55 pages • 1 hour read
Danielle SteelTriangle
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 1-4Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary
Amanda Delanoe, a French American gallery owner approaching 40, reflects on her life. Born to Armand Delanoe, a French luxury business owner, and Felicia Farr, an American model, Amanda navigated two cultures, each influencing her personality and temperament. Her parents divorced when she was 12, driven by Armand’s infidelity, though Felicia chose not to share this with Amanda, leaving her daughter to harbor resentment toward her. Felicia passed away in a helicopter accident when Amanda was 14, and she returned to live with her father in France. Though she loved her father and France, Amanda chose to attend New York University (NYU) to stay connected to her mother’s American roots. After graduating, however, she felt more French than American and returned to Paris. When she was 22, her father passed away from cancer. At 25, Amanda established Galerie Delanoe, her contemporary art gallery, and partnered with Pascal Leblanc a year later. While Amanda and Pascal share a close, almost familial bond, their relationship is strictly platonic. Amanda takes deep pride in mentoring the artists at her gallery, finding genuine fulfillment in her work.
Though generally content, Amanda struggles with romantic relationships, particularly after a painful experience. For three years, she was involved with a married man, Gregoire, who assured her his marriage was only a formality despite living with his wife and children. He ultimately refused to divorce, citing social stigma and financial concerns. The relationship ended abruptly when his wife hired a private detective, threatening divorce. Three years later, Amanda remains hesitant to enter a new relationship, doubting her judgment. She lives with her toy poodle, Lulu, in a Parisian apartment with a view of the Eiffel Tower.
At work, Pascal insists Amanda attend a party hosted by the de Beaumonts, a wealthy and influential couple and loyal gallery patrons. Although the de Beaumonts are kind, their gatherings are known for their dreary atmosphere, bland food, and accordion music. Despite her efforts to decline, Amanda reluctantly agrees to attend.
Chapter 2 Summary
Amanda finds the dinner party just as dull as she had expected. Shortly after they sit down, a latecomer, Olivier Saint Albin, arrives. Amanda and Olivier share an instant connection, partly because they are the youngest people there. Noticing that he is not wearing a wedding ring, Amanda is interested. She learns that Olivier runs a publishing house and, like her, is dedicated to nurturing his talent—in his case, young writers. They bond over their shared “babysitter” roles in their respective fields and joke about the party’s food and accordion music. Amanda finds Olivier charming and handsome, making his early departure disappointing, though he promises to visit her gallery.
Amanda tries to keep quiet about Olivier, but Pascal’s curiosity gets the better of him when he sees her in high spirits. He eagerly pumps her for details and suggests that a missing ring does not necessarily mean Olivier is not married. Together, they search for more information about him online, hoping to find clues about his marital status. Though Pascal hopes Olivier will reach out, days pass with no call or gallery visit from him, and Amanda lets the topic drop. Pascal, meanwhile, dives deeper into his romance with a lingerie model who temporarily moves in with him, only for the relationship to fizzle out within weeks, as is his usual pattern.
Though Amanda tries to appear indifferent, she is secretly disappointed by Olivier’s silence. Nearing her 40th birthday, she reflects on her life and wonders if she will ever fall in love again.
Chapter 3 Summary
Amanda attends a Picasso exhibition two months after the dinner party and stumbles into Olivier. He apologizes for not contacting her sooner, and she offers him a private exhibit tour. Although Amanda finds herself interested, she reminds herself not to get too attached, assuming Olivier is a charming flirt. On the other hand, Olivier finds himself increasingly drawn to her and is disappointed by her reserve compared to her openness at the dinner. After the tour, he invites her to dinner, and while she initially hesitates, he persuades her. They enjoy a lively evening, and as he drops her off, Olivier asks for her phone number.
The next day, Olivier sends an elaborate bouquet of roses to her gallery with a lunch invitation, prompting Pascal to speculate that Olivier might already be married or involved with someone. At lunch, they meet at a popular spot where the staff knows both of them; this reassures Amanda—unlike her previous, secretive relationship with a married man, Olivier is not hiding her. They bond further over their shared passion for nurturing the artists and writers they work with, each playing a mentor-like role in their careers.
As they leave, Olivier introduces her to a few acquaintances and then proposes another dinner in the coming days. He later sends Amanda a selection of books by promising authors from his publishing house, and she finds herself even more attracted to him. Pascal warns Amanda to guard her heart and subtly suggests she ask if Olivier is married.
Out of the blue, Amanda receives a call from Tom Quinlan, an old boyfriend from her NYU days. Recently divorced and taking a sabbatical to write a thriller, Tom wants to reconnect after 20 years and invites her to dinner. Pascal cannot resist teasing Amanda about her sudden two suitors, delighted at the intrigue in her life.
Chapter 4 Summary
Amanda instantly recognizes Tom when they meet—he still looks like the American college student she knew years ago. Tom quickly dives into complaints about his recent divorce, lamenting that it might have been better to stay with Amanda rather than transfer to Stanford. Though Amanda is pleased to see him, she realizes her romantic feelings have faded. When Tom makes several subtle advances, she gently rebuffs him but listens sympathetically, recognizing his need for comfort more than connection. Amanda remembers Tom as a kind and thoughtful boyfriend with a tendency toward jealousy and possessiveness.
