Malice - Danielle Steel

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MALICE: General Fiction. Contemporary Fiction.

AUTHOR: Danielle Steel is an American novelist, currently the bestselling author alive and the fourth bestselling author of all time, with over 800 million copies sold. (From Wikipedia)

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BEST - SELLER(S): Over 87 written Fiction works including Wanderlust, Matters of Heart and Southern Lights. She also has non-fiction on her name as well as children and picture books. Movie adaptions of her works have also been made. (Click on the links above to read the reviews on ALOP)

SYNOPSIS (From the Back Cover):

One extraordinary woman's struggle to triumph over malice and betrayal.

On the night of her mother's funeral, Grace Adams is attacked. A young woman with secrets too horrible to tell, Grace will not reveal the truth about what happened. After a life time of being a victim, she must now pay the price for other people's sins.

From a small town in Illinois to the depths of women's prison; from a Chicago modelling agency to a challenging career in New York, Grace carries her past with her wherever she goes. When Grace meets Charles Mackenzie, she finds a man who wants nothing from her  - except to heal her and to give her the family she so desperately wants. But with happiness finally within her grasp, Grace is her most vulnerable - in danger of losing everything to an enemy from her past, an enemy bent on malice...

EXCERPT:

Don't get smart with me, you little bitch. I can do anything I want with you. And don't you forget it.

But the way he said it made something snap deep inside her, and she took a step closer to him, and put her face close to his  with a look of fury.

I shot the last man who said that to me, and tried to act on it. And don't you forget that, Mr. Marquez. Are we clear now?

MSM Speaks (#Spoiler Alert): Before anyone says anything, let me tell you, this is my first Danielle Steel novel ever. I  have heard that Ms. Steel is known for her romantic, tragic and thrilling tales involving protagonists who have had hard lives and I wasn't sure if I would appreciate the feelings portrayed by them. Therefore, when a lady I admire handed me this as a tester, I couldn't say no. I have to admit, I finished this in almost a day and a half. There was a resistant pull towards the story of Grace Adams, which I could not ignore. I might read other works by Danielle, but I would rather wait, till I get this out of my system.

The story follows the life of a seventeen year old Grace Adams, who loses her mother due to cancer and has a legend of a father, loved by the entire community of Watseka. A renowned lawyer with immense love for the people, he is the epitome of goodness and integrity. On the night of her mother's funeral, Grace is attacked and raped in the most bestial fashion, leading her to commit a murder which was far from intended. However, Grace is blamed for her own plight, with no one standing up for her. She is incarcerated for manslaughter and is given a two-year term in Dwight. Grace learns that no one is her friend or her confidante and she would eventually die if she doesn't learn to fight and survive.

Having gone through a life of unexpected, Grace starts a new life with a modelling agency and sees the ugly truth about the glamour world as well. She is beautiful and wise beyond her years and her demeanor becomes a bane for her existence. Always maintaining a cool distant relationship with everyone, Grace finds herself falling for Marcus, a fashion photographer, but when it comes to intimacy, he betrays Grace magnanimously. Broken and scarred, Grace runs away to New York and starts a new life at a Law Firm. She is 22 now and much to her surprise, enters a life which she wouldn't have even dreamed of. The story takes a dream like quality which I really appreciated since I was tired and depressed of Grace's tragedies. They were heart wrenching and I just wanted them to end. Grace is married to Charles Mackenzie and has three beautiful kids, which makes her wonder whether what happened with her ever happened.

Eventually, Murphy's Law strikes again and she finds herself standing face to face with the demons of her past. But now, she has changed and Grace isn't scared to pay back the malice, with malice.

I am not into sappy romances, and very much to my relief, this wasn't one at all. Malice shows the ugly truth that women in the society have to face, and we'd rather consider ourselves lucky if we haven't been touched by those truths. To find a man that understanding, Grace's Charles was out of a story book - which did seem exaggerated or may be, it was how age affected thoughts. The characters were well developed and the insecurities of a teenager to that of a woman, were portrayed impeccably. MSM Recommends.

My Rating: 4/5

Malice @Corgi Books Transworld Publishers (A Random House Group Company) (c) 1996
ISBN No. 9780552141314

flipkart price: 399/-INR
No. of pages: 448