The Woman of Substance: The Life and Work of Barbara Taylor Bradford

by Piers Dudgeon

Paperback. Pub Date :2009-09-03 400 English HarperCollins For the first time ever. a fascinating look at the remarkable life of Barbara Taylor Bradford.From the cobbled streets of Yorkshire to the sweeping avenues of Manhattan. Barbaras own story is as dramatic a tale as any one of her bestsellers.Barbara Taylor Bradfords rise to fame and fortune was a difficult one.But from an early age her mother marked her out for glory - at any cost.The drive and ambition instilled in Barbara were to reap huge rewards.From humble beginnings in Yorkshire she took Londons Fleet Street by storm.And then. with the creation of Emma Harte. the unforgettable heroine of her first novel A Woman of Substance. she inspired women the world over - and became one of the worlds bestselling authors.This is the first time that Barbara Taylor Bradford has been involved in a mem...

Paperback

First published February 21, 2005

About the author

Piers Dudgeon is a British author of more than thirty works of nonfiction. After a decade as a London editor, he founded a publishing company working with writers including John Fowles, Catherine Cookson, Peter Ackroyd, Daphne du Maurier, Shirley Conran and Ted Hughes, later writing acclaimed literary biographies and cultural histories set in Yorkshire.

Reviews

[Lynda]

very disappointing. A Woman of Substance is my favorite book, but this biography was not. The author spent most of the time trying to figure out if Barbara's grandmother's father was royalty. He spent a lot of time talking about the history of certain places, which was mildly interesting, but I really don't care what happened in 1452 or whenever. I didn't feel like I knew anything more about Barbara Taylor Bradford that I didn't already know. It was a chore to finish reading it.

[Pam Ela]

Dont bother. the author continually draws a long bow.

[Anne Wellman]

Exhausted by reading this tome about Barbara Talyor Bradford, whose interesting life is barely discernable amidst all the overblown historical detail, cod psychology and lengthy excerpts from her novels offered up by this biographer. Admittedly it would have been a slim volume without all this, but one which I would have preferred, after spending so much time skipping through the padding in search of actual information. The author is also on very dodgy ground in drawing analogies between Barbara's work and her life: fiction is not reality.

[Ellen Van Baren]

I read this book many years ago and it had such a profound influence and effect on me. Perhaps I should read it again to remember why.

[Maricarmen Ruesga]

This has been one of my all time favorite!! Just love Emma Hart!!