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Safe harbour
First published 2003 · 574 pages
A tender, atmospheric journey through the fog of grief toward the warmth of unexpected love and healing.
What it feels like
Reading this novel feels like walking along a fog-swept coastline, initially chilled by the profound weight of grief, but slowly warmed by the breaking sun of new connections. It is a deeply earnest and life-affirming exploration of how broken families can find unexpected healing. The narrative moves at a steady, compassionate pace, allowing the reader to sit with the characters' inconsolable loss before gently guiding them toward joy and rediscovery. The prose is emotionally direct, wrapping the reader in a tender atmosphere where art, maternal bonds, and second chances serve as lifelines. It will deeply satisfy readers who crave moving domestic fiction that honors the pain of tragedy while ultimately delivering a triumphant, hopeful romance.
- Mood
- melancholic
- hopeful
- atmospheric
- tender
- Tone
- earnest
- compassionate
- life-affirming
- moving
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- healing from grief · found family · second chances · maternal bonds · restorative power of art
- The writing
- Emotive and accessible, focusing heavily on internal emotional landscapes and atmospheric coastal settings.
- The arc
- Moves from deep, inconsolable grief and isolation toward tentative healing, unexpected joy, and ultimately triumphant hope.
- Who it's for
- Readers who seek emotionally resonant domestic fiction about overcoming tragedy through unexpected connections and romance.
Content notes
- grief
- loss of a loved one
- divorce
- betrayal
About the book
An unforgettable story of survival...and of the extraordinary acts of faith and courage that bring – and keep – families together...On a wind-swept summer day, as the fog rolls across the San Francisco coastline, a solitary figure walks down the beach, a dog at her side. At eleven, Pip Mackenzie's young life has already been touched by tragedy; nine months before, a terrible accident plunged her mother Ophelie into inconsolable grief. But on this chilly July afternoon, Pip meets artist Matt Bowles, who offers to teach the girl to draw — and can't help but notice her beautiful, lonely mother. Matt Bowles senses something magical about Pip, who reminds him of his own daughter at that age, before a bitter divorce tore his family apart and swept his children halfway across the world. At first, Ophelie is thrown off-balance by her daughter's new companion — until she realizes how much joy he is bringing into their lives, so that mother and daughter can slowly begin to heal, to laugh again, to rediscover what they have lost. As Matt has to confront unfinished business from his past, and Ophelie is struck by a stunning betrayal, out of the darkness that has shadowed them both comes an unexpected gift of hope.A story of triumph and a moving elegy to those who suffer and survive, Safe Harbour is Danielle Steel's most powerful and life-affirming novel to date.
Description from Open Library.
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