Rating: 
Summary: Bitter, but hardly sweet
Review: I am astonished that readers have actually given this book five stars. Bittersweet is extremely weak in storyline, and very redundant. If asked, I could certainly summarize it in a maximum of five pages, without missing out on anything important, or relevant. The author repeats herself to an unbelievable extent; so often that one has to stop and wonder what she is actually trying to prove. The beginning chapter for instance, is totally haphazard, as though the author could not keep her train of thoughts straight. It fails to grip the reader in any way possible. Throughout the book in fact, there is no sequence in writing. In practically every chapter, we are told what India is like, what her husband is like, and what everyone else is like. i believe that where Ms.Steel didn't know how to continue with the story, she thought she should refresh our memory by telling us things we already knew. The calls between Paul Ward and India Taylor are infinite, and whats more is that they are all the same. Pages and pages go by before there is actually progress in the storyline. It seems we are reading a day-to-day account of the life of India Taylor, rather than a novel, which by rule ought to be atleast somewhat fast moving. The husband ALWAYS says all the wrong things, whereas Paul Ward ALWAYS says all the right things, no matter how distraught or upset he is.The storyline itself is not interesting; perhaps meant for a minority of readers who themselves have problems with their marriage or have given up their careers, and hope for a knight in shining armour to enter their lives. I think there is absolutely no big deal about what happens in the book. So what if India calls Paul everyday or vice versa. What they talk about is hardly earth-shattering. Ms.Steel prides herself on writing books that are very close to reality. Perhaps she doesn't realize that sometimes reality can be dull and uninteresting. Everyone has as exciting a life as the characters in Bittersweet. But they dont tell the whole world about it. I finished the book, to my utter astonishment, but only to see where it would seem as though written by a mature author rather than a confused teenager. I would NOT recommend it, except maybe to people with insomnia, who might find it a good sleeping aid.
Rating:
Summary: One of the worst books I've ever read
Review: This is my first and last book of Danielle Steel and it is the worst book I've ever read. It is so unrealistic and predictable. I knew from the very beginning how the book will end. And I wonder, are all of her books such a waste of time? If so, I don't understand at all, how she became so popular.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Story!!!!
Review: It's a story in which women can identify themselves...Sometimes we settle on dreams that do not satisfy us...It's a book that shows that we can dream...and make those dreams come true...It's a story that can happen to any of us...I loved it...
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not her best
Review: From time to time I do like a good, easy read from Danielle Steel. This book was not as good as some of her others but I was not disappointed. My main complaint is how the author continually repeated information over to the reader - especially since what is repeated ends up giving away what is to come. For example, India, the main character, repeats how much her husband loves her and what a good marriage they have. When things do fall apart it was obvious that it was going to happen because we were told over and over again how great things were. You knew from the inside cover that this was going to happen, but it would have been nice to have some twists or leave you guessing a bit more. I would recommend this book to another D.S. fan, but not someone "new" to her as it is not her best.
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your time
Review: This book was really bad. I only finished it because I hate the feeling of leaving something unfinished. The writing was sophomoric, written as if the reader had absolutely no memory of what transpired on the previous page. The author kept repeating and repeating - obviously just to fill up some pages. I found the plot very predictable.
Rating: 
Summary: Too Good To Be True
Review: It's my first time reading Steel, and I just loved it. It would be any woman in the situation of India, a dream come true to find the kind of love she found on millionaire Paul Ward. After all she went through, it would be very disapointing for me if the story wouldn't have ended the way it does. I just wish life could be like in this novel, sometimes and for some people.
Rating:
Summary: Bittersweet Boring
Review: The only reason that I finished reading this book is because I was waiting for something exciting to happen. Bittersweet is predictable, unrealistic, and repetitive. I didn't care for the main character, India, because I thought she was sappy. I'm switching to a different author.
Rating:
Summary: And,..And... And..
Review: I enjoyed this book because of the storyline (which was,however, very predictable)despite the fact that every other word was and. My creative writing teacher would have given her no more than a c- for this endeavor. Has she always written like this or am I just becoming more aware of the mechanics of really creative writing?
Rating:
Summary: Generic Plot, But We Love It Anyway
Review: Bittersweet follows the typical Danielle Steel plot: Woman is captivating, current flame is jerk, she meets someone else, obstical comes up between them, can they overcome it? However, if we didn't eat up these story lines, Ms. Steel would be out of buisness. The plot keeps the reader turning the pages up until the very last line. That is my kind of book. If you love being kept in suspense until the end, then read this book!
Rating: 
Summary: globalized steel?
Review: In this story of India's struggle between keeping herself or her husband happy, Steel successfully illuminates the dilemma of the working woman. Yet she could do a better job at laying her background and keeping the reader interested. It is not the typical story that moves from 'London to Paris', but more of a Uganda/Burundi scene, one which does not seek to romantisize and tarzanize the jungle.Steel is attempting to show the wider world out there, yet all these places that Steel throws in feel like props, as if she looked at the newspaper one day and picked a few areas of conflict to throw into her book so that it appear that she has knowledge of what India is really doing. But then, the excitement of India's job is lost on us because of the brevity of Steel's background setting. For example, we know that India is glad to be back in the Great Lakes region of Africa, because she hasnt been out there 'since Rwanda'. Of course Rwanda's implosion could have been an India-like scene, but then what is not clear is the kind of idealism, if any, that drives India to these 'ends of the earth'. Paul Ward is another unreseached prop that doesn't fit in with John Prendergast's work on the problems of humanitarian aid. Overally, a very slow and shallow read.
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