The Long Road Home

Abridged
Author: Danielle Steel
Narrator: Anthony Fusco
Genres: Fiction
Publisher: Random House (Audio)
Date: October 2007
Length: 6 hours
Ratings:
  • Book Rating: 4.5/5
Formats:
  • CD
  • iPod

Overview

From her secret perch at the top of the stairs, Gabriella Harrison watches the guests arrive at her parents' lavish Manhattan townhouse. At seven, she knows she is an intruder in her parents' party, in her parents' life. But she can't resist the magic. Later, she waits for the click, click, click of her mother's high heels, the angry words, and the pain that will follow. Gabriella already knows to hide her bruises, certain she is to blame for her mother's rage--and her father's failure to protect her.Gabriella's only escape is through her stories. Only writing can dull the pain of her lonely world. And when her parents' marriage collapses, Gabriella is given her first reprieve, as her mother abandons her to a convent. There, Gabriella's battered body and soul begin to mend. And there, amid the quiet safety and hushed rituals of the nuns, Gabriella becomes a woman. Then a young priest comes into her life. Joe Connors never questioned his vocation until Gabriella entered the confessional and shared her soul. Confession leads to friendship. And friendship grows dangerously into love. Like Gabriella, Joe is haunted by the pain of his childhood, consumed by guilt over a family heartbreak. With Gabriella, Joe takes the first steps toward healing. But their relationship leads to tragedy as Joe must choose between the priesthood and Gabriella, and life in the real world where he fears he does not belong.With profound insight, Danielle Steel has created a vivid portrait of a child's broken world and a woman's unbreakable spirit. A work of daring and compassion, The Long Road Home is more than riveting fiction. It's an inspiration to us all.

Reviews (2)

Long Road Home

Written by Angela Jones on December 23rd, 2006

  • Book Rating: 3/5

Okay listen if you have nothing else to do. Way too much bad luck, never ending torture and grief endured by one person.

long road home

Written by Kim on March 10th, 2005

  • Book Rating: 5/5

This was very good. I enjoyed every minute of it. It really kept my interest and good detail without being boring. I felt like I new the main character and liked her. It was emotionally captivating.

Author Details

Author Details

Steel, Danielle

"America reads Danielle Steel. And so does the rest of the world. There are more than 350 million copies of her books in print, and every book is a number one bestseller. In short, Danielle Steel is the most popular author writing today.

Since 1981, Ms. Steel has been a permanent fixture on The New York Times hardcover, trade paperback, and mass market bestseller lists. In 1989, she was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for having at least one of her books on the Times' bestseller list for 381 consecutive weeks. But Guinness was premature. The fact is, one or more of Ms. Steel's novels have been on The New York Times bestseller list for over 390 consecutive weeks. She is read by women, men, young people, older people in 46 countries and 28 languages.

In addition to her writing, Ms. Steel has been the National Chairperson for The American Library Association and a spokesperson for the National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse. Her recorded messages for the organization have been heard on the radio throughout the country. Most recently, Ms. Steel is the national spokesperson for the American Humane Association (AHA). She has done television public service announcements raising awareness about child abuse, which aired on TV stations across the country.

From an education in New York and Europe to a professional background in public relations and advertising, Ms. Steel moved on quickly to her literary career and has been hard at work writing ever since. Often, she works on three books and several movies at a time, researching one storyline, writing another, and editing the third. Still, she often spends two to three years researching and developing a single project. In the heat of a first draft, it is not uncommon for her to spend 18 to 20 hours a day glued to her 1948 Olympia manual typewriter.

Ms. Steel maintains a high interest in the welfare and well-being of children. She has nine. And they keep her busy, as she also juggles her writing career. Ms. Steel leads a quiet family life and spends most of her time writing."