Joy

By: Danielle Steel

Narrated by: James Babson

In this deeply moving novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel, a determined young woman must survive a series of abandonments to find a love that is worthy of her.

When she is only six years old, Allegra Dixon’s party-loving mother leaves without so much as a goodbye. Her father, an emotionally distant military officer, is also unable—or unwilling—to care for her. Sent to live like a ghost in her grandparents’ joyless home, Allegra finds her only solace through an escape into books.

Attending boarding school, life finally takes a turn when she meets a dashing young West Point cadet named Shep Williams. Soon their friendship blossoms into something more, and they fall deeply in love.

After college, Allegra has established herself as a book editor and Shep is rising through the ranks of the military. But then Shep suddenly receives a posting to Afghanistan, and they decide to marry before he goes. Between his deployments, they cling to their brief and fraught stolen moments together. Each time he leaves, Shep promises the separations will soon come to an end.

But soon Allegra realizes that the horrors of war have begun to change her husband into a man she no longer recognizes. The trauma he has experienced proves to be too harrowing, and Allegra will find herself feeling utterly alone again just when she thought she’d finally found happiness.

In her new novel, Danielle Steel tells the unforgettable story of a woman who refuses to give up until she finds the joy she deserves.

©2024 Danielle Steel (P)2024 Recorded Books

The Heart’s Battlefield - Love, Loss and War

I was captivated by the story and the narrator’s performance was outstanding. The realism of the story touched me deeply, and the sad moments brought me to tears. It made me appreciate the fortunate childhood I had and empathize with children who experience lovelessness from their parents. Danielle Steele’s books have taught me a lot, especially about the war in Afghanistan and its impact on both men and women.

Loved, loved, the story.

Loved everything. Story and narration were great. Another Steele hit. Where is she come up with the unlimited writing ability?

Heartbreak to find Joy

Sometimes you need your heart to be broken before you really can appreciate true Love and true Joy!

The story is thin and never fully developed

Disappointed… I am a huge DS fan… have read all her books but she has lost the ability to write anything original anymore. Maybe because she’s written so many books over the years. Her early books had historical detail and spanned decades drawing you in to the lives of those she wrote about. They were magical. The last few years her books have become repetitive… she fills the books with repeated content… over and over again. I preordered Joy and was excited when I read the book description but…’while the concept of the book is interesting… it’s all over the place and you never really get to know any of the characters. Even the main character is thinly written about and the story hops from year to year with barely any content. I’m just disappointed because i REALLY want to have the old DS writer back… hohum

Awesome story

Wonderful story and great narrating Be sure to listen! Her books are always great! Enjoy!

The Power of Work and Friendship

I love the details of Henry and Allegra working relationship. I was disappointed with their romance and felt he should have remained the Protector more of a Father figure to her.

Joy —-the ending sucked

The end of this book sucked very disappointed, The storyline was okay but not happy how it ended 😡

True Romance

I liked that the main character always rose above hard times.
She was smart, resilient and kind in spite of her loveless upbringing.

Her love

I like that she was strong from a young age and grew to a have values with out good role models .

Enjoyable Danielle Steel!

An easy read, characters with plenty of background, although it would have been better to give Shep an ending and include interaction.with his family. This was a great "road trip" book!