44 Charles Street - Danielle Steel

What makes a house...a home?

Everything is falling to pieces forFrancesca Thayer.Her beautiful, old house is full of leaks and in need of total restoration. Then her relationship with lawyer Todd collapses and he moves out. As the owner of a struggling art gallery she can't possibly manage the mortgage alone, so she is forced to do the one thing she never imagined she would: she advertises for lodgers.

First arrivesEileen- a young, attractive schoolteacher who has just moved from LA.

Then comesChris, a newly-divorced father struggling with a difficult ex-wife and the challenges of parenting his seven-year-old son who visits every other weekend.

Last to arrive isMarya- a famous cookery author who is hoping to rebuild her life after the death of her husband.

And so Francesca finds that her house has become a whole new world - and as things begin to turn around, she realises that her accidental tenants have become the most important people in her life. Over their year together, the house at 44 Charles Street fills with laughter, hope and heartbreak.

And Francesca discovers that she might be able to open her heart again after all...