LEGACY by Danielle Steel

Publisher: Dell
Date published: September 27, 2011
ISBN 9780440245162
Contemporary Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Lynne
Obtained via publisher


Thirty-eight-year-old Brigitte Nicholson leads a safe, comfortable life. She has a decent job, a comfortable relationship with her boyfriend, Ted Weiss, and is writing a book. So when she gets laid off and Ted ditches her to follow his dream of having his own dig in Egypt, she is devastated and wonders how her life has fallen apart so abruptly. Things had been just the way she wanted them and had never expected anything to change. Well, perhaps...someday...they would.

When Brigitte’s mother urges her to lay aside her problems and assist her with her family genealogy for awhile, she is not really interested. Until the discovery of a mysterious ancestor, a Dakota Sioux named Wachiwi, who appears in their family tree. Somehow Wachiwi made her way from the Great Plains, to the French court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. How this happened intrigues Brigitte, and she soon finds herself led to Utah, to South Dakota, and then to Paris to find answers to these questions for herself.

The legacy she eventually uncovers in her quest for the truth affords the way to a new life for Brigitte, one that is not so safe or as comfortable as before, but is one of risk, and courage, and happiness such as she has never known before.

LEGACY by Danielle Steel is a wonderful read. I absolutely loved it. As a fan of history, romance, and Native American culture, I was instantly drawn into this story when I discovered the interesting legacy that binds two women over the centuries with a bond that is stronger than blood.

Ms. Steel amazes me with her original and unique stories. LEGACY is no exception. Full of interesting facets of history, on two different continents, I found no let up as I devoured this book. It was well-paced, and the way Ms. Steel interweaved the lives of two separate, yet related women was skillfully done. The plotting was essential to this story, and Ms. Steel pulls it off with her usual aplomb.

It is easy to fall in love with Wachiwi and her life story. She is a wonderful, likeable character, and I am pleased at how Ms. Steel shares the woman’s entire story in LEGACY. As Brigitte travels to interesting places, seeking answers regarding Wachiwi’s place in her family tree, I found myself being just as intrigued and excited with every tidbit she found. I was anxious for Brigitte to make her way to Paris, and was so glad that she did. What she found there was a wonderful LEGACY left by Wachiwi that made her proud of her Sioux heritage. I so enjoyed reading about it.

I loved that Wachiwi was an exceptional equestrienne and a beautiful, intelligent woman to boot. Her character, so different from Brigitte’s, inspired her as a role model for her descendants, which helped Brigitte’s life come together in the end. A priceless legacy.

For anyone interested in history, romance, Native American culture, slavery, and life before the French Revolution, then this is a book I would highly recommend to pass the time. As for me, I can’t get enough of Ms. Steel’s books, and I would enjoy seeing this one made into a movie, I enjoyed it that much. LEGACY is a remarkable story.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.