Being Elizabeth [Abridged, Audiobook, CD] [Audio CD]

Barbara Taylor Bradford (Author), Katherine Kellgren (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 2008

From the storytelling magic of Barbara Taylor Bradford comes a modern retelling of the drama and intrigue surrounding the 16th-century Queen Elizabeth. Instead of England, the throne is the business empire of the Deravenels. And this Elizabeth is the most powerful Managing Director in its history. Surrounded by rumors and betrayal, Elizabeth Deravenel must steer her company clear of takeovers, and at the same time keep her heart from being broken as scandal surrounds the one man she's ever loved.  It's Barbara Taylor Bradford at her very best. 

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The new reigning queen of Deravenels, the UK’s largest global conglomerate, is Elizabeth Turner, a 25-year-old, auburn-haired beauty who regained control of her family’s multifaceted enterprise following the death of her half-sister, Mary. Ruthless in her grasp of power yet an ineffective manager, Mary nearly succeeded in bankrupting Deravenels, and it now falls to Elizabeth to staunch financial losses and bring the corporation into the twenty-first century. As with any ruling entity, however, Elizabeth has both loyalists who would do anything to protect her and schemers who will stop at nothing to destroy her. Another Mary is lurking on the horizon, a cousin who erroneously believes she is the true heir to the Deravenel fortune; but aided by a triumvirate of trusted allies, including her lover, Robert Dunley, Elizabeth may just be able to stave off another family coup. Milking the royal metaphor for all it’s worth, Bradford saturates her novel with the kind of intricate internecine plotting best suited to a Shakespearean drama. Despite the obsessive restating of characters’ identities, personal connections, and past misdeeds, however, it is imperative that readers have prior knowledge of the first two entries in Bradford’s Ravenscar trilogy to be able to appreciate the complexities of the final installment. --Carol Haggas --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Rife with dastardly internecine struggles, smoldering illicit passion, and cowardly insidious betrayals…[the Deravenels] pack as much intrigue as any Shakespearean royal drama.”—Booklist

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio; Abridged edition (August 19, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1427205302
• ISBN-13: 978-1427205308
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,886,943 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

BARBARA TAYLOR BRADFORD

Barbara Taylor Bradford, OBE is one of the world's best loved storytellers. Her 1979 debut novel, A Woman of Substance, ranks as one of the top-ten bestselling books of all-time, with more than 30 million copies in print. All 25 of her novels to date have been major worldwide bestsellers. Her 26th book, Playing The Game, will be published on October 12th by St. Martin's Press.

Bradford was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire (UK) as the only child of Freda and Winston Taylor. She grew up in the Leeds suburb of Armley and after Town Street Church of England School worked in the typing pool at the Yorkshire Evening Post before going into journalism. By the age of twenty she was the fashion editor of Woman's Own Magazine and an editor and columnist on Fleet Street for the London Evening News.

Bradford's books have sold more than eighty-two (82) million copies worldwide in more than ninety (90) countries and forty (40) languages. Ten (10) of her books have been made into miniseries and television movies, making her one of the best-selling authors over the last 30 years.

In April of 2003, Mrs. Bradford was inducted into the Writers Hall of Fame of America alongside Mark Twain, Langston Hughes and Dr. Seuss. She was awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours list for her contributions to literature. Her original manuscripts are archived at the Brotherton Library at Leeds University, alongside the works of the Bronte sisters. In 2009, Barbara's publishers began a worldwide 30th anniversary celebration of A Woman of Substance. The first annual Woman of Substance Awards took place on September 10th 2009 at the Dorchester Hotel in London. She lives in New York City with her husband, of 43 years, television producer Robert Bradford.

Her official website is: www.barbarataylorbradford.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, September 7, 2008

By 

Avid Reader (Highland Mills, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Being Elizabeth (Hardcover)

I have been a fan of Barbara Taylor Bradford from her very first book. While a few of her books have been short and sweet, I have never been disappointed in her plot lines, her heroines or writing. This book is truly a disappointment.

Elizabeth is a one dimensional character with a single flaw, she is marriage phobic. In the previous two books of this series, there is action, excitement and unexpected plot twists. This book has none of those things. It is boring, dull and predictable. The last twenty pages is an attempt to finally have something unexpected happen but it falls flat because it comes out of left field and ends predictably.

This is the last book of hers that I will read. What a waste of time.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A real disappointment from a favorite author..., January 27, 2009

By 

B. Schwarz "beagle mom" (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Being Elizabeth (Hardcover)

Barbara Taylor Bradford's "Woman of Substance" is one of my top 10 favorite books of all times. What a disappointment to read this poorly written, slow and laborious endeavor from someone who is capable of so much more!

When I got 3/4 of the way through the book, I mentioned to a friend that I was still waiting for something to happen. Well, I finished it, and nothing ever did happen. The book keeps acting as though something is ABOUT to happen, with referrences to a rival woman and other sub-plots, but nothing ever actually happened.

What a disapointing book - and a complete waste of time!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars history revisted, badly, October 3, 2008

By 

Alix Graves "Alix" (at my desk in sunny CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Being Elizabeth (Hardcover)

What a disappointment. While I have enjoyed previous offerings by Mrs. Taylor Bradford, I do maintain a mostly moderate expectation of her works. They are generally acceptable summer or light reading. But this book, and it's earlier series companion books, has little to reccommend it.

"Being Elizabeth" is supposedly about a young, exceptional businesswoman making a name for herself, while rescuing her family enterprise from sure disaster. What this story is in actuality, is the story of Elizabeth I of England. Take the monarch out of the late 1500 and early 1600's and plop her, her cronies and antagonists into modern day and you've got yourself "Being Elizabeth". Not even the names were changed (much) to protect the fact that this story was long written before Mrs. Taylor Bradford was even born.

A waste of time, money and the good will of readers. Quite insulting to those truly expecting a "novel". Please avoid.