Description:
About this item:
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Oona Kelly Webster put the finishing touches on the Thanksgiving table with a critical eye, and made sure it looked as perfect as she wanted it, and her family expected it to be. Everything in Oona’s life was orderly, and impeccably planned well in advance. She didn’t like surprises, and tried to anticipate problems so that they would never happen. She’d had an impressive career in publishing at Hargrove Publishers, a small but highly respected house that existed under the umbrella of a larger publishing conglomerate. She had worked at the same company since she’d graduated from Princeton, and had taken classes from some of the greatest contemporary writers of our time.
From junior editor, over time she had risen to being the head of the small but most lofty literary imprint, publishing exceptionally fine authors. The house was prestigious, although its revenues did not compare to those that published commercial fiction. And as the publisher of her own imprint, Oona Kelly was a greatly respected, distinguished person in the literary world. She was very proud of the talented authors she had discovered, even if their sales figures were not as high as the blockbuster bestsellers of commercial fiction. Their work was for an elite readership who preferred obscure literary work, of a more intellectual nature.
Now almost forty-seven, Oona had discovered and published many very fine writers, several of whom were famous. She nurtured and encouraged her authors with great care. Unlike the world of bestselling commercial fiction, hers was not a dog-eat-dog existence. It was one of dignity, finesse and great literary minds. As head of the house, she had a protected and very secure situation, with considerable prestige. She didn’t abuse the power she had, but she enjoyed her position and all that it entailed.
In spite of the highbrow literary nature of the books she published, Oona looked a decade younger than her age, and the older authors whom she published were surprised and delighted to meet a pretty young woman with big green eyes, a youthful face, and a warm smile, who understood and appreciated their work, and had an excellent education and twenty-five years of experience. She was dedicated to the imprint she represented and to its authors, and defended their interests fiercely. She got them the best advances she could, given their somewhat limited sales. The owners of the publishing house were a brilliant, astute family who had owned it for three generations and grown their overall publishing, including nonfiction, some carefully selected fiction, and academic textbooks that were lucrative, it into a massive multibillion-dollar business. They valued Oona’s contributions, and the high-end relatively small imprint she ran. It wasn’t a big moneymaker but it gave them a great deal prestige in the publishing world. And keeping it small gave Oona the opportunity to run it impeccably, with full control of every detail, which was how she ran her personal life and home as well.
She had married Charles Webster six months after graduating from Princeton, and she was already working at Hargrove Publishing then. Charles was twelve years older, and thirty-four at the time. He was already a successful account executive in advertising and enjoyed it thoroughly. They had met at a party in New York, where they both lived, and had grown up, and it was a whirlwind romance, which turned into a solid marriage, with their two children, Meghan and Will, who were twenty-two and twenty-four now. Will was born on their first anniversary and Oona went back to work six weeks later because she loved her job. Oona and Charles both had big careers, busy lives, and too little time together, but they tried to have dinner together once a week. The kids were out of the house now.
Oona and Charles were about to celebrate their twenty-fifth anniversary in December, and had decided to put off a big party until the spring. Instead they had rented a very handsome house in France, an hour outside Paris, near Milly-la-Forêt in the department of Essonne. She and Charles were going to spend a month there from mid-February to mid-March. They were hoping that their children, Meghan and Will, would join them for a week, and the rest of the time they were going to enjoy three weeks alone in France. It was something they had said they had wanted to do for years, so Oona had organized it. The house looked beautiful and had a housekeeper who came on weekdays. The home and property seemed grander than what they needed, but they had decided to spoil themselves. It was owned by a Hong Kong Chinese family that rented the home out for weddings, and occasionally to foreigners looking for a comfortable, luxurious vacation experience in a lovely location.
Charles and Oona had both worked during their entire marriage, cared equally about their family and their careers, and had reached considerable status in their respective professional communities at a young age. Charles had switched to a more dynamic ad agency a decade earlier, and was the number two person at Hills, Rockwell, and Klein advertising. He’d been in line for the number one position for the past five years but had been passed over. Now he had to wait for another round, until the current CEO retired, which didn’t appear to be imminent, but Charles loved his job and didn’t mind the wait for the top position. He liked working there in the meantime. It fed his ego and his mind. He had status, respect, great perks, and fewer headaches than he would have had as CEO.
Their daughter, Meghan, was due to return to New York by the end of the year. She had graduated from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., in June, with a major in Global Philanthropy, and she was currently finishing an internship sponsored by the Carter Foundation, which had several programs in Africa that interested her. And she was looking for a long-term job, hopefully abroad for a few years.
Will had gone to UC Berkeley, graduated three years before, had stayed in San Francisco, and worked for Google, which he loved. He thrived on the California life—the weather, the athletics, the outdoors. He had no desire to move back to New York.
Their father, Charles, was fifty-nine, and was determined to become CEO of HRK before he retired. It was his one major goal. The status it would bring with it was important to him, which he admitted sheepishly to Oona at times, although his role as second in line to the throne was not an unpleasant one, and he had sufficient power to keep him happy in the meantime. But he wanted to achieve the status of CEO before he retired.
