Cover Image: The Wedding Dress

The Wedding Dress

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

The Wedding Dress by Danielle Steel is definitely one of my favorite books she has written. I loved the descriptions of the Devereaux Mansion and the Jeanne Lanvin Wedding Dress. I loved some of the occupations of the women in the story. Gardeners, antique dealers, teacher take you on a fascinating trip through four generations to wear the wedding dress. Happiness and sadness take their toil on the men and women in the story. Read the story you will like it.

Was this review helpful?

Danielle Steel's latest book reminded me of the books she wrote several years ago. I had attempted a few previous to this but had not been happy with the. This is the author I remember.

There are several reasons for this. I love her glamorous characters! I love books that take place in San Francisco (I used to live there). In this book, the title intrigued me. Who doesn't love a story about a wedding dress, particularly is it is designer and super expensive? I started reading the book for that, but soon became enchanted by the family and the characters. It definitely hit some high historic notes for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Delacorte Press for the opportunity to read and re-establish my love of Danielle Steel's books. I received this book in return for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This book was on point! Danielle Steel was definitely at her best with book. I could not put down! Can not wait for release so I can buy my physical copy.

Was this review helpful?

Beginning in San Fransisco in the glamorous 1920's the story starts out desiring the extravagant wealthy life of the Deveraux family. Their only child, Eleanor is set to come out at the season's most exciting debut, to date.

The ball goes better than expected. Eleanor is a beauty, kind too, and attracts plenty of suitors. She catches the eye of Alex Allen, the head of another profitable bank in the city. Her parents, at first nervous at the age difference of the two, eventually give them their blessing.

Their new life starts out well until the stock market crash. What was once a life of glitz and glamour, is now a life of poverty. The young couple manages to find jobs and survives on little money with lots of love.

The rest of the novel chronicles Eleanor and the lives of the future generations, and how they all connect back to the wedding dress that started it all.

Was this review helpful?

Bravo!!! Danielle does it again!!!! Such a heartfelt story and lovely ending. Never a surprise when reading a Steele book!

Was this review helpful?

Danielle Steel's novel spans from 1928 to the 1960s, following a family for generations. Starting with Eleanor's coming out ball, this is her marriage story and the story of her children and her children's children. I was engrossed in it from beginning to end. This was a lovely book that all generations will enjoy!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and Danielle Steel for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Wedding Dress is a story about the four generations of women and their lives. Sadness, happiness, love, joy, ups and downs is what makes this story so endearing and will keep you from wanting it to end.
Eleanor is taken to Paris by her mother in search of the perfect wedding dress. It is a magnificent dress and fits perfectly into their lives. The dress is handled with love and care throughout the generations.
Danielle Steel takes you on a trip that is exactly what she is excellent at doing.

Was this review helpful?

What can I say, another wonderful storyline. It's good to know when i start reading, it will be nothing like her previous books, but u know it will be good, even better than the last one. I love, love, love this author and can't wait for the next book!

Was this review helpful?

I am a big Danielle Steel fan, especially of her historical fiction/family sagas. This story did not disappoint. I couldn't put the book down and it was a pleasure to read on another "safe at home" day. A beautiful wedding dress and the generations of women that wear it, or choose not to wear it. The story begins right before the stock market crash and the depression, all the way to present day. Family/individual trials and triumphs as the world changed so much. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Was this review helpful?

Note: I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

There’s a decent story in here but as I was reading all I could think was how poorly written it was. No beauty in the words. Phrases repeated over and over. No flow or emotion. What could have been an epic, sweeping family saga read more like a book report. This is by Danielle Steele so it will get read widely but had this been the effort of a debut author it would sit somewhere at the bottom of an literary agent’s slush pile.

Was this review helpful?

I used to read a lot of these multi-generational sagas back in my younger days. Danielle Steel wasn’t my top favorite (Judith Krantz held that honor), but I did read and enjoy more than a few Steel novels during that time. So I got a nostalgic thrill when this one came up on my NetGalley Dashboard. One of my favorite things about these books was the Cassandra-like feeling that I, as a history buff, would have a pretty good notion of what was happening next. You know – it’s 1912 and a character is heading on a sea-voyage? Someone’s going down on the Titanic! Well, when I read the first chapter and the heroine is a banker’s daughter and it’s 1928.… I settled in for a real fun read and I wasn’t disappointed! That said, Steel (or possibly the genre itself) is showing her age a bit. These books used to be behemoths, with tons of flash and glitter and glamour. This one was much, much shorter than they used to be and the characters were all more simplistic. In this book there were Good Guys who were all smart, kind and devoted, and Bad Guys who were pretty much trash people. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it a lot. One doesn't read Danielle Steel for literature, one reads her for fun. And I had a lot of fun reading this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an arc copy for my review.

