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Emma's Secret [Hardcover]

Barbara Taylor Bradford (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)


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Book Description

September 1, 2003
The book the fans have been waiting for: the much-anticipated sequel to the phenomenally successful A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE. The legendary Emma Harte, heroine of A Woman of Substance, returns...At the centre of this sweeping saga stands Paula O'Neill, beloved granddaughter of Emma and the guardian of her vast business empire. Paula believes that all that Emma left to the family is secure. However, beneath the surface sibling rivalry and discontent are beginning to flare. Into this volatile mix walks Evan Hughes, a young American fashion designer. On her deathbed, Evan's grandmother told her to find Emma Harte. But Emma has been dead for thirty years; and Evan bears an uncanny resemblance to Paula O'Neill. Troubled by Evan's presence, Paula turns to Emma's recently discovered war-time diaries to find the truth...The decades fall away. It is London during The Blitz and Emma Harte comes vividly back to life. Working hard under war-time conditions, she is also holding her family together as bombs drop, sirens wail and her sons go off to war. As she struggles to cope, the indomitability, will power and strength that have forged Emma into the woman she is all come to the fore. As the pages unfurl, Paula discovers the secret Emma Harte took to the grave to protect others. Emma's Secret is vintage Barbara Taylor Bradford. Emotion, drama, intrigue and passion fill the pages in a spellbinding novel which only she could write.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Barbara Taylor Bradford: 'The storyteller of substance' The Times 'Few novelists are as consummate as Barbara Taylor Bradford at keeping the reader turning the page. She is one of the world's best at spinning yarns.' Guardian 'Queen of the genre.' Sunday Times

If you haven't read the first books in the series that began with A Woman of Substance (followed by Hold the Dream and To Be the Best) don't let that deter you from reading this spellbinding novel, the fourth in the set. At the heart of this saga is Paula O'Neill, granddaughter of the remarkable Emma who battled her way out of grinding poverty to build her own retail empire and become a woman of substance. Paula believes that Emma's business and fortune are secure, but bitter sibling rivalry has long divided the family. Evan Hughes, a young American fashion designer, walks into Emma's prestigious London store and into this most volatile of situations. On her deathbed, Evan's grandmother had told her she must find Emma Harte, and Evan is dismayed to discover Emma has been dead for some 30 years. However, she decides to apply for a job in the store and is taken on. Everyone who meets Evan is struck by the fact that she bears an uncanny resemblance to Paula O'Neill, and Paula turns to Emma's recently discovered wartime diaries to see if there is any clue to Evan's identity. The narrative switches to London during the Blitz and we see Emma courageously holding her family together as sirens wail, bombs drop and her sons go off to war. It is her indomitable willpower and strength that carry her, and those who depend on her, through. As Paula reads Emma's diaries from beginning to end she discovers the secret Emma Harte took to her grave to protect others. This is a compulsive read; little surprise when one considers that Barbara Taylor Bradford is a gifted storyteller and a bestseller in 89 countries. Her novels have been translated into 39 languages and there are more than 61 million copies of her books in print. (Kirkus UK)

Emma Harte returns, though not in the flesh, for a hefty fourth in the series that began with the bestselling A Woman of Substance (1979). The gold-flecked blood of a true retailer flows in the veins of Linnet O'Neill, great-granddaughter of the legendary Emma Harte, founder of the world-famous department store that stands in Knightsbridge to this very day. Like her ancestor, Linnet loves to roam the misty moors in pink-cheeked solitude, warbling like the wild bird she's named for, crushing the fragrant heather underfoot, just aglow with the glory of it all, not to mention the ladylike ambition to sell that burns within her soul. And she is but one of Emma's many descendants, born on the right and wrong sides of various blankets (of pure wool trimmed with silk, madam, and just feel the quality). Meet Linnet's mother, Paula McGill Harte Amory Fairley O'Neill. (How's that for crossbreeding?) Linnet's nearest and dearest include Tessa, Lorne, Toby, Gideon, Lady India, Chloe, Fiona, Emsie, Desmond, and that's just for starters. The Hartes and the O'Neills and Kallinskis (clans founded by friends from Emma's youth) have gone forth and multiplied indeed. A handy genealogical chart is provided for the hopelessly confused. Meanwhile, back at the store, Linnet is setting up a display of eighty years' worth of fashion, basking in the approving glow of her great-grandmother's painted portrait smile. Pages of gushy descriptions of assorted frocks follow, plus a few steamy sex scenes tucked in here and there. Then-aha! Emma's diary is found. Though the great lady has been dead for decades, those still living are reluctant to read it. Perhaps it holds further secrets. Oho! It seems that Emma's long-ago secretary, gorgeous Glynnis, was pregnant by an Unknown Admirer when she married a nice American GI. Could the Unknown Admirer have been a Harte? If so, which one? Fans will be interested. Everyone else, mystified. (Kirkus Reviews)

About the Author

Barbara Taylor Bradford was born in Leeds, and by the age of twenty was an editor and columnist on Fleet Street. Her first novel, A Woman of Substance, became an enduring bestseller and was followed by fifteen others, most recently Three Weeks in Paris. Her books have sold more than sixty-one million copies worldwide in more than ninety countries and forty languages. She lives in New York City with her husband, producer Robert Bradford.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 528 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Collins (September 1, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0002261359
  • ISBN-13: 978-0002261357
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,378,597 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

 

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Emma's Secret, March 18, 2011
This review is from: Emma's Secret (Kindle Edition)
The fourth chapter in the Emma Hart series of seven books, an excellent follow-up to the previous three books, well worth reading. Characters are believeable and the whole book carries on from where the last one finished. I would recommend the book unreservedly
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