Destiny

My favorite book of all time for fiction! Although a very long novel, its twists and turns and masterful weaving of a story through many decades is simply the best love story I've ever read. If anyone thinks that "Titanic" is the love story of all love stories, they haven't even begun to know what is in store when they encounter Edouard and Helene's love for each other...........my only disappointment is that it had to end the way it did, but that's what makes the story so poignant. Set amid France, England, and America, it is full of surprises along the way and also the story of a two people who never forgot each other despite many setbacks and trials. If only I could know a man like Edouard.................

Read this for the first time over 30 years ago. I didn’t give it 5 stars because it is just too long. Pros: The way the past intertwined with the present and the character Edouard. All these years later reading it again, Helene was just too dang young when they met in 1959. Couldn’t she at least have been of age?

First of all it is a long book. When I first started it I had a hard time getting into it. I did not care for the characters and gave it up. I came back several months later and tried again....once I got into the book I was totally hooked.....it is a sweeping saga and an amazing love story. The title is perfect!!! Some of the sexual descriptions are quite explicit but key to the story and the character development. I did not find it offensive because it wasn't protrayed in a long drawn out fashion - it was presented as a way to understand the character and not glorified. There were two basic and separate stories of Helene and Edouard and both were enough to grab you and keep you reading. I did not like Edouard until well into the book but Helene's story made you want to keep reading to see how she would endure. When I finished the book Iwas emotionally exhausted but very happy I had finished this long book. The characters were quite unforgetable....

I absolutely love this book. The story is compelling and really grabs your attention. I couldn't put it down. I wanted to find out what happened next and at the same time, I didn't want it to end. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a really good story that will grab your attention and won't let it go.

I have finally replaced my old paperback copy with a Kindle copy. In the "Novels" category list of my 1000 best books read, this is by far the best - number one!

20 years ago (give or take a few) I read Sally Beauman's Dark Angel. I never forgot it so looked on Amazon for more of her books.This is the first book in her "Lovers and Liars" series. She has a wonderful writing style and it will keep you turning the pages.

Read this book over 25 years ago and loved it. I loaned it to a co-worker and never got it back. Now, many years later and hundreds of books later, I found it again on Amazon. I am reading it again for the first time since I was in my 20's. Now in my 40's, and stil LOVE this book!

What a great book! It tells the story of Helene and Edouard. It takes place in America and Europe. It's a long complicated story but well worth the time