I just came by a stack of old books in my mother's boudoir when I saw this maroon red paperback of Danielle Steel's Family Album. At first I thought, for me with it's unusual cover, that it was really an album, you know with lots of pictures on it. I thought it was silly but I realize I was the silly one when I opened it and found out it was a novel. But then, because of my meddlesomeness to odd things, I decided to read it(apparently my first Danielle Steel read). So...I find this book engaging despite the fact that on the first fifteen pages of this book, I must honestly say I nearly put it down because I thought Faye Price's character was too sensationalized. I mean, "she had a voice that ranged from molten lave to melted gold, hair that shimmered like a golden sunset, eyes like emeralds in an ivory face"?!? Well, it's not that I despise poetic devices nor antagonize Steel's literary artistry, it's just that it was superficial for a prelude and too preconceived of an idea especially when it's not even a fantasy book. Nonetheless, it turns out that as I went on, her very superficial character actually made sense in her extravagant life.What's weirder in a romance novel than a family of relationships gone haywire with impossible sensibilities, freaky pedophilia, queer affairs, rebellious behaviors, and some cheesy bits of drama all stacked in one extraordinary household? It's probably one of the most craziest families in books I've ever read and the reason why I flipped through the pages till the end.
I cared way too much about the characters in this story. But you can't help it. They are so thoroughly described that you feel like you've known them for years. This is a story about Ward & Faye as they raise five very different children and the ups and downs families go thru. Well I should say this is a story about Faye as she raises six children because out of all the kids Ward by far was the most spoiled and childish man, husband and father I've seen. Every time something major affected the family, he got missing because he "couldn't handle it", leaving Faye to always deal with things and keep the family together. But in the end they remained a strong family in spite of everything that happened. I truly enjoyed every beautiful, sad, heartbreaking, joyful, devastating, stressful & tearful moments in this story. One of the best Danielle Steel books I have read so far!
What do You think about Family Album (1994)?
I've found that I like epic stories and this delivers on that, following an entire family for 30 years or so. The characters were interesting, but I felt like everything was glossed over with the exception of tiny little snapshots of their lives. I would have preferred more detail, show me don't tell me. I would happily read something like this as three books in a series if that's what it takes to tell the story right.Also, I read a legit ebook version of this book, but it was filled with typos typical of OCR errors. That was quite annoying.
—RedWagonJan
From World War II to the present day, Danielle Steel told us another captivating story about family in this historical romance in Family Album. Faye Price Thayer was a legendary actress in Hollywood, then had her own family. Later she would realize her own dream to come true as one of Hollywood's first women directors. Her five children was precious to her. In a changing world, they would be challenged the hardest test imaginable, when they bonded by love and loyalty. When Faye passed away, they could assess how far they come along and how important their own family album was to them. If you've missed the 1990s TV movie version, you can relive the magic in this heart-warming story.
—Kristen
2/10Beautiful lacrimoso e stucchevole farcito di Merisù e Gheristù che si comportano da perfetti imbecilli, Buoni Sentimenti e Veri Valori, donne forti e indipendenti e tostissime (salvo riprendersi in casa il marito nullafacente e traditore più e più volte), temi scottanti solo per il salotto di Barbara D'Urso, morti, fughe, fortune, disgrazie, scandali, oscar come se piovesse e tutto quel che si trova abitualmente in una telenovela argentina di quarta categoria. Risate assicurate, ma non certo per esplicita intenzione dell'autrice.
—Werehare
