Illusions of Love

They had parted 25 years ago in bitterness and anger, star-crossed lovers whose passions were sacrificed to their destinies. Jenny went on to build a fabulous career, Martin an enduring marriage with the "right" woman. But then a jolting twist of fate...a chance meeting on the street brought Martin and Jenny together again and suddenly they knew that everything else in their lives was a lie. They had to have each other. Sweeping from the sumptuous mansions of San Francisco to the glittering canyons of Manhattan, ILLUSIONS OF LOVE is the unforgettable story of a romance that soars across decades, shadowing and shaping three lives with an undying love that braids their destinies together - and threatens to tear them apart.

I don't read the sort of books I think of as mainstream soap operas-turned-novels often. This one, though, managed to charm me, and I've actually read it more than once. Even though the lifestyles involved aren't all that believable, the characters themselves are. That's rare, and it's a very good thing.For this particular book, it helps to know bits of American history and a lot about religion, which plays a large role in the story of the star-crossed lovers (one a Catholic girl from a poor family, the other heir to a Jewish banker's fortune).