Danielle Steel novels and literary characteristics

¶ … Crossings," "Impossible," "Dating Game," and "The House" by Danielle Steel. Specifically it will discuss the heroines of the novels and how they all seem molded from the same character - a female victim who survives all odds to find love. Danielle Steel is one of the most prolific romance writers in history, with over 70 books in print, including children's books and a book of poetry. Her novels are often described as all fitting into the same formula plot and action, but she has delved into historical, suspense, and even non-fiction works, as well. Many of her novels are set in the glamorous world of wealth and power, another commonality that includes many of the characters in these four books.

Crossings," written in 1982, is a historical novel featuring Liane De Villiers and her husband Armand, who is the French Ambassador to the United States. They dine at the White House; enjoy wealth and privilege, and Liane falls in love with a steel tycoon, Nick Burnham, on board the ship Normandie as they cross the Atlantic to return to France before the outbreak of World War II. Although they are attracted to each other, neither one engages in a relationship, even though Nick is very unhappily married to a woman who often cheats on him. Nick, like many of Steel's heroes, is a sensitive man. She writes, "Men didn't cry. Not strong men. Not the men she knew. But Nick Burnham did" ("Crossings" 82). Liane, like many of Steel's female characters is strong, but dependent on her husband for her livelihood, although she comes from a wealthy family. She spends much of her life alone, as her husband is always working and caught up in World War II as it begins to spread across Europe. Nick is alone, as well, sending his family back to the states for safety, and the two of them come together as they escape France on a fishing boat. They have a passionate love affair, and declare their love for each other, but neither will leave their marriage because of their children, and so, they remain apart. Again, Steel uses this plot device often, with the lovers driven apart by circumstances or some other reason, only to come together again by the end of the novel in true romantic fashion.

Throughout the novel, Liane is rather a bland or uninteresting character, for some reason. She is strong, maintains the household while her husband remains in France, but there is something about her that is not very charismatic or interesting to the reader. She is somehow unsatisfying, something that is not usual for Steel's characters. This is one of Steel's earliest books, and that may be why there is something missing in her characterization.

In the "Dating Game," the heroine, Paris, is again a mother and wife, without a career, who is suddenly divorced by her husband and must play the "dating game" again. Steel writes of her early in the book, "Peter supported her in her decision; there was no need for her to work. And for twenty-four years, she had felt competent and fulfilled, devoted herself full time to Peter and their children" ("Dating Game" 3). She is still devotedly in love with her husband even after he leaves her for a younger woman, and it is difficult for her to get on with her life. For some reason, she seems far more sympathetic and interesting than Liane, perhaps because Steel wrote this book in 2003, over 20 years after "Crossings," and she has had time to develop and improve her characterization. Paris is clearly miserable, and totally alone, as her children are living away from home, and Peter, of course, is gone, too. Steel writes, "It was still hard to believe sometimes that she'd survive. At night, alone in her bed, it seemed as though everyone she had ever loved was gone" ("Dating Game" 78). She begins therapy, and her therapist becomes a close friend, prodding her to begin living life again. Again, the novel is set at least partly in the world of the rich and famous, as she moves to San Francisco (a favorite Steel location) and begins dating a man named Chandler who whisks her away in his private jet and buys her extravagant presents.

This character is on a journey to find herself, rather than find another man, and that makes her different than most of Steel's characters, who always end up with the man in the end. Paris, instead, adopts a baby, convinced that being a mother is the only thing she can do well, and in the end, does find another man to love, so the book ends on a happy note. Paris has learned how to be happy without a husband and without a man, so she seems better prepared for the future at the end of this book, and she seems like a more well rounded character, too. Most of the men in the book are boors at best, and Andrew enters so late, it is difficult to know much about him, other than he is a decent man and he loves Paris. Compared to Liane, she seems much more mature (of course, she is older), and her romance seems much more settled and believable. Liane falls in love after a short journey with Nick, while Paris falls in love after a dating relationship that is supportive and nurturing. It seems a better foundation for romance, and for a romantic book, too. There is more humor in this book, as well, and some of the characters are quite funny, which makes the book a bit easier to read.

In "Impossible," Sasha is another older woman - widowed - whose passion is the art gallery her father started. She loves her work, something quite the opposite from the first two heroines, and she is good at it. She also becomes involved with a younger man, which is another change from most of Steel's books. Steel writes, "If nothing else, he amused her. He made her laugh sometimes as she hadn't in year, or maybe ever" ("Impossible" 109). Like the others, the world of wealth and privilege is apparent in this book, too. Sasha wears designer clothes and attends parties at the Ambassador's house, something that just about all these books have in common at one point or another.

Steel wants to sweep her readers off their feet and into a make-believe world, and she sets her stories in places like Paris (where this book is set) to accomplish that. She also wants her heroines to appeal to women readers, so she makes them sympathetic and gives them problems (such as losing a husband or dating a younger man) that women can relate to, (or would, at least, like to relate to). In all of these books, the heroines have another commonality - they are all beautiful and thin. None of her females are homely, unattractive, or overweight, leading the reader into another fantasy world of perfect people in perfectly wonderful settings.