A review by scrappymags
A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford

5.0

This book was realistic fiction at its finest. I felt the "nod" of previous works such as Jane Eyre, Pride & Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, even short stories like "The Yellow Wallpaper"... then put that in a blender with 80s classics like Dallas and Dynasty and you have this fabulous book. This isn't a work for everyone - the early parts of the book are intensely descriptive, again like those great British literature works, listed above, so there is great description of the sweeping moors, the stately manors, etc. This book is a fine wine you savor - and then you find yourself hooked and returning for another slow sip. Admittedly, it became slow in parts, and I found our main character Emma Harte to not be the most likeable person at times, but I found her ambition, and character believable, although it was much to the detriment of caring for her family, but that's the age-old question - can a woman have a high-powered career and a successful family? I wound up enjoying the main character and felt the detailed description of her life painted a true characterization of a complex woman such as she. I enjoyed this fallable character and greatly enjoyed this long book. Again, if you don't enjoy long, sweeping, narrative descriptions of people & places, don't go for this book. If you enjoy this, then give it a go : )