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The Long Road Home (Abridged) Audiobook
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(3.01) - 3,879 listener ratings
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Bestselling novelist Danielle Steel takes us on a harrowing journey into the heart of America's hidden shame in a novel that explores the power of forgiveness, the dark side of childhood, and one woman's unbreakable spirit. 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. Her world is a confusing blend of terror, betrayal, and pain. Her parents' aristocratic world is no safeguard against the abuse that knows no boundaries, respects no person, no economic lines. Gabriella knows that, try as she might, there is no safe place for her to hide. Even as a child, her only escape is through the stories she writes. Only writing can dull the pain of her lonely world. And when her parents' marriage collapses, Gabriella is given her first reprieve, as her father disappears, and then her mother abandons her to a convent. There, Gabriella's battered body and soul begin to mend. Amid the quiet safety and hushed rituals of the nuns, Gabriella grows into womanhood in a safe, peaceful world. Then a young priest comes into her life. Father 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 tragedy, for which he blames himself. 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, and cannot cope. Exiled and disgraced, and nearly destroyed, Gabriella struggles to survive on her own in New York. There she seeks healing and escape through her writing again, this time as an adult, and her life as a writer begins. But just when she thinks she is beyond hurt, Gabriella is once again betrayed by someone she trusts. Brought to the edge of despair, physically attacked beyond recognition and belief, haunted by abuse in her present and her past, she nonetheless manages to find hope again, and the courage to face the past. On a pilgrimage destined to bring her face-to-face with those who sought to destroy her in her early life, she finds forgiveness, freedom from guilt, and healing from abuse. When Gabriella faces what was done to her, and why, she herself is free at last. With profound insight, Danielle Steel has created a vivid portrait of an abused child's broken world, and the courage necessary to face it and free herself from the past. A work of daring and compassion, a tale of healing that will shock and touch and move you to your very soul, it exposes the terror of child abuse, and opens the doors on a subject that affects us all. The Long Road Home is more than riveting fiction. It is an inspiration to us all. A work of courage, hope, and love.
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"I haven't read DS in a while but came across this one and was intrigued. This is about a child who was hated and abused by her wealthy mother while her father ignored it. The book takes you through childhood and adulthood. Very different for DS but very good. "
— Jann (4 out of 5 stars)
The Long Road Home Listener Reviews
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" A heart-wrenching story of a girl who is abused. "
— Ayla, 2/19/2014 -
" Always embarrassed to admit having read a Danielle Steel book, this is the first of hers that I ever picked up. The story grabs you in an 'Oh my God I cant believe this is happening, how awful!' kind of way but after the first half of the book it tends to become somewhat mismatched and I found myself feeling that I have been sad with this book long enough and wanted it to just finish. The relationship between Gabriella and the nuns of the convent is lovely and I enjoyed the slight exploration of religion. The heroine is easy to like and her naivety is completely believable. It is a depressing issue that Ms. Steele tackles here so I wouldnt recommend it as a holiday read. Maybe when there is a storm outside and you are feeling pensive. "
— Angela, 2/5/2014 -
" I enjoyed this book as Steele seemed to do a good job portraying the emotions an abused child/adult would go through. I also enjoyed the story, it was difficult to put down. However, this is the second Steele book I have read and I have already noticed the theme of the characters going through not only one life altering event, but they tend to go through at least two or three. I am okay with that, but I think it makes it seem less realistic when sometimes the real life stories tug at your heart a little more. "
— Jaylia, 2/1/2014 -
" This book was more than heartbreaking, beautiful and breathtaking... It was the first Danielle Steel book I read and it stays with me to this day "
— Jennah-lee, 1/30/2014 -
" A must read for D. S. fans... :):)... When I was reading this book I got emotionally attached to Gabriella and I was into that phase for a long time. Truly a wonderful book. "
— Dharamvir, 1/30/2014 -
" this book changed the way i view a lot of things. It is good and a great story of true love and true pain. of sacrifice and so many other of lifes many blessings and tragidies. "
— Marie, 1/1/2014 -
" The first book to make me cry. It reminds me of the strength we can find within ourselves after we over come adversity. "
— Adel, 12/29/2013 -
" Tells you something about "Tomorrow is another day" "
