This book has sold many copies, so obviously there are a lot of people who enjoy reading it, but it wasn't my kind of read. I found the writing could have been better; the point of view switched between characters frequently, making for a jarring read. Nearly everyone was beautiful/good looking. (The most evil character of 'course' wasn't.) How did we know? We were told they were "beautiful". We were told lots of things, rather than be shown. This book was a good example why being told is not the way to go. It was too light a read also, concentrating mostly on personal interaction. Emma rises from poverty to become one of the richest people in the world and although there was some story about how she achieved this, mostly it was a story about her family, lovers etc. I would rather have had more of her business dealings.
I didn't think I would finish this book, and I wouldn't if I hadn't skipped much of the tedious excessive description in the first half of the book. (It also helped that I had almost nothing else in the house to read.) It was only half way through the book I began to enjoy the story enough to finish it. My rating for this book then rose from one to two out of five.

I’d been meaning to get to this book for a while and when I saw it in a charity shop for 20p I couldn’t resist. It was brilliant. I enjoyed reading it so much. At first the character of Emma really irked me but as I read more about her life I understood how she became what she was at the beginning of the book. It’s an inspiring story about a woman making herself in a world in which she is treated badly because she is working class. Really really good and I would strongly recommend despite it being a long read.

I remember many moons ago (I won't tell you just how MANY moons ago...) seeing my mama reading books at night. When asked what she was reading, she would say "a Barbara Taylor Bradford" novel. From that moment on, I knew I would love BTB because my beloved mama loved her. And, I was right. When I pick up a Bradford novel, I am instantly taken to the heart of what she's writing, wrapped up in the most amazing of plot lines and taken on a whirl wind ride. 

This family saga is one that I fell in love with wholly. From the first page, to the last, from the plot line to the amazing cast of characters in this novel. Being taken on a journey along side Emma was breathtaking. I felt all her feelings as if they were my own. Reading about her time as young Emma, all the way up to her time as a mother, I felt every powerful bit of this novel. 

If you want a quick read, you won't get it with this one. But, if you want one that will keep calling to you, keep you coming back for more, turning page after page, then this is absolutely the one you need. Reading this novel, really made me feel as if my mama was sitting next to me, telling me what she loved about Bradford's novels. I definitely recommend this magnificently seasoned author's novel to all who want a masterfully written romance novel. I'm so glad to have read this one again! 

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*This review was originally posted on Cover To Cover Cafe

The time it took me to read this was epic and by the end I didn't care what happened. This was a reread of an old favourite. Won't be reading it a third time. :/

My favorite book. I've read it several times

4 stars for A Woman of Substance, the very long and wonderfully delicious modern classic, first in a series by Barbara Taylor Bradford. I’m about 40 years late reading this huge bestseller about the beautiful and ambitious Emma Harte, who rises from an impoverished childhood in Yorkshire, England to become one of the richest and most powerful women in the world. In the first decade of the 20th century, Emma finds herself pregnant and rejected by the son of the rich local squire Adam Fairley for whom she and her family toil tirelessly for pennies. In anger and despair, Emma leaves with a frugally-saved few pounds and dreams of destiny: to create a prosperous clothing empire that will later grow to a multinational global powerhouse spanning two world wars and beyond. The shrewd and talented Emma is motivated by ambition, greed and revenge; she will not be satisfied until she brings down the Fairley family whom she blames for ruining herself and her beloved family. Emma is a fascinating but ambiguous character; men worship her beauty and intellect but her iciness shields her from most but a few close lifelong friends and the one great love-of-her life. These are especially well-developed characters, in particular the likable Irish builder Blackie who becomes her first friend and protector early on. Not so her children; except for her youngest daughter, Daisy, Emma shows no real fondness for her four others by three separate fathers and Bradford mostly affords them short shrift. This book is clearly Emma’s and the narrative is not only repetitive in its homage to her as a goddess of beauty and perfection, but Bradford never passes judgment on her faults and imperfections. Sometimes the prose is over the top in its descriptions of her dazzling beauty, the lush English landscape and Emma’s opulent lifestyle. Similarly, the love scenes are almost laughably dated as though straight from a Harlequin romance. All criticisms aside though, I devoured this compulsively readable novel. It is never cheesy but it is always juicy.

Look, I'm sure this was interesting and revolutionary in the 1860s or whenever this sort of writing was last considered good/interesting but reading this in 2020, I am appalled at how shallow, trite and downright cringey this book was. I hate-read the whole thing and will probably rant about my (least) favorite parts later. For now, suffice it to say, unless you count aisle romance or Sidney Sheldon books as your personal favorites, do yourself a favor and give this one a wide berth.

A Woman of Substance Is a meticulously plotted, extensively detailed, verbose and sometimes tedious saga, that overall comes to a satisfying conclusion.


The novel spans over 50 + years, following Emma from rags-to-riches, as she basically builds an enterprise from the ground up.

The character of Emma is a strong one. She's a calloused, strong willed, business woman at her core. She doesn't allow anyone to take advantage of her or mistreat her, including the men in her life, which is a huge thing for a novel published in the seventies.

A lot of people complain about the vast amount of details and verbose langauge in this clunker of a book, but I actually really enjoyed the detailed descriptions when mixed with Mrs Bradford's prose.
Still, it can be tedious at times. And I have to admit that although I was sad it was over, I was relieved to turn the last page and move on to something else.

This book certainly isn't for everyone, but if you enjoy long and verbose sagas, you will definitely enjoy this book.

Excellent book however 400 pages too long. Definitely a must read.

This actually took less time to read than the dates state as I had to put it to one side to read my book group book. I read this one a long time ago when it first came out and was lucky enough to spot the seven books for sale in one compendium for a very good price so bought it. This first book covers Emma Harte’s life from very early years right through to her fifties so spans a long period of time. It is well written, although perhaps a touch heavy on the gushing adjectives, but that is BTB’s style so you do get used to it. I have definitely read the first three books but not the rest so that will be interesting when I get to them. Anyway this one has stood the test of time and I can see how BTB is well loved and will continue to be read.

This is the 40th Anniversary Edition of this novel. I have never read this before, but I have enjoyed many books by this author. This novel takes you through the life of Emma Harte. From a servant girl who strives and vows to rise to the top, she succeeds. The story flashes between the past and the present. Emma has everything she wants. She has become every womans dream. But has she really? Everything comes with a price. Now she has to face betrayal from those around her and her family. I really enjoyed the journey and rise of the character. The different timelines. This was such a good story. I think it's the best rags to riches story I've read. I have no idea why I haven't read it until now.

Dawnny-BookGypsy
Novels N Latte
Hudson Valley NY

Wow. There might be an interesting story here, but the writing is so bad that I couldn't bear to keep going and find out.