44 Charles Street

by Danielle Steel (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2011

  $3.28

  What makes a house...a home? Everything is falling to pieces for Francesca Thayer. Her beautiful, old house is full of leaks and in need of total restoration. Then her relationship with lawyer Todd collapses and he moves out. As the owner of a struggling art gallery she can't possibly manage the mortgage alone, so she is forced to do the one thing she never imagined she would: she advertises for lodgers. First arrives Eileen - a young, attractive schoolteacher who has just moved from LA. Then comes Chris, a newly-divorced father struggling with a difficult ex-wife and the challenges of parenting his seven-year-old son who visits every other weekend. Last to arrive is Marya - a famous cookery author who is hoping to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. And so Francesca finds that her house has become a whole new world - and as things begin to turn around, she realises that her accidental tenants have become the most important people in her life. Over their year together, the house at 44 Charles Street fills with laughter, hope and heartbreak. And Francesca discovers that she might be able to open her heart again after all...

• Used

  Paperback
  2011

  $5.15

  44 Charles Street presents some of the real issues of today's ever changing world, where life is not quite as simple as it was many years ago. We all take on more responsibilities now than men and women used to, and there is a lot more to juggle in modern life. The main female character is faced with trying not to lose her house or business after a break-up with a long-term live-in boyfriend, and trying to untangle their commingled financial interests. Once apart, the responsibility of keeping it all together, both her art gallery and her home, falls entirely on her. To try and make ends meet and not lose her house, she decides to take in 3 roommates, and the fun begins. A fresh faced freckled recent college graduate is the first to sign up, a sweet young girl, who immerses herself in internet dating, sometimes to a frightening degree. The second is a somewhat mysterious divorced man, recovering from a bad divorce, with an irresistible seven-year-old son. And one by one the mysterious circumstances in his life are revealed. The third resident is a famous, recently widowed female chef, who loves the other residents of the house, uses them as a testing lab for her fabulous gourmet meals, and unexpectedly finds love with a well-known French chef. The ages in the book span from 22 to 60, their previous life histories are as varied. Each one has their private challenges. It's a book that touches on some very contemporary themes.