The Butler

By: Danielle Steel

Narrated by: James Babson

Two different worlds and two very different lives collide in Paris in this captivating novel by Danielle Steel.

Joachim von Hartmann was born and raised in Buenos Aires by his loving German mother, inseparable from his identical twin. When Joachim moves to Paris with his mother in his late teens, his twin stays behind and enters a dark world. Meanwhile, Joachim begins training to be a butler, fascinated by the precision and intense demands, and goes on to work in some of the grandest homes in England. His brother never reappears.

Olivia White has given 10 years of her life to her magazine, which failed, taking all her dreams with it. A bequest from her mother allows her a year in Paris to reinvent herself. She needs help setting up a home in a charming Parisian apartment. It is then that her path and Joachim's cross.

Joachim takes a job working for Olivia as a lark and enjoys the whimsy of a different life for a few weeks, which turn to months as the unlikely employer and employee learn they enjoy working side by side. At the same time, Joachim discovers the family history he never knew: a criminal grandfather who died in prison, the wealthy father who abandoned him, and the dangerous criminal his twin has become. While Olivia struggles to put her life back together, Joachim's comes apart.

Stripped of their old roles, they strive to discover the truth about each other and themselves, first as employer and employee, then as friends. Their paths no longer sure, they are a man and woman who reach a place where the past doesn't matter and only what they are living now is true.

©2021 Danielle Steel (P)2021 Recorded Books, Inc.

Not up to par for Danielle Steele

Extremely weak ending…rushed to publisher and it shows. Characters and story-line ended abruptly. Disappointing!

I enjoyed the whole book

The storyline was great it kept me interested it told about love and hardships in life and how Two people with hard work and respect overcame it

Surprisingly good.

From the book details... I thought it was going to be a bust... but it wasn't. I thought the ending was quite predictable... and I figured Javier would have gotten killed. But the storry was interesting, and the narator was great!

Loved it!

This was my second DS read/listen in a week. I enjoyed it very much looking forward to another. I used to read her books all of the time, now it is time to catch up.

Goid story

Good story . Did repeat a lot but was an uplifting
Emotional and sad story. But redemption ruled

the underlying love

i liked all of it. i could visualize the chateau the apartments and felt the emotions of the characters

Weak plot

Interesting characters, but just kind of fell apart at the end. Not up to her usual standards. Narrator was good.

Another wonderful novel

I have read most of the novels that Danielle Steele has written and while this is not one of the best it is definitely worth reading.

Love It

Another great read by Danielle Steel. I enjoyed it tremendously. Worth every penny to read it

Typical Danielle Steele novel

If you like Danielle Steele, you will probably like this. I enjoyed the story line and the characters.