ROGUE
Author: Danielle Steel ISBN: 9780385340250 7/2008 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: DELACORTE
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Being married to Blake had been an amazing adventure for Maxine. Brilliant, charismatic, and wholly unpredictable, Blake Williams made millions and grabbed headlines as a dot-com entrepreneur. His only shortcoming was as a husband—first his work and then his never-ending quest for fun kept him constantly on the move, far away from Maxine and his family. For five years Blake and Maxine have worked out an odd but amicable divorce, with friendly though infrequent visits, a yacht he lends her every summer, and three children they both adore. Blake enjoys his globe-trotting lifestyle—dating a succession of beautiful, famous, and very young women—while Maxine raises their kids in Manhattan and pursues her passion, working as a psychiatrist, a world-renowned expert on childhood trauma and adolescent suicide. Then everything changes…
For Maxine it starts when she falls in love with Dr. Charles West, a man who is everything Blake is not—mature, grounded, and present. For Blake it begins when a devastating earthquake strikes near one of his palatial foreign homes and he sees hundreds of orphaned children in need of shelter. Now Blake wants Maxine in his life again—as a partner in a humanitarian project that could change countless lives. For Maxine the choice is clear. But Blake’s sudden transformation—from carefree playboy to compassionate, responsible grown-up—raises questions she’s never managed to answer . . . and some she’s afraid to ask. After all, Maxine is on the cusp of a new life, about to marry Charles, and almost certain that Blake Williams, aka the Rogue, is a man capable of doing anything—except change… |
RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS: 
Danielle Steel's ROGUE is a story of loss and life, and rekindled love, amidst tragedy. I was deeply touched by this story and sincerely impressed with the depth of emotions the characters in this portrayed. Maxine is a doctor who thinks she's put the Peter Pan-ish love of her life behind her. She believes she knows him well and has made a conscious effort to leave the past in the past and find someone new, someone "adult" to be part of her life. But when Blake asks her to help him help those whose lives have been touched by tragedy, Maxine cannot turn her back on him. In helping others, Maxine may learn the truth about how she can best help herself and those she holds dearest.
As usual, Ms. Steel's storytelling ability engages. This story shines, and is easily one of my favorites from her long list of titles. I have noticed that there have been a number of her books in the past few years which have dealt with worldwide tragedies and issues, rather than just on romance and lighter topics. I have to say I definitely enjoy this new wave of Danielle Steel stories—the realism is gripping, and even though some of the subject matter is tough to visualize, she always finds a way to make the story have the "right" ending. Case in point: this ending is so wonderfully appropriate, I nearly clapped when I read it. Well done! ROGUE is a very enjoyable read!
Kay James |