Beautiful: A Novel

Beautiful by Danielle Steel has Veronique Vincent, an in-demand model, getting caught in an explosion at Brussels Zaventem Airport. Veronique survives the bombing, but she has severe damage that includes her face. Her mother and boyfriend do not survive. After spending months in the local military hospital undergoing numerous surgeries, Veronique is released. Veronique must decide what she is going to do with her life now that she can no longer model. Her mother left her a letter that reveals some surprising news. Veronique has some important decisions to make. Beautiful is a story about a woman who suffers a terrible tragedy and how she manages to overcome it. I thought Beautiful was well-written with steady pacing. Danielle Steel handles a difficult subject beautifully. A terrorist attack forever alters Veronique Vincent's life plus she loses the person closest to her in the world, her mother. With Veronique's face forever changed, she can no longer model. Modeling has been her world for the last four years. Veronique needs to discover who she is who she and how to move forward without her mother as well as her career. Veronique also learns that her mother told her a lie about something significant and she needs to decide if she will act on the news. Beautiful is an emotional story. Veronique goes on a journey of self-discovery. She finds a way to turn devastation into something wonderful. People focus too much on outer beauty which can fade, but inner beauty lasts forever. I like that we get to see something good come from a tragic event. I enjoyed reading Beautiful. It is an emotional novel that left me feeling hopeful. Beautiful is a touching tale with an in-demand model, haute couture clothes, plethora of parties, a terrorist attack, a series of surgeries, a surprising secret, inward reflection, and shifting gears for a helpful future.