— Claire, 12/29/2013 -
" This is a great romance novel about Gabriella's adventures in love with a priest as she's a nun and life after it. She finds new love again. A touching story. "
— Kristen, 12/29/2013 -
" I thought that is book was sad and depressing at first but when she got out of the house everything went up "
— Megan, 12/27/2013 -
" i really liked this book, which was kind of surprising because my mom gave it too me! lol "
— Caitlyn, 12/21/2013 -
" I haven't read DS in a while but came across this one and was intrigued. This is about a child who was hated and abused by her wealthy mother while her father ignored it. The book takes you through childhood and adulthood. Very different for DS but very good. "
— Jann, 12/16/2013 -
" It was a typical DS, I did my usual quick skipping reading, it was ok, easy to read which suits a purpose. "
— Suzanne, 12/9/2013 -
" My one and only interaction with Ms. Steel. Never again. So hilariously bad and melodramatic. "
— K, 12/6/2013 -
" as i remember it was my first book to read "
— Reem, 11/19/2013 -
" This book was so badly written that even a half-decent story was ruined by poor sentence structure and worse character development. I will never touch Ms. Steel's books again. "
— Sarah, 8/26/2013 -
" Children are blessings 4rm God. No matter the circumstances surrounding u before or after their birth,love and care 4 them, don't maltreat them.Bring them up in the right way.Blessings come in disguise. In the middle of difficulties lies oppurtunites. "
— Adaora, 8/5/2013 -
" This is a story that touched me deeply, reading about the abuse that the heroine went through wasn't easy. But I wouldn't change even one word of this book - it's just perfect the way it is! "
— Maldivianbookreviewer, 7/9/2013 -
" Exhausting, long, and boring. Too many 'adventures' and I couldn't pay attention to everything that happened. "
— Eves, 7/7/2013 -
" i really liked this book. it was a traumatic story, but kept my interest the entire book. "
— Sarah, 6/5/2013 -
" Seriously my favorite book of this authors! "
— Kayla, 2/21/2013 -
" My favorite Danielle Steel book. "
— Danielle, 2/11/2013 -
" My daughter's name is Gabrielle, same as the main character so at times this book was extremely hard to read. The events in girls life as she becomes a women just makes you want to sob and cheer. "
— Cynthia, 5/23/2012 -
" I really liked this one, although it was heartbreaking! "
— Michelle, 4/18/2012 -
" I had to stay up late to finish this one! It was worth missing sleep. The furst few chapers are rough reading due to the subject matter of the plot, but once you're past that, you'll be hooked! "
— Rflutist, 11/17/2011 -
" The story still schoked me as much as it did the first time I read it years ago... real tear jerker! "
— Lily, 9/5/2011 -
" Really sad. Made me cry in lots of parts "
— Andrea, 5/24/2011 -
" I liked the first two parts of this book, and the third part was okay. You have to feel bad for the little girl with a weak father and s jealous and abusive mother. "
— Jeanette, 5/10/2011 -
" My daughter's name is Gabrielle, same as the main character so at times this book was extremely hard to read. The events in girls life as she becomes a women just makes you want to sob and cheer. "
— Cynthia, 5/6/2011 -
" My one and only interaction with Ms. Steel. Never again. So hilariously bad and melodramatic. "
— Kaylan, 4/29/2011 -
" This book was more than heartbreaking, beautiful and breathtaking... It was the first Danielle Steel book I read and it stays with me to this day "
— Jennah-lee, 2/24/2011 -
" Definitely one of my favorites of her novels. Did not want to put it down. Topic this time is child abuse. Difficult to read then and even more so now because I am a mother. "
— Mona, 12/9/2010 -
" This is a story that touched me deeply, reading about the abuse that the heroine went through wasn't easy. But I wouldn't change even one word of this book - it's just perfect the way it is! "
— Maldivianbookreviewer, 12/4/2010 -
" The story still schoked me as much as it did the first time I read it years ago... real tear jerker! "
— Lily, 10/26/2010 -
" Really good book. Tugs on the heart strings. "
— Desiree, 10/23/2010 -
" Really sad. Made me cry in lots of parts "
— Andrea, 8/20/2010 -
" This is the saddest book I have ever read yet I could not put it down. It was distressing to read about this womans life and how every turn had some sort of tragedy happen to her. "
— Shell, 8/10/2010 -
" Children are blessings 4rm God. No matter the circumstances surrounding u before or after their birth,love and care 4 them, don't maltreat them.Bring them up in the right way.Blessings come in disguise. In the middle of difficulties lies oppurtunites. "
— Adaora, 8/5/2010
About Danielle Steel
Danielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world’s most popular authors, with almost a billion copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include many acclaimed novels. She is also author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina’s life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; Pure Joy, about the dogs she and her family have loved; and the children’s books Pretty Minnie in Paris and Pretty Minnie in Hollywood.