Genre Fiction
![Danielle Steel - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B000APK2GC.jpg)
All That Glitters: A Novel
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In Danielle Steel's dazzling new novel, a young woman must overcome tremendous adversity in her quest to find herself and achieve real happiness.
Nicole "Coco" Martin is destined to have it all. As the only child of doting and successful parents, she has been given every opportunity in life. Having inherited her mother's stunning beauty and creativity, along with her father's work ethic and diligence, she has the world at her feet. Her graduation from Columbia is fast approaching, and with it the summer job of her dreams working at a magazine. Between work, leisurely weekends at her family's home in Southampton, and spending as much time as possible with her best friend, Sam, life couldn't be better-until tragedy strikes. Coco's beloved parents are killed in a terrorist attack while on vacation in France.
Now devastated and alone, Coco must find a way to move forward and make her way in the world without the family she loved. Determined to forge her own path and make her parents proud, Coco pursues her dreams, dazzled by exciting opportunities that come her way. Her goals are to think outside the box-and always play by her own rules. As she finds herself drawn to charismatic, fascinating men, each relationship will teach Coco new lessons, some delightful, some painful. She will come to realize what matters, and how strong she truly is-and in the end, she will discover herself.
Richly exploring one woman's poignant journey through life, All That Glitters is a compelling tale of challenges, heartbreak, discovery, and triumph, a powerful reminder that all that glitters is not the essence of life. And what is truly worth having was right there in our hands all along.
Nicole "Coco" Martin is destined to have it all. As the only child of doting and successful parents, she has been given every opportunity in life. Having inherited her mother's stunning beauty and creativity, along with her father's work ethic and diligence, she has the world at her feet. Her graduation from Columbia is fast approaching, and with it the summer job of her dreams working at a magazine. Between work, leisurely weekends at her family's home in Southampton, and spending as much time as possible with her best friend, Sam, life couldn't be better-until tragedy strikes. Coco's beloved parents are killed in a terrorist attack while on vacation in France.
Now devastated and alone, Coco must find a way to move forward and make her way in the world without the family she loved. Determined to forge her own path and make her parents proud, Coco pursues her dreams, dazzled by exciting opportunities that come her way. Her goals are to think outside the box-and always play by her own rules. As she finds herself drawn to charismatic, fascinating men, each relationship will teach Coco new lessons, some delightful, some painful. She will come to realize what matters, and how strong she truly is-and in the end, she will discover herself.
Richly exploring one woman's poignant journey through life, All That Glitters is a compelling tale of challenges, heartbreak, discovery, and triumph, a powerful reminder that all that glitters is not the essence of life. And what is truly worth having was right there in our hands all along.
Readers Top Reviews
JCMSissel M. Østdahl
If you think about how much is packed into a fictional story this one is not so overwhelming. Parents with a great relationship with their college age daughter who die very young and leave her alone and very rich. Her childhood best friend Sam is the one consistent in her life. Coco makes many bad decisions with men seemingly looking to find the flash. The character of Nigel was the worse, such a gold digger. Coco finds herself pregnant with his child who he walks away from if lieu of the country home. She also meets a reclusive writer who she loves but knows she will never have a normal relationship with. Coco's daughter Bethanie goes through a health crisis that causes her to grow up. Her relationship's come full circle in such a predictable way. It was a good read and one where I was pulling for Coco to finally make the right decision.
Sherralynne
Here's another story written by Danielle that captured my attention from page one. A story that has heartbreaking moments and I began to wonder if the primary characters would ever overcome their challenges. I highly recommend this story and look forward to reading the next new book written by Danielle. Thanks Danielle.
Lynn B
A story of coming of age during tragedy. As always with a Danielle Steel novel, I picked it up and fell deeply into a connection with the characters. It was a fast paced storyline with light complexity. It wasn't my favorite of her latest releases, but it was an easy read with lots of interesting characters and connections. Coco is on the verge of graduating from college and stepping into the big bad world with a dream internship when life as she knew it is ripped from her in one fell swoop with her parents being killed in a foreign terrorist attach while traveling. The emotion is high and love and sadness prevail as she tries to pick up the pieces of her future without her two stabilizers. She portrays a loyalty that shines bright when showcasing the relationship she has shared over the years with her best friend Sam. Her career ambition is strong, but she keeps her eyes open as different facets of the field intrigue her. Her only weakness is her quickness to succumb to the wrong type of men and inability to stand on her own without one by her side. I enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone who wants an easy read without a lot of interwoven drama and saga like storyline.
NanaCav
All That Glitters is a story that will tug at your heartstrings. Coco has to grow up fast when her parents are killed in a terrorist attack while they were on vacation overseas. Her best friend, Sam, helped her through this time. She was left with a large fortune that was handled by her benefactor. It was during this time she made one bad decision after another. Her choice of men left much to be desired. Yet Sam was always there for her. Her story is definitely a page turner. At times it seems Coco goes from the frying pan into the fire. I cannot say more without spoilers. I loved every minute of this book and didn't want it to end.
