Barbara Taylor Bradford has died… who read A Woman of Substance

[Butthistimesticktoit]

Just remembering reading this as a teen and wanting to be Emma Harte so much!

Remember reading as a teen, and actually got them again on kindle only this year!
May she rest in peace

Yes I read it and loved it many years ago - might have to read again!

Would we be mad to do a tribute read over Christmas maybe?

One of the first “proper” books I read and I loved it so so much

Oh the book was wonderful, and the TV adaptation with Jenny Seagrove, "you're dirt beneath my feet" I always remember that line.
RIP Barbara.

Yes a great read. As well as a few of the others in my teens. Impressive lady RIP

One of my mother’s favourite books. I read it as a teenager, and got the audiobooks of the whole series earlier this year. I still loved them. RIP.

I listened to it on Audible earlier this year, a whopping 35 hours of it!
It was fabulous.

I've meant to read it for years. Just checked and it's on Kindle Unlimited, so I'm up for it over Christmas, if we're doing it.

Oh yes! I remember my mums friend giving her a huge box filled with loads of paper books including a huge number of BTB. I remember working my way through the lot one summer holiday. They were true epic sagas!

I remember being really cross about the ending

I loved it in my teens, and it's partly set where I come from too. Read it and at least a couple of the sequels, and I have a lot of her books including all 8! in the series that started with A Woman of Substance on my Kindle, picked up in special offers.

Not sure I will get to it over Christmas but will keep a look out for discussion, and hope to make it one of my rereads in the near future.

I didn't know she'd passed. I also read A Woman of Substance yonks ago, can't remember the plot but I know I liked it at the time. I'm up for a Christmas re-read!

Hmm, well I just reread most of it.

I loved lots of it but the bit in the beginning - the first day of her early life - lasts about a third of the book? My favourite book is the middle where she gets to Leeds and fights to her shop but alas now that I am older I am a bit like ‘so, she’s hot and she’s young so people bend over backwards for her?’

Also - rent is 2 shillings a week but Joe inherits over £200k?

There are other books of the era that stand up to rereading better.

BUT still love the rags to riches, stern successful woman angle of it! And respected that she realised she couldn’t build her empire and look after her baby simultaneously so shunted her off to cousin Freda.

@Butthistimesticktoit Thanks, I think you just saved me a re-read!