44 Charles Street

By: Danielle Steel

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

The plumbing was prone to leaks, the furniture rescued from garage sales. And every square inch was being devotedly restored to its original splendor - even as a relationship fell to pieces. Now Francesca Thayer, newly separated from her lawyer boyfriend Todd, is desperate. The owner of a struggling art gallery, and suddenly the sole mortgage payer on her Greenwich Village townhouse, Francesca does the math and then the unimaginable. She puts out an advertisement for boarders. Soon her house becomes a whole new world.

First comes Eileen, a fresh, pretty L.A. transplant, now a New York City schoolteacher. Then there’s Chris, a young father struggling with a troubled ex-wife and the challenge of parenting a seven-year-old son who visits every other weekend. The final tenant is Marya, a celebrated cookbook author hoping to start a new chapter in her life after the death of her husband. As Francesca’s art gallery begins to find its footing and Todd moves on to another woman, she discovers that her accidental tenants have become the most important people in her life. As the roommates bond, and the house fills with the aroma of Marya’s exquisite cuisine, there are shadows as well as light. Naïve Eileen explores the precarious boundaries of online dating with a series of strangers. Chris’s custody fight for his son escalates to devastating levels. Marya faces an unexpected choice that will take her into untested waters. And Francesca herself will contemplate what had seemed impossible: opening her heart once more.

Over the course of one amazing, unforgettable, ultimately life-changing year, the house at 44 Charles Street fills with laughter, heartbreak, and, always, hope. In the hands of master storyteller Danielle Steel, it’s a place those who visit will never want to leave.

©2011 Danielle Steel (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

unrealistic portrait of special education teacher

Teachers are traditionally early to bed early to rise. It would be difficult if not impossible to keep up the pace of challenging students and stay up all night on weeknights. They would also work late most weeknights and have documents/reports to write on many nights and weekends. I think Ms. Steel should have researched how much free time and energy a special education teacher would have to devote to a personal life.

Repitition

Would you try another book from Danielle Steel and/or Arthur Morey?

Arthur Morey Yes!! Danielle Steel no way.

Has 44 Charles Street turned you off from other books in this genre?

no

What does Arthur Morey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

quality

Any additional comments?

There was so much repetition it was extremely frustrating...how many times does she need to say she locked off the upstairs room, there were a number of phrases that were just the same thing repeated over and over and over. It might be a good read for someone with dementia, whoever did the editing on this book must have divided it up into chapters and passed it around as a group edit, can't believe they didn't catch all that but Bleh. The sad thing is...there is a cool story there, just told badly.