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Emma Harte Saga #1

A Woman of Substance

barbara taylor bradford

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A celebration of an indomitable spirit, here is New York Times bestselling author Barbara Taylor Bradford's dazzling saga of a woman who dared to dream--and to triumph against all odds...

In the brooding moors above a humble Yorkshire village stood Fairley Hall. There, Emma Harte, its oppressed but resourceful servant girl, acquired a shrewd determination. There, she honed her skills, discovered the meaning of treachery, learned to survive, to become a woman, and vowed to make her mark on the world.

In the wake of tragedy she rose from poverty to magnificent wealth as the iron-willed force behind a thriving international enterprise. As one of the richest women in the world Emma Harte has almost everything she fought so hard to achieve--save for the dream of love, and for the passion of the one man she could never have.

Through two marriages, two devastating wars, and generations of secrets, Emma's unparalleled success has come with a price. As greed, envy, and revenge consume those closest to her, the brilliant matriarch now finds herself poised to outwit her enemies, and to face the betrayals of the past with the same ingenious resolve that forged her empire.

755 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1,1979
Series
Emma Harte Saga
Places
yorkshire england, new york (state), leeds yorkshire england, 

This edition

Format
755 pages, Hardcover
Published
January 1, 1979 by Doubleday:
ISBN
9780739412503
ASIN
0739412507
Language
English
Characters More characters

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barbara taylor bradford

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Rating(4 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
31(31%)
4 stars
33(33%)
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36(36%)
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100 reviews All reviews
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Sujan12345
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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ωραιο βιβλιο ξεκουραστη γραφη εφευγε σαν νερο.μην ψαχνετε κατι σουπερ λογοτεχνικο αλλα εχει ωραιο στορυ και θα περασετε ευχαριστα οσο το διαβαζετε!
30/1/2022
Σε δευτερη αναγνωση , λιγα χρονια μετα μιας και ήθελα να διαβάσω τη συνέχεια του αλλα δεν θυμούμουν μπορω να πω τίποτα , θα του παρω πισω ενα αστερακι.
ο κύριος λογος είναι ο ογκος του βιβλίου και το γεγονός οτι ενώ σε παρα πολλα σημεία πλάτειαζε με περιγραφες και σκηνές άνευ σημασίας, σε κάποια αλλα σημεία της ιστοριας προχωρούσε κάποια χρονια μπροστά και σε έφερνε μπροστά σε σημαντικά γεγονοτα που ειχαν συμβει και απλα τα ανακοίνωνε .
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KapengBarako
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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This is a story about a young woman Emma Harte told through the eyes of her and the characters around her. The penurious conditions in which she's born teaches her a lesson and she sets out on her journey to earn money and make it big in the world. The story revolves around revenge, love, loss, hatred and it's protagonist is someone you'll love or hate for her ideals. She's cunning, street smart and shrewd which are all necessary qualities to help her with her business plan. Even though she comes from working class, she's beautiful which makes other people think of her as gentry and she banks on this throughout the story.
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I love reading about strong women characters and boy was I not disappointed. This is a huge book with 800-900 pages but don't be cowed by its monstrous size. I didn't breeze my way through this book, but I completely enjoyed it.
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This was a hugee book and it took me more time than usual to complete due to my hectic work days plus due to the festival season! Nevertheless, I enjoyed each and every page. I read reviews of this book saying it has many descriptions which are not necessary to the story, but I disagree as each and every line helped me imagine the situation around Emma and I could see the scenes, places clearly through her eyes. There is a stark difference in her life when she was a young girl and when she grows up to be fearless and level headed businesswoman. The descriptive nature of the book helped me to vividly imagine and it felt intrinsic to the story! I loved how the writer depicted her whole journey through parts. The end was amazing and I felt like all the dots aligned perfectly.
I would definitely recommend this to all who like to read women centric books.
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Desam
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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I first read A Woman Of Substance many years ago and enjoyed it then. I've enjoyed it even more this time around. Barbara Taylor Bradford really takes you into her characters so you feel you know them and love them. An excellent book.
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The_Calm_guy
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Great series! one of the best novels in print...had to reread it a few times because it was that good,the storyline was well developed along with all the characters. The plotline showed emotional turmoil for its main character (Emma)because it was too much on her family...kudos to the movie also
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fable2557
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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This book consumed me when I read it aged 17. It's epic and drove me to read the series (though woman of substance was by far the best). A sweeping tale of Emma Harte journey from servant to company owner, as well as the lovers she meets on the way and a family of twists and 'nest of vipers'. I was very young when I read this but with life experience I wouldn't read it again . My tastes have changed remarkably. I don't think it would have the same impact after my A levels, degrees, children, marriage and grandchildren as it did then.
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Zakception
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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I actually tried reading this story many years ago (originally published in 1979) and was unsuccessful. When it came to my attention again recently, I decided to attempt it; this time I finished it.
I ended up liking it more than before but still think it was way too long. In soft cover large print it is 1240 pages.
Relatable it was not. Characters all seemed larger than life. Yet it worked. Glad when it was over.
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Hawk133
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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I went to a barbeque when I was in high school and took the book Copper Beach by Maeve Binchy. A friend of my parents saw me reading and we had a great conversation about books. She gave me Woman of Substance, As the Crow Flies by Jeffrey Archer and Nora Roberts' Born in Trilogy. About two weeks later she died. We never got to talk about the books but I read them all and to this day (more years later than I care to admit) I still think of Leatha whenever I see one of these books.
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