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Fiction. Literature. Romance. Two different worlds and two very different lives collide in Paris in this captivating novel by Danielle Steel. Joachim von Hartmann was born and raised in Buenos Aires by his loving German mother, inseparable from his identical twin. When Joachim moves to Paris with his mother in his late teens, his twin stays behind and enters a dark world. Meanwhile, Joachim begins training to be a butler, fascinated by the precision and intense demands, and goes on to work in some of the grandest homes in England. His brother never reappears. Olivia White has given ten years of her life to her magazine, which failed, taking all her dreams with it. A bequest from her mother allows her a year in Paris to reinvent herself. She needs help setting up a home in a charming Parisian apartment. It is then that her path and Joachim's cross. Joachim takes a job working for Olivia as a lark and enjoys the whimsy of a different life for a few weeks, which turn to months as the unlikely employer and employee learn they enjoy working side by side. At the same time, Joachim discovers the family history he never knew: a criminal grandfather who died in prison, the wealthy father who abandoned him, and the dangerous criminal his twin has become. While Olivia struggles to put her life back together, Joachim's comes apart. Stripped of their old roles, they strive to discover the truth about each other and themselves, first as employer and employee, then as friends. Their paths no longer sure, they are a man and woman who reach a place where the past doesn't matter and only what they are living now is true.… (more)
User reviews
Story follows a man who has left behind in South America his twin brother when they reach adult age.
Joachim moves with his mother and she marries a man and live in Paris.
He is given jobs but he's not found his real love....he decides when his step father passes away to
Never thought about it much and there are not many around anymore as our traditions and life style changes over the years.
Interesting to learn about the career. He relocates back to Paris to tend to his ailing mother and his butler long term job has ended.
Story also follows Olivia and she's moved to Paris and runs her design magazine til it ends due to internet offering cheaper ways to doing things.
She has no one else in the whole world and is taken advantage of by a maid. The butler guesses what's going on and lines up all the workers.
WOW he knows his job very well and things are resolved. He helps Emily get her house in order and teaches her of fun places to shop around town.
Joachim often thinks of his brother and fears he's in the mafia or something similar and fears they will never meet again.
When both are at a standstill they make a big decision about an estate a Russian had bought near Paris and want to help him redecorate it
He is interrogated about his travels when they try to make arrangements to ship her furniture back to NY. They find out about the brothers birthmarks. She orders a background check on Joachim.
Love hearing about his mothers career by finding those who had paintings stolen from them during the way, she was able to reunite them.
When both of their endeavors end abruptly due to money loss and things being returned to their rightful owners they are at a loss..
Surprised at how this ends.
Received this review copy from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Delacorte Press via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
#TheButler #NetGalley
With such a weak plot, I feel the characters need to be outstanding and the prose fabulous.
Despite my negative thoughts, I didn't hate this book. I did enjoy reading it; however, it will not be in my favorites list. That said, this book is very commercial, and I think will appeal to a lot of readers.