⋙ Libro Gratis A Woman of Substance Barbara Taylor Bradford 9780312353261 Books

A Woman of Substance Barbara Taylor Bradford 9780312353261 Books

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A Woman of Substance Barbara Taylor Bradford 9780312353261 Books

I won't bore you with another description of the book since you can read that in the actual book desctiption itself. I'll just tell you how I experienced it. I read this book one summer when it was first published many years ago and frankly it took quite some time to really get involved due to the many characters and decades. But I persevered and was greatly rewarded. It was one of those books that you can fall into and enjoy for a while (in my case all summer long at the beach, the pool, the park, and those quiet times before retiring for the night) because it is such a long book, enjoying the pace and its characters. It took me to a time before my own and to places I hadn't been. Often books that tell stories of long ago are about a simpler and gentler time. Not always so in this case! The further into the book I got the less and less I wanted to put it down. I had it with me at all times just waiting for an opportunity to get back to it. I have never done that with another book! All of these years later and it is still my favorite book of all time. That is really surprising to people that know me, even to myself, as I am a crime thriller junkie through and through and this is literally a novel of substance.


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A Woman of Substance Barbara Taylor Bradford 9780312353261 Books Reviews

I read A Woman of Substance in its recent anniversary edition and was immediately intrigued after only a few pages. Barbara Taylor Bradford succeeded in many ways with her first novel, some 35-plus years ago. Two generations of aspiring wanna-be authors have since imitated her style and themes in romance novels. But the original still stands out.

It's not a perfect book for 2014, of course. Some readers will find it over-long or romantically improbable. The historically minded will notice that Bradford managed to miss noticing the effects of the Great Depression on her heroine and the Harte family. And sometimes the author gushes just a bit over Emma's virtues, gorgeous appearance, or intense emotions.

When first written, the story couldn't have called Emma "sexy" and still reached publication. So the heroine's feelings had to be covered in flowery words that may seem a bit foreign to a 21st century reader. But perhaps subtlety is still a virtue in a very sexually graphic age. If you doubt, then study any of Grace Kelly's movies from the same era.

Emma is larger than life -- but in a way that the strongest of young women in our new Century might not go badly wrong by emulating. Make no mistake strength of will and character are far more important in this character than her doubtful judgment in most of the men she takes into her bed. Even in that dimension, she seems redeemed by the great love of her life, who is himself a tangle of powerful emotions and conflicts. Emma is tempered in a blast furnace and emerges both strong and flexible, a clean sword who cuts through the BS that most people assume is normal life.

We can forgive Bradford for the minor quibbles in her narrative. The book deserves to be read. If you have a teen daughter, then buy it, read it, and give it to your offspring. Or give it to your 35 year old who is going through a nasty divorce and wondering why she married a creep. Or buy it for yourself. It is a classic.
I don't like books that start at the end and you have to plough your way through to see what happens. Very verbose writer and pages and pages of description of trivial items. eg. 4-5 pages of describing a bedroom, living room or kitchen. This to me is just packing the book out. However I believe that the story line could have happened in the era that it was written and the events most probably could have taken place. A lot of people involved such as families, children, grandchildren and long standing friends. The Author is exceptionally well know and very prolific in her writing but I doubt if I will read another of her books.
I have to admit that when I started the book it did not capture my interest. Yet you need to become familiar with the characters in the book. It's mainly about Paula and Shane, Maddy and Phillip, Anthony and Sara, Alexander as well as Paula's cousin Jonathan and his wife Arabella., and more. Everything appears blissful at the beginning. Paula inherited Harte's enterprise, and she has a great team that works for her. Then, when we get familiar with the characters things take a turn, some of the things that will happen will have you in tears and suspense. We discover the true story of what happened to Anthony's first wife, we learn of Alexander's fatal illness, then the story of Maddy who is happily married and pregnant and takes an unexpected turn, Shane loses his hotel due to a fire, Jonathan is out to take Harte"s away from Paula. Very good read, recommend reading the book to the end.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable book. I had a bit of trouble in the very beginning getting "into it" and it sat idle for a bit before I picked it up again, struggled to remember some of the details about the history behind the characters - which is important as it jumps from past to present, back to past, etc. I don't think it was as much the book, as just my "life" at the time I started reading it. The book is good, the characters are interesting, there is a a lot of reflection on consequences and what drives a person in life based on their past, especially their hurts. There were happy parts, sad parts, super sad parts, and all the range of evoking emotions that are blessings to the reader. The main character, Emma, is wonderful in terms of being well developed, and you are sad for her, then happy for her as you walk with her through her life. She brings forth so many hurts from her past, you can't help but talk out loud with some of her decisions as you empathize with her. Once I picked the book back up and got into it, it was often hard to put it down for long... late nights, all that good stuff of a wonderful read. I look forward to moving on to the next one in the saga.
I won't bore you with another description of the book since you can read that in the actual book desctiption itself. I'll just tell you how I experienced it. I read this book one summer when it was first published many years ago and frankly it took quite some time to really get involved due to the many characters and decades. But I persevered and was greatly rewarded. It was one of those books that you can fall into and enjoy for a while (in my case all summer long at the beach, the pool, the park, and those quiet times before retiring for the night) because it is such a long book, enjoying the pace and its characters. It took me to a time before my own and to places I hadn't been. Often books that tell stories of long ago are about a simpler and gentler time. Not always so in this case! The further into the book I got the less and less I wanted to put it down. I had it with me at all times just waiting for an opportunity to get back to it. I have never done that with another book! All of these years later and it is still my favorite book of all time. That is really surprising to people that know me, even to myself, as I am a crime thriller junkie through and through and this is literally a novel of substance.