Jathan & Heather
Growing up, she had it all. Parents who loved her. A privileged life. And dreams as big as the sky. But just when she is about to begin living the life she’s always planned for, the world she knows changes with an explosive, blinding flash of light and suddenly she has to grow up very quickly. Will the lessons her parents taught her be enough to help her navigate her future? Find out in Danielle Steel’s new bestseller, ALL THAT GLITTERS. Before Coco Martin enters her senior year at Columbia, she plans to spend the summer working at Time as an intern. It prevents her from going to Europe with her parents like she usually does, but she doesn’t mind since she’s looking forward to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Besides, she has Sam, her best friend since fourth grade, and they can spend the weekends at her family’s beach house in Southampton. As the duo returns from the beach one weekend, they learn that there was a massive terrorist attack in France and that her parents were two of the people killed in the explosion. It is a nightmare that Coco never saw coming. The two people she loves most in the world are now dead, leaving her with no family whatsoever, only Sam, and neither feels particularly grown up yet. Devastated, Coco buries her family and inherits a fortune. But her beauty, wealth, and innocence make her a target for bad men. Eager to make her parents proud, she must learn to navigate life, live by her own rules and think outside the box. Doing so will take an impressive amount of inner strength, and the help of very good friends, if she’s ever going to see beyond the world’s glitz and discover what truly matters. With ALL THAT GLITTERS, Danielle Steel once again draws us into a world populated by the rich and powerful and shows us that money alone doesn’t guarantee happiness, and everything but our personal integrity can be taken from us at a moment’s notice. She whisks us from New York to London, Paris, and beyond as Coco forges her way through life, drawn from one enigmatic man to the next like a moth to a flame. ALL THAT GLITTERS is a parable for our time, a lesson that begs us to slow down and remember that real happiness comes when we find balance in our lives, learn to enjoy the exciting moments even as we come to appreciate the security that comes from friendship, simplicity, and joy. As always, Steel manages to peer into our heart of hearts, to see what we yearn for and believe in, even in the midst of chaos. Most of all, she reminds us to never, ever, give up. There are better days ahead! [As originally published at JathanandHeather.com]
Short Excerpt Teaser
Chapter 1
Coco Martin, officially Nicole, was a striking looking young woman with dark hair and green eyes. She had a stunning figure, and the poise of someone older than her years. What made her remarkable and even more appealing was that she was totally unaware of her great beauty. She was modest as well as spectacularly beautiful. Men had stared at her for years and she was oblivious to them. Women would have been jealous of her, but she was so kind to everyone that they forgot what she looked like, and genuinely liked her. She had turned twenty-one at the end of last year, and had just finished her junior year as a journalism major at Columbia University. It had been a major coup when she landed a summer internship at Time magazine. She'd found the notice on the bulletin board in the school of journalism. The position was intended for graduate students, but after her interview, they had been so impressed that they had hired her. She was thrilled. She had started two weeks before and she was excited to have the opportunity to work at such a prestigious magazine.
It was a hot Friday in July when she boarded the jitney in New York for the three-hour trip to Southampton to spend the weekend with her parents. She was an only child, and had always enjoyed an unusually close relationship with them, even when she was very young. They treated her more as an adult than a child, and took her everywhere with them. They had had some wonderful trips together, and welcomed her among their friends when they entertained. The three of them enjoyed one another's company. Tom and Bethanie were proud of their only daughter.
Their marriage had gotten off to an unusual start when they were young themselves. They had met when they were both in college and fell madly in love, although they came from vastly different backgrounds. Martin had grown up dirt poor, as he readily admitted, in the Midwest. He had gotten a full scholarship to Princeton, and it changed his life. His parents would have been more than satisfied if he had wanted to be a plumber or electrician, or at the most maybe an accountant. But Tom had never accepted his parents' limited vision for him. His friends in college convinced him that it was more profitable to manage other people's fortunes than try to make his own from scratch. After Princeton, he got an entry-level job at a New York bank and eventually, after working diligently, with Bethanie's help, he attended Wharton, and in time became one of the most respected investment advisors in New York. He was a quiet, discreet man, not given to showing off, although he had a business partner, Edward Easton, who was far more visible and one of the well-known stars in the business.
Like Coco, Bethanie had been dazzling when Tom met her, a stunning beauty and a lively, creative young woman. She was studying photography in the department of visual arts at Brown University, and had genuine talent.
