Honor Thyself (36 page)

To my mother, Norma,
who never read any of my books,
but was proud of me anyway, I hope.
To the challenging relationships
between some less fortunate
mothers and daughters, the missed opportunities,
the good intentions gone awry, and in the end
the love that carries one through, whatever
the story looked like, appeared to be, or was.
In all the ways that mattered to me at the time,
I lost my mother when I was six,
when she was no longer there to comb my hair,
so I wouldn't look silly at school.
We knew each other better as adults,
two entirely different women,
with such different views of life.
We disappointed each other often,
understood each other little,
but I give us both credit for trying and hanging in till the end.
This book is for the mother I wish I had had,
the one I hoped for every time we met,
the one who cooked pancakes and Swedish meatballs
when I was little, before she left,
for the one I'm sure she tried to be even after she did,
and finally with love, compassion, and forgiveness
for the one she was.
In her own way, she taught me to be the mother that I am.
May God smile on you and hold you closely,
may you find joy and peace.
I love you, Mom.

d.s.

PRAISE FOR DANIEL STEEL

“Steel pulls out all the emotional stops.… She delivers.”

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Publishers Weekly

“Steel is one of the best!”

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Los Angeles Times

“The world's most popular author tells a good, well-paced story and explores some important issues.… Steel affirm[s] life while admitting its turbulence, melodramas, and misfiring passions.”

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Booklist

“Danielle Steel writes boldly and with practiced vividness about tragedy—both national and personal … with insight and power.”

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Nashville Banner

“There is a smooth reading style to her writings which makes it easy to forget the time and to keep flipping the pages.”

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Pittsburgh Press

“One of the things that keep Danielle Steel fresh is her bent for timely storylines … the combination of Steel's comprehensive research and her skill at creating credible characters makes for a gripping read.”

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Newark Star-Ledger

“What counts for the reader is the ring of authenticity.”

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San Francisco Chronicle

“Steel knows how to wring the emotion out of the briefest scene.”

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People

“Ms. Steel excels at pacing her narrative, which races forward, mirroring the frenetic lives chronicled; men and women swept up in bewildering change, seeking solutions to problems never before faced.”

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Nashville Banner

“Danielle Steel has again uplifted her readers while skillfully communicating some of life's bittersweet verities. Who could ask for a finer gift than that?”

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Philadelphia Inquirer

PRAISE FOR THE RECENT NOVELS OF
DANIELLE STEEL

HONOR THYSELF

“A five-handkerchief Danielle Steel heartbreaker.”

—Barnes & Noble

“Faithful readers will be catapulted by Steel's staccato pacing and straightforward prose.”

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Booklist

A GOOD WOMAN

“Once again, the legendary Steel has combined triumph and tragedy to create the story of a woman who, though tossed by the whims of fate, still manages to survive on her own terms.”

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Booklist

“Annabelle is one of the better protagonists.… Steel's fans will eat this up.”

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Publishers Weekly

ROGUE

“Steel…keeps the pages turning and offers a satisfying twist at book's end that most readers won't see coming.”

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Publishers Weekly

AMAZING GRACE

“[A] veteran novelist who never coasts is Danielle Steel.… She likes her characters and gives them every chance to develop strength and decency; along with her creative storytelling it makes for very satisfying … fare.”

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Sullivan County Democrat

“A sparkly story with an uplifting spiritual twist.”

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Publishers Weekly

BUNGALOW 2

“Steel's many loyal readers will be entertained by this story of a dedicated mother and wife who embarks on a series of life-altering adventures in Hollywood.”

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Publishers Weekly

“Danielle Steel…takes readers into the often glamorous but always turbulent world of Hollywood and fashionable Beverly Hills.… Steel gets to the heart of her characters, a trait that has endeared her to her readers.”

—Herald Publications

SISTERS

“Steel's plots are first-rate—and this one is no exception.”

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Newark Star-Ledger

“Female bonding with a cozy slumber-party vibe.”

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Kirkus Reviews

H.R.H.

“A journey of discovery, change and awakening… a story of love found, love lost and ultimately an ending that proves surprising.”

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Asbury Park Press

“Steel's fans will be waiting for this one.”

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Booklist

COMING OUT

“Acknowledges the unique challenges of today's mixed families.”

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Kirkus Reviews

“[A] tender, loving novel.”

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Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

THE HOUSE

“Many happy endings.”

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Chicago Tribune

“A … Steel fairy tale.”

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Booklist

TOXIC BACHELORS

“A breezy read …that will keep fans reading and waiting for more.”

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Publishers Weekly

“Steel delivers… happy endings in the usual nontoxic, satisfying manner.”

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Booklist

MIRACLE

“Steel is almost as much a part of the beach as sunscreen.”

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New York Post

“Another Steel page-turner. Three strangers' lives become linked after a terrible storm ravages northern California.”