empty marriage. Isabelle and Bill, kindred spirits satisfied with their chaste relationship, agree to meet for a few platonic days in London. Following an enchanting evening on the town, they head back to their hotel in Bill's limousine. As the couple share their first, probing kiss, their car is struck by a speeding, double-decker bus. The horrendous crash kills many and leaves both Isabelle and Bill in critical condition. The long and arduous road to recovery is filled with both physical and emotional pain as Bill must make decisions about his crumbling marriage and the future of his career, and Isabelle must confront bitter truths about her husband. From adjoining hospital beds, they pledge their love to one another, but then Isabelle heads back to Paris to tend her ailing son, and Bill returns to the States for a stay at a rehabilitation center where he hopes to regain use of his legs. Will Isabelle eventually leave her husband and reclaim her freedom? Will Bill ever walk again? Will the two soul mates ever be reunited? Despite the wacky unlikeliness of the bus-crash plot device and the his-and-her IVs, Steel pulls through with skillful plotting, steeping a gentle brew that will once again gratify her legions of fans.

Barbara C. from PORTSMOUTH, RI wrote on 11/19/2006...


Another wonderful book by this great author. It is set in Paris and London.

TJ S. (CraftyTJ) from SOUTH FULTON, TN wrote on 11/18/2006...


Isabelle Forrester and Bill Robinson live in different continents but carry on a friendship via the telephone and a few visits here and there for four years. Isabelle stays at home with her sick child Teddy and her hateful husband. Bill is in a loveless marriage and doesn't want to get divorced because he's afraid it will hurt his career. Isabelle and Bill decide to meet in London for a few days to spend some time together. While in London they share a passionate kiss while at practically the same moment their limousine is hit by a double-decker bus. Their lives are forever changed.

Ruth K. (Librareader) from BULLHEAD CITY, AZ wrote on 9/30/2006...


Isabelle Forrester is maried to a banker who doesn't care for her anymore. She has a friend in Washington who is trapped in loveless marriage, also. They meet in London for a few days vacation. They are in an accident, and are hospitalized for a long period of time. Their relationship changes while there.

Lucy H. (gfigure) from NEW KENSINGTN, PA wrote on 6/6/2006...


Loved this book. Very romantic.

Dolores C. from NEWAYGO, MI wrote on 3/6/2006...


Good book!

Donna M. (Gramdjm) from HEALDSBURG, CA wrote on 3/4/2006...


If you are a Danielle Steel fan you can't go wrong with this book.

Diane L. (redsoxdiane) from LOWELL, MA wrote on 1/23/2006...


This book was great. It made me cry it was that good ! Gotta love Danielle Steel.