In this extraordinary novel, Danielle Steel tells the story of a woman who must decide the price of pursuing her passion, and whether it is possible to stay true to herself while she does. I felt that Antonia was such a well behaved child but my heart went out to her as no child deserves to be treated to feel unwanted as her mother makes abundantly clear. Her father is always away so Antonia is left alone and constantly hiding so as to feel safe. Suddenly her mother deserts both her marriage and her only child and Brandon can't believe how selfish his wife is and feels like he made a huge mistake by bringing this cold Parisian women into his life and he agrees that his marriage is a disaster. He is left to take care of their daughter. Brandon becomes obsessed with working and hires a live in babysitter to take care of Antonia. Antonia was only a child when her mother abandoned her and her father and Brandon becomes remote and closed off from his daughter. I worried that Antonia would grow up and have issues with attachment since both parents never made her feel wanted or loved. Normally when a child prefers to be invisible so as not to be seen and heard and most of all loved they grow up and have problems with relationships since they can't trust that they are unworthy of love. Danielle Steel brings us Antonia Adams who becomes the target of her parents' bitterness and hatred relishes the feeling of being invisible to the world. We follow Antonia as she goes through life being ignored by her parents making her reliant on herself. After her mother leaves to pursue her Hollywood dreams of becoming an actress, Antonia spends time getting lost in books and movies. In a way it does ~ she is delirious happy but something does happens. (I’ll let you read the rest.) Antonia Adams is the product of a loveless marriage between an aspiring actress and an aristocrat. As a child, she is abandoned in the abyss that yawns between them, blamed by her mother, ignored by her father, and neglected by both. Unprotected and unloved, she learns that the only way to feel safe is to hide from the dangers around her, drawing as little attention as possible to herself, to be “invisible.”

In her isolation, films are her escape, and she dreams of one day becoming a screenwriter. During a summer job at a Hollywood studio, she meets a famous filmmaker, and is invisible no longer. He wants to put her in a movie and make her a star. When her father found out she was offered a role in a movie; he was irate and threw her out of the house. Hamish took her under his wing as though she were a little lost bird. Antonia loved the movies; they were a great escape for her. She wanted to be a screen writer and wanted to attend NYS’s Film school. She gets a job as the ‘tenth assistant’ on a movie production that was being produced by famous British Producer/Director Hamish Quist. Antonia Adams is the product of a loveless marriage between a beautiful young model and an aristocrat. As a child, she is abandoned in the abyss that yawns between them, blamed by her mother, ignored by her father, and neglected by both. Unprotected and unloved, she learns that the only way to feel safe is to hide from the dangers around her, drawing as little attention as possible to herself, to be "invisible."

Success!

Although Danielle Steel's writing is horrific by my criticism, I wouldn't doubt that the plot would have been grand as most others have been talking about and I just wish I could see that for myself. Danielle Steel is not for me and I will sadly say that I will be staying far away from even considering reading any other books by this author. I was so amazed at how Antonia was so successful having been a witness to her mother and father's constant fighting and growing up knowing her mother abandoned her to become an actress. Then her father became so indifferent to her treating her with so much indifference. I felt terrible for Antonia but seeing as this is fiction she overcame her terrible childhood. This was interesting and a lighter read for me that I still enjoyed because of the resilience and triumph over adversity. I needed a break from some of the heavier novels and Non-Fiction that I had been reading before this. Danielle Steel can be somewhat repetitive, but this was a book that was well written and different than most of her books in everything wasn't perfect. In Antonia she has created a unique character who is able to thrive despite her cold mother and then her father's neglect to show her any warmth. This is just the beginning of Antonia's life trajectory. What I have included in this review will not reach spoiler territory as it is just the beginning. I would rate this about 4.5 stars. I am so grateful to have read this as it was imaginative and was unpredictable. I read this Author's book "Beautiful," which was powerful and this was enjoyable but not as in depth. Still all in all I won't soon forget this and it is one of this Author's favorite novels. I would recommend this and I loved Antonia. You will have to read this for yourself to find out how the story reaches its arc. Spanning a number of years and different places, yet again Steel takes a cosmopolitan view to her featured locations. There is a narrowed focus on the film industry, with a specific look at the screen writing industry. I did find this an interesting set up, but again it left me feeling like I had scratched the surface only. The lead is well drawn and the support cast were fairly good too. I wasn’t entirely comfortable with the romance aspect in this one, but others my warm to it. With themes of neglect, estrangement, persistence, forgiveness, acceptance, tragedy and accomplishments, Invisible does cross some interesting areas. I managed to follow this one until the end but I have to say it is not one of Steel’s best novels by far. Danielle Steel has released over half a dozen releases in 2022 alone, which is a significant achievement for any author. It amazes me that an author can produce so many titles in such a short space of time. Invisible relays the story of Antonia Adams, a woman who provides a glimpse into the film industry thanks to her life story.

Antonia has learned early on how to be invisible so not to cause any more difficulties and tried to hide from her father’s resentment.I’m not an actress, Mr Quist, and I don’t want to be. I don’t want to be in front of the camera. I only want to write, and one day direct like you. I have no desire to be an actress. I like being invisible so no one can see me.” Invisible covers the story of Antonia and follows her from her neglected childhood to her career in film. She’s the daughter of an aspiring actress and a businessman and grew up in a home where she was neglected. Her mother didn’t want a baby and eventually left the family to pursue an acting career. Her father blames her for his wife’s leaving and buries himself in his work, neglecting poor Antonia. She decides it’s best to stay invisible as that keeps her out of trouble. As she gets older she finds refuge in the movies and goes to the movies as often as possible. She decides she wants to be a screenwriter and applies to NYU film school. Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine ~ Delacorte Press for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review. Antonia never lets go of her true dream of becoming a filmmaker, but to make that leap she will have to expose herself in ways she never has before. When tragedy strikes, she must decide whether she will remain center stage or retreat to safety once more. Will she face her demons, or run and hide? Thank you to Net Galley, Danielle Steel and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine-Delacorte Press for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.