Neighbours review: Danielle Steel's new offering is a comfort read for a cosy winter night

Massive fan following amongst authors is a big thing. Danielle Steel is one such best-selling writer. The latest addition to her repertoire is Neighbours. There is a sense of familiarity that most Steel fans know, but yet you keep flipping the pages.

The plotline is typical Steel. You meet a rich and recluse movie star, Meredith White. She has a failed marriage, strained relation with daughter, Kendall, and the accidental death of her son, Justin. For 15 years, the still beautiful Meredith stays in her mansion in San Francisco like a hermit. Her only support and ‘friends’ are husband-wife staff, Jack and Debbie (you do get suspicious of them). After an earthquake hits the city, she provides shelter to her neighbours.

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There’s Dr Andrew with his wife, Tyla, and their children. Andrew’s cruel nature is kept hidden. There is a celebrated and perceptive blind pianist, Arthur, whose live-in assistant, Peter, is an aspirant writer. Joel, a tech giant, is introduced with his young and drop-dead gorgeous girlfriend, Ava, who he considers just a rich man’s toy. Meredith meets Charles Chapman, a former military man, who handles the relief work. When all these worlds collide, things change forever in a positive manner for most. Everyone sees their life choices differently.

The thing with Neighbours is it is a quintessential Danielle Steel book. Readers will realise common threads — a beautiful damsel in distress, her handsome saviour, a few selfish characters who never change and a sense of affluence. Steel’s stamp is all over the book. However, the breezy narrative keeps you engaged. You follow Meredith as she goes from being a recluse to claiming her life back. You appreciate sensitive people like Meredith, Charles and Arthur going out of the way to help Tyla, Peter and Ava. It is not a compulsive read but engaging enough to finish it in one sitting. Steel is a remarkable bestselling author who has kept her hold over her writing for decades. A touch of romance and fictional utopia helps fans and readers alike read Neighbours by Danielle Steel.

Book : Neighbours

Author : Danielle Steel

Publisher : Pan Macmillan

Pages : 321

Price : Rs 450