Both their children were on well-thought-out career paths, having been taught since early on to do so, although Oona was less pleased with Meghan’s determination to spend the next several years in underdeveloped countries, improving the lot of suffering people. She didn’t like the idea of Meghan going someplace dangerous, which was part of what appealed to Meghan. She couldn’t see herself wasting her time in some insignificant underpaid glamour job, like many of her friends working for the assistant beauty editors of major magazines. She wanted to make a difference in the world, face-to-face and hand-to-hand, on the ground, which Charles heartily approved of. Oona was concerned about the dangers of being exposed to tribal wars, health risks, and the threats to any beautiful woman as young as she was. But Meghan was strong-willed and almost sure to do what she wanted in the end, and Oona was bracing herself for it, once Meghan started looking for jobs in earnest at various foundations in New York that had projects and staff abroad.
Meghan and Will were both coming home for Thanksgiving, as they always did, and their parents were going to tell them about the house they had rented in France. Oona and Charles were both excited about it, and Oona, reading up on the local history, had already discovered that the house had an interesting history of its own. It had been built by Louis XVI, the last French king before the Revolution, for his favorite mistress, and it was named after her, La Belle Florence. It had numerous secret passages, and originally had a tunnel joining it to a nearby château, where the king had spent a great deal of his time, when that mistress was his favorite. She had died young, in mysterious circumstances, and he was said to be heartbroken at the time. The château where he had stayed had burned during the French Revolution and was gone, but the home of the king’s mistress was still standing, and had been lovingly restored and maintained by its various owners during the centuries since. It seemed like a romantic spot to spend their anniversary, and Charles was amused by Oona’s fascination with it.
Review:
4.7 out of 5
93.85% of customers are satisfied
5.0 out of 5 stars Always the Best!
(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } Another win from my all time favorite author, Danielle Steel. I have read so many of her books and she never lets me down. I loved the premise of this story and the referral to a time that affected us all one way or another. Covid. The love story and the ending was sweet, as always.
5.0 out of 5 stars Never Say Never by Danielle Steel
A very good book by a very great Author. I was unable to read for awhile, but catching up on her books has made me want to read more. I enjoy her books very much and highly recommend her books to anyone who loves to read. I can't wait to read all the ones I have missed.
4.0 out of 5 stars surviving the pandemic
In spite of the realization that her husband was gay, Oonacompletely changes her life with a trip to France.Once she meets another person, a major Hollywood star Oonafinds his company healing her emotional scars.In spite of all her insecurities she falls for a man who is youngerand famous. During the pandemic while others are sequesteredOona is re-evaluating her life.
5.0 out of 5 stars Never Again
I was interested to see how Danielle Steel would handle a subject that could possibly be considered taboo by some. This book tells the story of a marriage broken by infidelity. The husband has been having an affair with a younger man, finally realizing he is gay.! He takes off to Brazil to be with his lover.The wife goes to France to try and get over her husband’s behavior. While there she starts seeing another man and s in love. Ms Steel also gives us another “taboo” subject,an interracial relationship. I enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more of Ms. Steel’s books.
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Story
The turmoil of the pandemic from a number of perspectives was so real and brought back memories of those crazy times.
5.0 out of 5 stars When Charles suddenly leaves her after 25 years of marriage, what's Oona to do?
Oona Kelly Webster, a long-time book editor, has been married to Charles for twenty-five years, and to celebrate their anniversary, they rent a country home outside Paris. Before they can depart, Charles confesses he has fallen for a man and is moving to Buenos Aires to live with his new lover. Overwhelmed and shocked by the news, Oona decides to go to France by herself; Chalres has left her and she can't go backward. In France she finds much beauty and also meets a handsome film actor who soon expresses an attraction for her. What to do? It's very complicated for Oona. This touching and at times humorous story created by Daniel Steel is largely told from inside Oona's head as she struggles to figure out what to do with the rest of her life and whether it makes any sense to fall in love with a younger, famous man who is also Black. Does she have the courage to take a big risk at this point in her life? Daniel Steel scores again.
3.0 out of 5 stars Never say never
I love Danielle Steele books, but this one seemed to have too much drama for me and dragged on. I’ll still continue to read all of her books.
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing…
This was wonderfully written with careful thought for each character. I think anyone who reads this will be moved on in ways that can bring careful thoughts and courage as we go though life challenges.
Never Say Never.
(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } What a brilliant book. Good storyline, I had to read it in 2 days, didn't want to put it down. Once again, a page turner from Danielle.
Love
Good book
Easy read
Good story line and a nice easy read.
Wonderful
Superb novel full of detail, drama, tension and wonderful moments too! Great characters, strong plot, twists a plenty, excellent all round! Loved it.
Good read
another good Danielle Steel read
Visit the Delacorte Press Publication date : January 7, 2025 Language : English Print length : 256 pages ISBN-10 : 059349864X ISBN-13 : 978-0593498644 Item Weight : 2.31 pounds Dimensions : 6.33 x 0.92 x 9.55 inches Best Sellers Rank: #6,337 in Books Store
Never Say Never: A Novel
AED10862
Quantity:
Order today to get by
Free delivery on orders over AED 200
Product origin: United States
Electrical items shipped from the US are by default considered to be 120v, unless stated otherwise in the product description. Contact Bolo support for voltage information of specific products. A step-up transformer is required to convert from 120v to 240v. All heating electrical items of 120v will be automatically cancelled.
Similar suggestions by Bolo
More from this brand
Similar items from “Family Life”
Share with
Or share with link
https://www.bolo.ae/products/U059349864K