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!

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!

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

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

Not really about a Butler

The title is misleading. It is not really about a butler as I expected. The storyline is just average. No real substance or anything that makes you want the story not end. Normally I seem to fall in love with one of the characters and really become vested in the outcome. That didn't happen for me so in my opinion not one of the finest from DS.

Narration was good.

Wonderfully written

Delightful story that kept me wanting more. It was very well narrated and kept me engaged with the different twists and turns throughout the story. One of the best books I have read yet by Danielle Steele. Very satisfying and wish it was longer. Never disappointed with Danielle Steele’s writing.

talk to listen to

I am not the kind of story I really wanted to listen to Daniel Steele has had better stories.

Great content, poor quality at the end.

The storyline and content was very good. However the last chapter or so kept cutting in and out. I tried to listen to it again and it did the same thing. Please correct that for the next listener.