Bethanie was from a venerable old New York family. Both she and Tom were only children and she had made her debut the year before she met Tom. They had fallen in love when they were both nineteen, had met at a party in New York and had been together ever since. When Bethanie told her parents they wanted to get married after they graduated from college, they'd objected strenuously, and thought that Tom would never amount to anything. They wanted her to marry someone from their own social circle, not a poor boy from a simple background with ambitious dreams. They didn't see how he could go very far. Bethanie saw all his strengths and merits, and had total faith in him. Even if he would never become a material success, and remained poor forever, she loved him. When her parents flatly refused to agree to the marriage, two weeks after they graduated, Bethanie and Tom pooled what they had in their checking accounts, went to Las Vegas for the weekend, and got married in the Elvis Chapel. The Monday after, she faced her parents with the news, and they were outraged.
Tom took the bank job he'd been offered, and found work waiting on tables at night to save for business school. Bethanie refused to accept her usual allowance from her parents and took freelance photography jobs, and worked as a waitress with him at night. They lived on what they made and saved all they could. And eventually Tom went to Wharton and got his MBA. Coco had come along by then. And in the end, they proved Bethanie's parents wrong, and won their respect and admiration. When Tom became successful, he bought his own parents a house.
The two things Bethanie lived by, and had said to her daughter frequently, were "Don't play by other people's rules" and "Think outside the box." She said that one of the worst things in life was to have no dreams. Coco'...
Coco Martin, officially Nicole, was a striking looking young woman with dark hair and green eyes. She had a stunning figure, and the poise of someone older than her years. What made her remarkable and even more appealing was that she was totally unaware of her great beauty. She was modest as well as spectacularly beautiful. Men had stared at her for years and she was oblivious to them. Women would have been jealous of her, but she was so kind to everyone that they forgot what she looked like, and genuinely liked her. She had turned twenty-one at the end of last year, and had just finished her junior year as a journalism major at Columbia University. It had been a major coup when she landed a summer internship at Time magazine. She'd found the notice on the bulletin board in the school of journalism. The position was intended for graduate students, but after her interview, they had been so impressed that they had hired her. She was thrilled. She had started two weeks before and she was excited to have the opportunity to work at such a prestigious magazine.
It was a hot Friday in July when she boarded the jitney in New York for the three-hour trip to Southampton to spend the weekend with her parents. She was an only child, and had always enjoyed an unusually close relationship with them, even when she was very young. They treated her more as an adult than a child, and took her everywhere with them. They had had some wonderful trips together, and welcomed her among their friends when they entertained. The three of them enjoyed one another's company. Tom and Bethanie were proud of their only daughter.
Their marriage had gotten off to an unusual start when they were young themselves. They had met when they were both in college and fell madly in love, although they came from vastly different backgrounds. Martin had grown up dirt poor, as he readily admitted, in the Midwest. He had gotten a full scholarship to Princeton, and it changed his life. His parents would have been more than satisfied if he had wanted to be a plumber or electrician, or at the most maybe an accountant. But Tom had never accepted his parents' limited vision for him. His friends in college convinced him that it was more profitable to manage other people's fortunes than try to make his own from scratch. After Princeton, he got an entry-level job at a New York bank and eventually, after working diligently, with Bethanie's help, he attended Wharton, and in time became one of the most respected investment advisors in New York. He was a quiet, discreet man, not given to showing off, although he had a business partner, Edward Easton, who was far more visible and one of the well-known stars in the business.
Like Coco, Bethanie had been dazzling when Tom met her, a stunning beauty and a lively, creative young woman. She was studying photography in the department of visual arts at Brown University, and had genuine talent.
Bethanie was from a venerable old New York family. Both she and Tom were only children and she had made her debut the year before she met Tom. They had fallen in love when they were both nineteen, had met at a party in New York and had been together ever since. When Bethanie told her parents they wanted to get married after they graduated from college, they'd objected strenuously, and thought that Tom would never amount to anything. They wanted her to marry someone from their own social circle, not a poor boy from a simple background with ambitious dreams. They didn't see how he could go very far. Bethanie saw all his strengths and merits, and had total faith in him. Even if he would never become a material success, and remained poor forever, she loved him. When her parents flatly refused to agree to the marriage, two weeks after they graduated, Bethanie and Tom pooled what they had in their checking accounts, went to Las Vegas for the weekend, and got married in the Elvis Chapel. The Monday after, she faced her parents with the news, and they were outraged.
Tom took the bank job he'd been offered, and found work waiting on tables at night to save for business school. Bethanie refused to accept her usual allowance from her parents and took freelance photography jobs, and worked as a waitress with him at night. They lived on what they made and saved all they could. And eventually Tom went to Wharton and got his MBA. Coco had come along by then. And in the end, they proved Bethanie's parents wrong, and won their respect and admiration. When Tom became successful, he bought his own parents a house.
The two things Bethanie lived by, and had said to her daughter frequently, were "Don't play by other people's rules" and "Think outside the box." She said that one of the worst things in life was to have no dreams. Coco'...