Was this review helpful?

This is an historical romance book. I usually don't read them, but I love reading Danielle Steel books. I have to admit I wasn't really into this book at the beginning, but it got more interesting and I love the fact it had many generations of women and their struggles. I like the grandparents feel to it, maybe because I didn't know mine. I am glad i got to read this from Netgalley for exchange of an honest review

Was this review helpful?

Once again, Danielle Steel brings a story of love, loss, and perseverance. Fans of her's will revel in this book it is a solid novel that reminded me of some of her early works.
#TheWeddingDress
#NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

While it's not one of Danielle's best books, it's not one of her worst either. The storyline did captivate me, though the actual dress the book is named for has a very small role. The book is centered around Eleanor Deveraux- the bride the dress was made for- and her descendents. As you meet her, she is from a highly wealthy banking family. She marries a man of similiar wealth. I enjoyed their love story. It was reminiscent of earlier Danielle Steel books where the husband is always older than the bride. You watch a genuine love unfold and a bond that builds a life on. However, it all comes crashing down while on their honeymoon as the stockmarket crashes.



I enjoyed seeing how the main characters adjust to their new lives. I felt their storylines played out in a realistic way. You see strength rise from sources you wouldn't expect and you see the lasting scars created as lives are never the same again.



Seeing Eleanor's life play out was intriguing. It wasn't all roses, nor was there an immediate happy ending. She conitues to endure heartbreaks through miscarriages and having her daughter, Camille, rebel. Heartbreak knocks on Eleanore's door again, but also leaves a ray of light to embrace- her granddaughter, Ruby. I do have to say that this book doesn't come with the typical happy ending you expect. Her characters learn to accept their reality and flourish within it.



Overall, I wouldn't buy this book. I'm glad I read it, but I'm also glad I didn't pay the just under $30.00 price tag. Fans of Danielle Steel will enjoy the story, but I don't see me reading this particular book of hers again. It's definitely one to get from the library.

Was this review helpful?

Through four generations of women, whether they enjoyed the splendor of Parisian couture or suffered at the hardship of war, they remained steadfast and strong in their courage and convictions. They never wavered in their love for family even through they suffered loss of lives and fortunes. And even at the pinnacle of fortune like Ruby's marriage, without love and trust, it means nothing. This book was captivating through the end.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this story line, that crossed several decades following a wedding dress from one generation to the next. The book starts out with stock market crash of 1929. I pray history doesn't repeat but if it does we shall pause and take a moment to learn the lessons. Trying times such as pandemics require much thought not of ourselves but of others and time to heal and renew. You will definitely go through a range of emotions reading this book and by the end you feel extremely satisfied with the experience. I highly recommend this book Thanks #netgalley

Was this review helpful?

Four generations- one dress. Eleanor and her mother went to Paris for her wedding dress. And what a dress it is! Unfortunately, the stock market crash happens while Eleanor and Alex are on their honeymoon and nothing is the same for them - except their love. This is a family saga focused on women and the dress that's passed down through the generations. Steel packs a lot of history into this tale, which easily could have been longer. You will live and love with Eleanor, Ruby, Kendall and their families over the course of 80 years. There are lots of ups and downs but the women in this family stick together, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read to take your mind off the news.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Steel is at her best with sweeping generational novels, and this is no exception. Spanning from the 1920s to modern day, it tells the story of one family's trials and tribulations, starting with a wedding. Yes, the book is repetitive at times (or even often) and yes, it's not deep, but it was a good, quick read that kept me in the narrative. It was very much in the formula or a Steel novel, but in this case it works.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this romance novel tremendously. The plot was well crafted and the characters were people I could relate to and empathize with. Definitely recommended.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House and Danielle Steel for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What a Heartwarming beautiful bittersweet read.
I absolutely loved this book and it's characters.
Also loved the history in the book.
A wonderful story about love, loss, family and traditions.
Bravo Danielle! another great read.

Was this review helpful?