Turning Point by Danielle Steel

“In Danielle Steel’s powerful novel, four San Francisco trauma doctors – the best and brightest in their field – confront exciting and exacting new challenges, both personally and professionally, when given a rare opportunity.

Bill Browning heads the trauma unit at San Francisco’s busiest emergency room. With his ex-wife and daughters in London, he immerses himself in his work and lives for the little time he can spend with his children. A rising star at her teaching hospital, Stephanie Lawrence has two young sons, a frustrated stay-at-home husband, and not enough time for any of them. Harvard-educated Wendy Jones is a dedicated trauma doctor, trapped in a dead-end relationship with a married cardiac surgeon. And Tom Wylie’s popularity with women rivals the superb medical skills he employs at his medical centre, but he refuses to let anyone get too close, determined to remain unattached forever.

These exceptional doctors are chosen for an honour and a unique project: to work with their counterparts in Paris in a mass-casualty training programme. As professionals they will gain invaluable knowledge, but as ordinary men and women they will find that the City of Light opens up incredible new possibilities, exhilarating, enticing and frightening.

When an unspeakable act of mass violence galvanizes them into action, their temporary life in Paris becomes a stark turning point: a time to make harder choices than they have ever faced before – with consequences that will last a lifetime.”

-Synopsis from Goodreads

*spoilers ahead!*

I have wanted to read one of Danielle Steel’s books for a while now. She has so many to choose from, and I didn’t really know where to begin. Then Turning Point came out earlier this year and after reading the synopsis (and falling in love with that awesome cover) I decided this one would be a good fit for me.

It took me a few chapters to get used to Steel’s writing style. There is definitely a lot more telling than showing which is not something I’m used to reading. All of the characters have distinct backgrounds and personalities, and each of them comes into this pivotal moment in their lives with much to gain, and potentially lose.

I was most interested to see what would happen with Stephanie and Gabriel. I’m sure I wasn’t the only reader getting angry at her for considering leaving her job and home for him! I was so glad that she ultimately decided not to pursue their whirlwind romance. I definitely couldn’t see it lasting, but it’s a shame that it took one of her children almost dying for her to realize this and what’s truly important in life.

Since I don’t know a whole lot about the medical field or what it is like to be a trauma doctor, I was very interested to read about the ins and outs of the profession. If you are a fan of Grey’s Anatomy, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this book. The violent terrorist act the synopsis refers to was, thankfully, not as detailed or intense as I was concerned it might be. However, it upped the stakes for all the doctors involved and showed them just how important their work truly is. It also showed them the importance of their unique individual callings to practice medicine, and that they shouldn’t sacrifice any aspect of their lives for it.

This was a great, easy read and I would definitely read more Danielle Steel books in the future.