Happy birthday : a novel
(Book)
Copies
| Location | Call Number | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Courthouse - Adult Fiction | F STEEL | Checked Out | May 7, 2025 |
Description
In this beguiling new novel, Danielle Steel tells the story of three very different people, each of whom, on the same day, reaches a crucial turning point in life—a rite both bittersweet and full of hope, a time to blow out the candles, say goodbye to the past, and make a wish for the future. Valerie Wyatt is the queen of gracious living and the arbiter of taste. Since her long-ago divorce, she’s worked hard to reach the pinnacle of her profession and to create a camera-ready life in her Fifth Avenue penthouse. So why is she so depressed? All the hours with her personal trainer, the careful work of New York’s best hairdressers, cosmetic surgeons, and her own God-given bone structure and great looks can’t fudge the truth or her lies about it: Valerie is turning sixty. Valerie’s daughter, April, has no love life, no rest, and no prospect of that changing in the foreseeable future. Her popular one-of-a-kind restaurant in downtown New York, where she is chef and owner, consumes every ounce of her attention and energy. Ready or not, though, April’s life is about to change, in a tumultuous transformation that begins the morning it hits her: She’s thirty. And what does she have to show for it? A restaurant, no man, no kids.Jack Adams once threw a football like a guided missile. Twelve years after retiring from the NFL, he is the most charismatic sports analyst on TV, a man who has his pick of the most desirable twentysomething women. But after a particularly memorable Halloween party, Jack wakes up on his fiftieth birthday, his back thrown out of whack, feeling every year his age. A terrifying act of violence, an out-of-the-blue blessing, and two extremely unlikely love affairs soon turn lives inside out and upside down. In a novel brimming with warmth and insight, beginning on one birthday and ending on another, Valerie, April, and Jack discover that life itself can be a celebration—and that its greatest gifts are always a surprise.
More Details
Published
New York : Delacorte Press, [2011].
Format
Book
Physical Desc
339 pages ; 25 cm
Language
English
Notes
Description
"Valerie Wyatt is at the top of her game--she has parlayed her talent for entertaining and home decorating into a multimedia empire, and her name is synonymous with class and exquisite taste. And yet, though she has achieved enviable professional success, her ambition and hard work have given her little room for a personal life. She is divorced, and though she has a strong relationship with her daughter, she finds herself alone as her 60th birthday approaches. Valerie's daughter, April, is also a dynamo in her chosen field. A top-notch chef, she owns her own restaurant--a cozy place that dishes up both comfort food and rare delicacies. The restaurant is a smashing success, and April devotes herself to it body and soul. Like her mother, she values professional success more than romance, and she cannot find any room for a man in her life as her 30th birthday grows nearer. The closest she has come to a relationship in years is an ill-advised one night stand. Jack Adams is a famous former NFL player, who is now an immensely successful sportscaster. He is also an incorrigible womanizer, who makes a habit of bedding models who are half his age. Nearing age 50 he begins to wonder if his wild ways still suit him, or if it's finally time to grow up. These three driven professionals share the same birthday. And this year, the day that they share will prove to be one that changes their lives forever. Their birthday will set into motion a dramatic series of events--danger, adventure, laughter, heartbreak, and joy...and, ultimately, the most fulfilling "birthday gift" of all"-- Provided by publisher.
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These books have the appeal factors bittersweet and moving, and they have the subjects "mothers and daughters," "family relationships," and "sisters."
These books have the appeal factors bittersweet, and they have the theme "second act"; the genre "book club best bets"; and the subjects "women's role," "men-women relations," and "independence."
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Similar Authors From NoveList
NoveList provides detailed suggestions for other authors you might want to read if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
Entertaining tales of tawdry affairs, tragic circumstances, and scandals are bread and butter for fast-paced authors Jackie Collins and Danielle Steel. These prolific authors write about the dramas of modern women, though Collins' novels are more risque and Steel's are more melodramatic. -- Tara Bannon Williamson
Like Danielle Steel, Barbara Delinsky writes romantic stories focused more on women and issues in their lives. Delinsky's books feature ordinary women, while Steel often mentions brand names and details of elegant living. -- Katherine Johnson
Both authors write moving, character-driven relationship fiction about women facing significant challenges in their personal, romantic, and professional lives. While Danielle Steel's novels usually resolve all conflicts by the end of the story, Terry McMillan's work is often more bittersweet. -- CJ Connor
These authors' works have the genres "relationship fiction" and "mainstream fiction"; and the subjects "married women," "husband and wife," and "labrador retrievers."
Published Reviews
Library Journal Reviews
Valerie Wyatt is the reigning queen of elegant entertaining (think Martha Stewart). Her daughter, April, is the work-addicted chef/owner of a downtown New York restaurant (think any number of hot young chefs, today's new superstars, and check out Laura Shockey's Four Kitchens for the real inside story). High achievers, but men in their lives? Nuh-uh. Still, both have significant birthdays coming, and things might change. Classic Steel. Grab it, I guess.
[Page 46]. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Citations
APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)
Steel, D. (2011). Happy birthday: a novel (First edition.). Delacorte Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Steel, Danielle. 2011. Happy Birthday: A Novel. New York: Delacorte Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Steel, Danielle. Happy Birthday: A Novel New York: Delacorte Press, 2011.
Harvard Citation (style guide)Steel, D. (2011). Happy birthday: a novel. First edn. New York: Delacorte Press.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)Steel, Danielle. Happy Birthday: A Novel First edition., Delacorte Press, 2011.
Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.
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