Unexpected Blessings [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Barbara Taylor Bradford (Author), Kate Burton (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 2005

From New York Times bestselling author Barbara Taylor Bradford comes a blockbuster novel featuring a new generation of remarkable women in the Harte family

Linnet, Tessa, India and Evan: four remarkable women. Three generations of Hartes. One indomitable family whose loyalty binds them together and whose enemies want to tear them apart. In Emma’s Secret, American Evan Hughes came to London and discovered that she’s a part of the Harte family. Now, in UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS, Evan faces a difficult choice: should she tell her father the truth of their heritage? By keeping secrets, does she jeopardize her newfound love? Sensible Linnet is always ready to give advice, while attempting to become heiress apparent. Her half-sister Tessa has been her rival all their lives. As conflict and danger swirl around the Harte women, someone is pulling the strings to make sure none of them find happiness. Who among them will rise to the challenges as only a true Harte can do? UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS is Barbara Taylor Bradford at her storytelling best, a novel of family secrets, dangerous promises, and the unshakable bonds among sisters

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Emma Harte, the redoubtable heroine of veteran novelist Bradford's 1976 bestseller, A Woman of Substance, has been dead for 30 years, but she's still a player in the continuing family saga. Her pronouncements and unwritten rules are well remembered by all the descendants in the dynasty and business empire she founded. This installment begins where Emma's Secret (2004) left off, with Evan Hughes, the young visitor from the U.S., obtaining a dream job in fashion at the renowned London department store, Harte's, and beginning a romance with Gideon Harte, heir apparent to the family newspaper enterprise. In the previous volume, Evan learned that her own father was the illegitimate child of another Harte scion (making Evan and Gideon cousins a few times removed), and now she wonders whether she should divulge this secret to her father, who is soon to arrive in London. A true crisis distracts her, however: the disappearance of three-year-old Adele, adored daughter of store manager Tessa, one of Emma's great-grandchildren. Linnet, Tessa's half-sister and sometimes business rival, comes to the rescue and Adele soon reappears, but tensions between the sisters persist. Meanwhile, Linnet's cousin India has fallen in love with a painter from a working-class background, and India must battle her family's disapproval. The exploits and adventures of Bradford's indomitable heroines continue to make for lusty escapist fiction in this robust fifth novel in the series.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Bradford continues the saga of the descendants of Emma Harte, the heroine of A Woman of Substance (1979), in this follow-up to Emma's Secret (2004), which saw American Evan Hughes travel to England to work for Harte's department stores, only to learn she herself is actually related to the legendary matriarch. Evan has to tell her father, who is wary of the upper-class Hartes and everything they represent, about her engagement to Gideon Harte, one of Emma's descendants. Evan's cousin, Tessa, is contending with problems of her own: her young daughter was snatched from the grounds of her home. Her soon-to-be ex-husband, Mark, who is playing hardball in the divorce proceedings, is the one who took her and is dead-set on joint custody, something Tessa opposes. Another cousin, India, learns that her boyfriend, sexy artist Dusty, has a few secrets of his own when his ex-girlfriend bursts into his apartment and stabs him. And, before the novel ends, another secret about the past is discovered. Fans of Bradford's long-running Harte saga will no doubt be happy with this lively new chapter in the lives of the clan. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio; Abridged edition (January 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559277971
• ISBN-13: 978-1559277976
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,726,580 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Books on Cassette > Authors, A-Z > ( B ) > Bradford, Barbara Taylor

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

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars milked out, February 24, 2005

By 

Mrs A "continuity obsessed" (Porterville, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unexpected Blessings (Hardcover)

I believe that Barbara Taylor Bradford has "milked" Emma Harte for all she is worth. In the past I have enjoyed her books - although the characters Paula O'Neil and Emily Harte were a little too flawless for human beings. This story doesn't seem to go anywhere. I never read any resentment on the part of India's family towards her "blue-collar" boyfriend, as a matter of fact, the most snobbish member of the family (according to A Woman of Substance and Hold the Dream) Edwina, Dowager Countess of Dunvale - is eager to meet him and embraces him right away. The complete change of Edwina's character really bothered me! Also, she (BTB) invents a son for Frank and Natalie Harte, when it was mentioned in AWOS that they only had 1 daughter.

It seemed like pages went by for the ONE day that Adele was missing, and then at other times weeks went by in a blink of an eye. Actions attributed to Winston Harte and Emily Barkstone in Hold the Dream, were then 'remembered' by Paula about her and Shane.

Storylines started in previous books - such as Michael Kalinski, after divorcing Valentine, starting to woo Amanda Linde (Emily's sister)that would have linked the three clans in marriage, which is harped on incessantly in this and Emma's Secret; and the fact that Lorne and Tessa where left substantial shares of the Yorkshire Consolidated Newspaper Company, but neither one work for or even act like that business exists; are completely dropped! If you only read this book, you would think that Winston Harte owned the newspapers & media company outright.

Why isn't Daisy part of this story? Why does Tessa look like a "Fairley" when her description in Hold the Dream is listed as "another Harte - red haired and green eyed"

These kinds of gaps and leaps make me crazy. Was ANYONE employed to edit this book?

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Banal, boring and undercooked, November 2, 2005

By 

Jennifer A. Hoffman "ghostwriter888" (Scottsdale, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unexpected Blessings (Hardcover)

This book, one more in a continuation of the Emma Harte saga proves that it's difficult to create an encore that rivals the performance of the wonderful 'A Woman of Substance'. This book had too many characters, storylines and insufficient detail. I had the feeling the writing was rushed, written too quickly to get it to press and not enough time was taken to give both the characters and storyline the depth that Emma's descendants deserve and that was originally created in the first book. I thought the twin tower replay was in poor taste and was both overdramatized and underutilized in the story line. This book was, in short, boring and disappointing. A pity, because so much more could have been done with this series, as I have found that each successive book is rather lackluster.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars unbelievably boring and stupid, January 20, 2005

By 

Margaret Hampton "book junkie" (chicago, il) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unexpected Blessings (Hardcover)

The only people that can enjoy this book are those that have read the series. I havent and it was unbelievably boring. How can a great grand mother who DIED OVER not 5, 10 or 15 but 30 YEARS AGO have so much influence on her family memebers. There is nothing that makes me care for the characters when all i read about is how much they are snobish and cliquey, and wealthy, privelged and no outsiders allowed and Emma said this Emma said that. Its just not possible that family members down the line will mention emma's name evey single day of their lives. The book is also poorly written, so much exposition without any story. I througly hated this book. The writer should have ended with emma hartes story. The hartes are so elitist, i though i was reading about a secret society. Imagine ones daughter is kidnapped by her crazy father. What do you do? No, dont call the police because a long dead woman said no outsiders allowed. IT is much better if the father harms the child than having the GASP police(outsiders) involved. I am ranting now, but that book was a waste of time. I couldnt finish it. PLS dont waste your money.