Review: The Butler

The Butler by Danielle Steel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Two different people from two different backgrounds meet in Paris and find their way to each other. Joachim von Hartman is from Buenos Aires and has an identical twin, Javier. Raised by their single mother, Joachim enters a life of service as a butler. Trained by the best, Joachim has worked for some of England's most powerful elite.

Olivia White is recovering from her magazine folding, a magazine she labored with for ten years. The only child of a single mom, Olivia decides to start fresh in Paris. She is excited about her new venture, having never done anything so spontaneous. New to the country, she needs an assistant, familiar with the language to help her set up her home and hires, Joachim.

Both will find themselves on a new chapter, a new journey and maybe, find love and solace in each other.

First, I have to say that I truly enjoyed this read. I was sucked into the story and couldn't believe the trauma and tragedy they went through. I loved the title and concept. Just that alone made me want to read. This was a story of self-discovery, forgiveness, renewal, family. It had intrigue that kept me swiping on my kindle to get to the end.

However, as I am seeing with Danielle Steel, there is a lot of info dumping in the beginning. I am guessing she is able to get away with all those pages of narratives because of who she is. Because of this, I had stopped reading another book but after reading The Butler and another book of hers, I think I might go back and give that book a chance.

People will enjoy the strong characters who you want to root for. Their love felt organic and it wasn't the central part of the story, though of course, there was the happy ending. Rather it was about Joachim and Olivia coming to terms with their past and using what they have learned to embark on a new future. Sometimes things happen in life that make up skeptical about love or about becoming vulnerable to another person. But it is beautiful when it happens and that is what I enjoyed reading.

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