NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The incomparable Danielle Steel breaks new ground as she takes us to nineteenth-century England, where a high-born young woman is forced out into the world—and begins a journey of survival, sensuality, and long-sought justice. Angélique Latham has grown up at magnificent Belgrave Castle under the loving tutelage of her father, the Duke of Westerfield, after the death … Westerfield, after the death of her aristocratic French mother. At eighteen she is her father’s closest, most trusted child, schooled in managing their grand estate. But when he dies, her half-brothers brutally turn her out, denying her very existence. Angélique has a keen mind, remarkable beauty, and an envelope of money her father pressed upon her. To survive, she will need all her resources—and one bold stroke of fortune.
Unable to secure employment without references or connections, Angélique desperately makes her way to Paris, where she rescues a young woman fleeing an abusive madam—and suddenly sees a possibility: Open an elegant house of pleasure that will protect its women and serve only the best clients. With her upper-class breeding, her impeccable style, and her father’s bequest, Angélique creates Le Boudoir, soon a sensational establishment where powerful men, secret desires, and beautiful, sophisticated women come together. But living on the edge of scandal, can she ever make a life of her own—or regain her rightful place in the world?
From England to Paris to New York, Danielle Steel captures an age of upheaval and the struggles of women in a male-ruled society—and paints a captivating portrait of a woman of unquenchable spirit, who in houses great or humble is every ounce a duchess.
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Great book.
Here me out people. Don’t judge a book by its cover. Don’t buy one because the cover is oh so pretty. Heck, don’t even check it out of the library.
See, I really know better when it comes to Danielle Steel, but something always makes me give her a try again. I usually regret it too. Oh do I regret it but the blurb and the cover here are fantastic.
Unfortunately that’s all that is fantastic and because I made the library special order this book in for me, I was determined to finish it. See I saw this book on a clearance table at B & N and wanted to read it, but wouldn’t pay 5 bucks for it. Truthfully, I wouldn’t pay 50 cents for this one if I found it at a yard sale.
Angelique is the daughter of duke with 2 wicked stepbrothers that hate her. Remember that, its a reoccurring theme here. Her father dies and they kick her out.
Uh, how could that happen? Also how could the daughter of a duke have no friends and never have a season in London? No one knows her? C’mon? I know this is fiction, but could we have a little dash of reality to our story.
Then her brother send her off to be a nanny….and wait til you find out what he tells the couple about her there.
Again. No one in the nobility could get away with this. Her father was a duke!
Then she gets booted out of that position because one of the house guests decided to get handsy with her and…boom she’s out on her ear again…mostly because the evil wife doesn’t like her and sees her as competition.
Oye to the vey.
What bugged me the most as bad things continued to happen to her..yet she is beloved by staff etc..is that we never learn anything about her. This story is simply told to us. Angelique is very 2 dimensional.
Not to mention how she comes to own a brothel. A daughter of a duke?
There are no words.
And guilt kept me reading because I checked it out of the library.
Oh and did I mention, she created the best little whorehouse in Paris (pun intended) in 16 months…before more tragedy strikes. (This is a recurring theme in all of Danielle Steel’s novels btw)
On the boat to New York she meets and falls in love (finally) with a man her age. Don’t worry…she finds love but like all Steel novels its not to be..
Yup more gloom and doom here.
And then at last, redemption.
I can’t believe I read this book, because truthfully for an author that has sold millions of copies, the writing is terrible. A third grader could do better. Heck this book made me want feel that Twilight was a brilliant piece of fiction.
I almost put it down when I began. The first couple of chapters were depressing with all that happens to Angelique. She solves problems as they arrive with surprising outcomes. Give this book a chance, you will be happy you did.
The Duchess was very well written and I couldn’t put it down !! The main character was so interesting with so much going on in her life !!
Loved the unexpected turn of events.
One of my favorite books by Danielle Steel! Very interesting!
LOVED it
Disappointed in this book. Got tired of reading it. Lost interest/
Book was very entertaining and I could not put it down.
The Duchess has it all has it all, love, loss, and family betrayal. A tale of a pampered young woman who has lost her beloved father and gets tossed out of her family home. She doesn’t take time for a pity-party, she takes a job as nanny to children and is determined to make the best of it and does until a near rape and a jealous woman steps in and takes it all away from her. Not able to find employment in England where she becomes the Madam of a high class brothel! When the brothel is forced to close she heads to America where she finds love and happiness. However, that doesn’t last long and she makes her final journey back to England and finds peace and contentment.
Great read front beginning to end,hard to put boom down
Easy to get involved with the main character. As her conditions kept happening to her you knew that she was going to have a rough time. Didn’t want to put the book down once got in about 30 pages. Rooting for her all the way!
Twist of fate , never give up and revenge in the end
Loved it.