Another Review at MyShelf.Com

Publisher: HarperTorch / HarperCollins
Release Date: July 27 2004 (reprint)
ISBN: 0061008079
Awards:  
Format Reviewed: Paperback
Buy it at Amazon
Read an Excerpt
Genre:   Fiction
Reviewed: 2004
Reviewer: Patricia Aliventi
Reviewer Notes:  
Copyright MyShelf.com

A Woman of Substance
By Barbara Taylor Bradford

     We've come a long way, baby! Twenty-five years ago Barbara Taylor Bradford first published "A Woman of Substance," depicting the life story of Emma Harte. At the time, this character was an anomaly: a strong, independent woman in control of some of the largest corporations in the world.

     Not only has Emma come a long way from her beginnings as a house-maid to a British Squire in a Northern English town, but we've come such a long way since the book was first published. At times, this shows quite a bit. The novelty of a strong woman at the helm of a corporation went out with Alexis Carrington. No longer do the majority of people regard homosexuality as "sexual perversion." Women generally are not able to use the fact that men in the boardroom automatically dismiss them as just another pretty face as a tool to subvert their power.

    However, the book serves as a great reminder of how far we've come, especially from Emma's inauspicious beginnings. Her single-minded pursuit of power and money, thinking that will be the only thing to protect her in the world, lead her to make some poor decisions. After one loveless marriage she enters into purely for the protection a man offers her, followed by another marriage disaster, she finds the love of her life, only to realize she can never be his wife.

     Barbara Taylor Bradford does an excellent job of characterizing Emma as a young woman and showing the dearth of choices or slim possibilities for any sort of future for a young peasant girl. At the same time, she's given Emma enough depth that I found myself rooting for her and at times unable to put the book down, wanting to see how she would arrive to the point at which the book began. Most of the story is told as a flashback after beginning with Emma as an older lady.

     At times the pacing is off. Certain portions of Emma's life are told in great detail, while others are simply glossed over. However, I still found myself not wanting to put the book down. It's a terrific book which will make any woman appreciate the opportunities we now have.