Later, Amanda shares her thoughts on Tom with Pascal, noting they have little in common now and he seems overly focused on their college days. When both Tom and Olivier invite her to dinner, she accepts only Olivier’s invitation. Since both Amanda and Olivier have events in London around the same time, they arrange to meet there. Amanda also introduces Olivier to Pascal, who likes him but urges her to confirm if Olivier is married. Amanda feels hopeful about Olivier and is no longer interested in Tom, but Pascal’s reminder about Olivier’s marital status lingers. Amanda argues that their public outings make it unlikely he is hiding a marriage, yet she hesitates to ask directly.
As Amanda and Pascal prepare for an upcoming exhibition, she invites both Olivier and Tom. At the event, Tom casually inquires if Olivier is her boyfriend; Amanda replies no, as it is still too early in the relationship. Tom also questions Amanda’s relationship with Pascal, jealous that they work together. By the end of the evening, Pascal gives his approval of both men but encourages Amanda to enjoy the attention without overthinking her choices. While Amanda states that her relationship with Tom is ancient history, Pascal warns that Tom seems to feel otherwise. Amanda solidifies her plans to meet with Olivier in London.
Chapters 1-4 Analysis
Triangle establishes the theme of The Link Between Love and Marriage through Amanda’s experience, shaped by her multicultural background and fraught personal history with fidelity. Amanda’s strained views on commitment are primarily rooted in the traumas of her parents’ divorce, which left her with a strong aversion to infidelity. Her father’s serial unfaithfulness created a rift that her family never fully healed. She internalizes this pattern, becoming cautious and guarded, unable to reconcile the ideal of romantic exclusivity with the reality of unfaithful relationships. Her last serious relationship, in which she unknowingly played the role of “the other woman” in a lopsided affair, further shapes Amanda’s perceptions. Gregoire’s “understanding” with his wife reflects an arrangement that challenges Amanda’s values, leaving her feeling deceived and destabilized: “He had insisted that he and his wife were ‘almost’ divorced, and had an ‘understanding,’ although they still lived in the same apartment, for ‘the children’s sake’ and for financial reasons. He wasn’t eager to lose half of everything he had in a divorce” (9). Moreover, it is ultimately untrue, as Gregoire’s wife proves by hiring a detective and threatening divorce after finding out about the affair. After this betrayal, Amanda steps away from romance entirely, attempting to redefine herself outside the context of relationships for the next three years.
Amanda’s business partner, Pascal, serves as a foil to her. He embodies a carefree approach to love that contrasts sharply with her wariness. Pascal’s nonchalant attitude toward heartbreak reveals how people cope with romantic risks; while he cycles rapidly through relationships, Amanda approaches love with guarded deliberation. Amanda reflects that “Pascal had been in love eight or ten times during Amanda’s three-year hiatus from serious romance […] He was always in the throes of some unbridled agony involving a woman who either didn’t love him enough, was stalking him, or had another lover and was cheating on him” (10). This contrast illuminates Amanda’s struggle between accepting her cautious nature or adopting Pascal’s more liberated approach. Pascal’s disregard for commitment showcases the freedom Amanda could embrace if she could overcome her emotional reservations.
As Amanda grapples with her feelings for Olivier, her reluctance to confront his marital status reveals the depth of her conflict and introduces the theme of Appearances, Perceptions, and Reality. She hesitates to ask if he is married, fearing and hoping for an answer that could redefine their relationship. Olivier’s ambiguity mirrors Amanda’s past trauma, presenting her with the same painful situation she previously endured. The novel uses this dynamic to test Amanda’s boundaries, exploring whether she will compromise her values or risk further emotional hurt. Her fixation on Olivier, despite knowing little about his commitments, demonstrates the complexity of attraction when filtered through past trauma—she wants connection but fears the repetition of betrayal.
Introducing Tom, a divorced former lover, complicates Amanda’s emotional landscape further. Though now romantically available and interested in rekindling their connection, Amanda feels no physical or romantic attraction to him. Tom represents stability without the romantic spark, illustrating Amanda’s struggle between choosing a relationship that offers security or one that entails uncertainty and risk, as with Olivier. Tom’s presence reminds Amanda of her desire for passion, even if potential heartbreak laces that passion. At the same time, Amanda expresses reservations about Tom’s tendency toward jealousy and possessiveness, foreshadowing future conflicts to come.
Amanda’s relationship with Olivier becomes more than a simple romance; it symbolizes her internal conflict in Embracing Vulnerability in Interpersonal and Romantic Relationships. She continuously tests her cautious nature as she weighs past experiences against the possibility of future happiness. The novel uses her indecision to explore the tension between self-preservation and vulnerability, examining how much one’s past can inform or inhibit one’s future choices. In this section, Danielle Steel establishes that romantic love for Amanda presents as a paradoxical pursuit, where the stakes involve the possibility of betrayal and the capacity for fulfillment.
