Danielle Steel brings us views into the world of the very rich and sometimes famous. She gives her characters personalities that are often much deeper than reality leads us to believe. Amazing Grace follows her lead in this respect. Wealthy socialite, Sarah Sloane’s charity fundraiser for the Smallest Angels is rudely interrupted by a magnitude 7 earthquake.
Melanie Free the grammy-winning star who was scheduled to entertain at the event is thrown into play with Sister Mary Magdalen, a street-wise nun who serves the people in the Tenderloin, San Francisco’s toughest slum. Trained as a nurse, Maggie (Sister Mary Magdalen) tends to the injured and helps get the more severly injured to emergency care. Melanie is fascinated by the nun’s training and skill and offers to help where she can.
When the uninjured are transported to a tent city while utilities and the more dangerous elements of downed power lines and collapsing buildings are dealt with by the authorities, Melanie continues to help Maggie care for the sick and wounded. Melanie’s mother who is also her agent, totally disapproves of Melanie’s involvement with the nun, but can’t control what Melanie does in the compound. When Melanie meets young Tom Jenkins, an engineering graduate of Berkley, her mother really disapproves. But Melanie is tired of the actors and singers her mother encourages her to date and even after they are released from the camp, continues to see Tom.
Pulitzer prize winning photographer Everett Carson is also fascinated by Maggie and follows her around the compound photographing her as she works. They strike up a friendship that is to grow into something more.
Meanwhile, Sarah’s world is to totally disintegrate. Her husband, Seth is a hedge fund manager who has made millions for them. But his methods are proving to be somewhat underhanded and the earthquake disrupts his money shifting from his bank to his friend and both men are exposed to the SEC as the frauds they are. Sarah faces losing everything they own. She must come to forgive Seth for his selfishness in involving them in something so nefarious, as well as find a place to live and work to support herself and their two children. She also must face the trial of her husband who refuses to plead guilty.
Amazing Grace by Danielle Steel
Published by Delacorte Press 2007
ISBN-13: 978-0-7394-8589-7
