Helpful Score: 2
I really enjoyed reading his book, but I wasn't satisfied with the ending. Maybe you will be!
Helpful Score: 1
Old secrets, childhood friendships and artwork stolen by the Nazis make this a story with lots of twists and a surprise ending.
this book is about celebrating life and friendship
Laura Valiant and Claire Benson are best friends from childhood and have remained exceptionally close through the turmoil of adult life. They have much to celebrate: Laura is a partner in a challenging and successful art dealership in New York, and her marriage to the handsome and always amiable Doug seems to come right from a storyboook. Though divorced from her French husband, Philippe Lavillard, Claire delights in her precocious daughter, Natasha. But the two friends' lives do not follow the paths we imagine they will, and when Claire is confronted with sudden tragedy, she naturally turns to Laura for help. When the long-hidden history of the Lavillard family intersects with Laura's investigation into artwork stolen by the Nazi's during the war, Barbara Taylor Bradford's gripping tale reaches a dramatic and unexpected crecendo.
From the inside jacket flap: Laura Valiant and Claire Benson are best friends from childhood and have remained exceptionally close through the turmoil of adult life. They have much to celebrate: Laura is a partner in a challenging and successful art dealership in New York, and her marriage to the handsome and always amiable Doug seems to come right from a storybook. Though divorced from her French husband, Philippe Lavillard, Claire delights in her precocious daughter, Natasha. But the two friends' lives do not follow the paths we imagine they will, and when Claire is confronted with sudden tragedy, she naturally turns to Laura for help. When the long-hidden history of the Lavillard family intersects with Laura's investigation into artwork stolen by the Nazis during the war, Barbara Taylor Bradford's gripping tale reaches a dramatic and unexpected crescendo. A Sudden Change of Heart revolves around overcoming adversity as well as celebrating life's joy; ultimately, it is a moving expression of the triumph of the human spirit and the healing power of love.
This was a good book, but I expected it to be great. Neither the plot or the characters were as deep or rich as they could have been.
I just finished reading this book and found it a lighted hearted romance but yet sad and heart warming. A story of family, love, friendship, family history.
some secrets are too terrible to share even with your best friend
Laura has what she thinks is a storybook marriage, and her closest childhood friend, Claire Benson, now publisher and editor-in-chief of a French interior design and art magazine, offers contrast as a bitter, divorced woman who dotes on her teenage daughter. Bradford's exploration of the relationship between the two women depicts a series of heartbreaks and scandals, most with more surface than substance. Claire's hidden past of childhood abuse, foreshadowed early in the book, makes the other characters appear obtuse for missing obvious clues. Meanwhile, Laura's "perfect" husband turns out to be bisexual, Claire's difficult ex-husband reappears in her daughter's life and Claire ends up confronting advanced breast cancer and battling for her life with Laura's loving support.
A mystery involving old friends, secrets and stolen Natzi art work.
good read
A woman finds a new life when her old one shatters.
Another good story by Barbara Taylor Bradford.
I always enjoy reading Barbara Taylor Bradford. Suspense, romance -- what more can you ask for?
Great book
Some secrets are too terrible to share-even with your best friend...
Nothing hurts like the truth. A truth that has haunted Claire Benson all her life. A truth that Claire has revealed to no one., not even to her best friend, international art dealer Laura Valieant. But the friendship that has sheltered both women throughout childhood, marriage, and divorce is about to meet its greatest test. Suddenly old nightmares surface as Claire turns to her dearest friend for help. And as Laura's career leads her into the past, in an investigatin of artwork stolen by the Nazis, she uncovers disturbing links to the present, to Claire, and a profoundly personal reason to follow a twisted trail to its surprising end...
Nothing hurts like the truth. A truth that has haunted Claire Benson all her life. A truth that Claire has revealed to no one., not even to her best friend, international art dealer Laura Valieant. But the friendship that has sheltered both women throughout childhood, marriage, and divorce is about to meet its greatest test. Suddenly old nightmares surface as Claire turns to her dearest friend for help. And as Laura's career leads her into the past, in an investigatin of artwork stolen by the Nazis, she uncovers disturbing links to the present, to Claire, and a profoundly personal reason to follow a twisted trail to its surprising end...
"Nothing hurts like the truth. A truth that has haunted Claire Benson all her life. A truth that Claire has revealed to no one, not even to her best friend, international art dealer Laura Valiant. But the friendship that has sheltered both women throughout childhood is about to meet its greatest test. Suddenly old nightmares surface as Claire turns to her dearest friend for help. And as Laura's career leads her into the past, in an investigation of artwork stolen by the Nazis, she uncovers disturbing links to the present, to Claire, and a profoundly personal reason to follow a twisted trail to its surprising end" (jacket cover synopsis)
Nothing hurts like the truth. A truth that has haunted Claire Benson all her life. A truth that Claire has revealed to no one, not even to her best friend, international art dealer Laura Valiant. But the friendship that has sheltered both women throughout childhood, marriage, and divorce is about to met its gretest test. Suddenly old nightmares surface as Claire turns to her dearest friend for help. And as Laura's career leads her into the past, in an investigation of artwork stolen by the Nazis, she uncovers disturbing links to the present, to Claire, and a profoundly personal reason to follow a twisted trail to its surprising end....
From the back cover: "Nothing hurts like the truth. A truth that has haunted Claire Benson all her life. A truth that Claire has revealed to no one, not even to her best friend, international art dealer Laura Valiant. But the friendship that has sheltered both women throughout childhood, marriage, and divorce is about to meet its greatest test. Suddenly old nightmares surface as Claire turns to her dearest friend for help. And as Laura's career leads her into the past, in an investigation of artwork stolen by the Nazis, she uncovers disturbing links to the present, to Claire, and a profoundly personal reason to follow a twisted trail to its surprising end...."
Registered at bookcrossing.com
Contains 4 cassettes with approx. 6 hours of listening. The cassettes are in good condition but the box is a worn.
