A Sudden Change of Heart

by Barbara Taylor Bradford

In the blockbuster storytelling tradition that is Barbara Taylor Bradford's hallmark, here is an extraordinary novel about a remarkable young woman who finds a new life when her old one shatters. Laura Valiant is a successful art historian, running her own company. She and her husband, Doug, a Wall Street lawyer, share an idyllic marriage. But Laura's trust in her husband is shaken when she discovers he has a secret life apart from her -- a life which will rock their love. Clare Benson is Laura's childhood friend. They've been together through thick and thin, good and bad. When Clare asks Laura the biggest favour and greatest honour of all -- to be guardian to her teenage daughter, Natasha -- Laura discovers her personal and professional lives become dramatically intertwined. But in true Valiant style, Laura rises to the challenges ahead and, eventually, succeeds in achieving the happiness and fulfilment she craves. From the streets of Paris and London to the art galleries and art auctions of New York, A Sudden Change of Heart takes the reader on an unforgettable journey where secrets, survival, love and redemption mesmerize the reader from the first page to the last. This is Barbara Taylor Bradford's fifteenth novel and it is told with the emotion and feeling readers have come to expect from one of the world's most beloved authors.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Ebooks, Womens, Modern

416 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1998

About the author

Barbara Taylor Bradford was a British-American novelist whose dramatic family sagas and stories of ambitious women made her one of the most commercially successful authors of modern popular fiction. Raised in Leeds, she developed an early love of reading and decided as a child that she would become a writer. After leaving school at sixteen, she began her career in journalism, first working in the typing pool of the Yorkshire Evening Post before becoming a reporter. In her early twenties she moved to London, where she built a successful career as a fashion editor for Woman's Own magazine and later wrote widely syndicated newspaper columns. Although she experimented with suspense fiction, her breakthrough came with the novel A Woman of Substance in 1979, a sweeping story of a determined young woman rising from poverty to great success. The novel became an international bestseller and launched a long series of novels featuring strong female protagonists who achieve success through perseverance, ambition, and business skill. Over the following decades she wrote forty novels translated into dozens of languages and sold in tens of millions of copies worldwide. Several of her books were adapted for television miniseries and films, further expanding her readership. Her work earned numerous honors, including appointment as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of her contribution to literature.

Reviews

[Diane (IF U'RE PRIVATE, PLEASE SKIP ME!!!) Wallace]

An enjoyable read! ... highly recommend (paperback!)

[Sue]

This was a very nice book for taking me off to another world. Not being much of a traveler, my reading takes me to places I've never been before and sometimes even fiction can teach you about others lives!

[Jo]

This story was a struggle to finish because everything about it was predictable. And I got it the first time-- Laura can recount the history of artwork with the knowledge and monotony of an encyclopedia; and they're rich--no need for the endless descriptions of 'blue and white silk shade lamps' and 'the hand-embroidered burgundy dress Laura had delivered from London' that do nothing for the story. Glad I'm finally done.

[Kristy Cunningham]

I really liked parts of this book but other parts just did my head in and made me not want to continue.

[Samantha Neal]

Enjoyable to read.
I thought at first as I was reading what the book really meant.
As I read it and understand sometimes people can have a sudden change of heart.
But it is a heart of gold. That I believed one character had.
Maybe a heartbreak moment in it. But nothing would change the main character.
I would be happy to read this story again.
I will say that the ending made me smile.

[Shanda]

Predictable. All the good people are beautiful and rich. All the bad people are ugly and poor. Not my favorite BTB.

[Leethel Farmer]

Seemed a bit contrived. Not very believable. Fun, light read.

[⋆˚°✩*˖ Gohnar23 (•˕ •マ.ᐟ ˚⟡˖ ࣪(inactive)]

Honestly, it has such potential but the execution is such a let down. The different characters for me is not even that interesting to begin with, the plot spews all around the place and the way the writing is filled with many unrelated things to the plot. I would honestly want to forget this.

[Eesha Khan Niazi]

0.4 star
I kept on reading but the character Hercule made me remember my dreadful memory from last year
So I couldn't read the whole although I read the end too
I don't even think it should be marked as read because it is not completely read
Sorry
It's just too hard for me. Like a challenge to mental peace. Not a fun read

[Julie]

Such a heart warming story. Maybe a little to neat for my taste, but it flowed easily despite sone difficult subject matter. Child sexual abuse, so be warned anyone for whom this might be a trigger.
Ve not read this author for many years, but this was just the right tone after reading a couple of heavy books, physically and in subject matter.
I love that we have so much choice to lift us up and escape the everyday horrors that are 2020.

[Ellen]

No no no. Someone gave me this book, and it was a pretty fast read so I finished it, but those are hours I won’t get back. No more BTB for me!

[penelopewanders]

Eons ago I remember enjoying the Emma Harte books - early in the series - and then I think I didn't read anything by her for a very long time. I can't say this one bowled me over - it was a good read, and it was quite fun to read about Paris (where I lived for almost 30 years) but I didn't exactly struggle to put it down when I had other things to do.. I think some of the themes of the book would have had far greater impact when the book came out - there was no surprise for me at any rate - either in terms of Doug or Claire. On one level I feel I should have appreciated this more, precisely because of the topics dealt with which are so important - not just those hinted at above, but also Rosa's past and its impact on Phillippe, the whole question of stolen art etc, but on another it's not enough to address important issues. Perhaps at some point I'll have a change of heart about this - sudden or otherwise.

[Samira Salimi]

I sometimes felt from the beginning that Laura and Phillip will fall in love with each other. Also, it was evident something was not quite right in Claire’s family. I think Barbara could give more information on Laura’s parents and brother as there were no mention of them throughout the study. She only included a quick touch to their lives and left them behind.

[Victoria]

I don't particularly enjoy reading long-winded sex scenes, but the art history part of the book was quite interesting as it was describing how the Nazis stole and repatriated (?) Jewish art collections.

[Kathy]

Long time friends Laura Valiant and Claire Benson seem to have a lot in common and be the best of friends on the surface. Claire's underlying secrets keep other's at a distance. Not one of Bradford's best, in my opinion.

[Karis North]

Blech --- looking for mindless summer read from the office give/take library. Sorely disappointed.

[Angela Michelle]

Predictable. Could have been better but could have been much worse.

[Margaret Mccormick]

A sad but predictable love story where one of the main characters dies of cancer leaving her ex available for live.

[Robin]

I liked this gem of a book. I always had in the back of my mind what was Claire's story. It made me laugh and cry this book made me feel the whole gamut of emotions. A great read.

[Sally]

Good enough but the characters conveniently changed as they needed to for the plot rather than with purpose.

[Greetje Raftopoulou-heuving]

Predictable,but not bad.

[stacie]

I liked the complexity of the characters and the multiple stories (art story, friendship, secrets) but I thought the art part was somewhat boring. A fair book overall

[Susie]

A wonderful story that reminded me of the story told in the movie The Monuments Men. Strong settings, which I love, and the most civilized characters!

[Jill]

I thought claires story was so sad. Laura's grand mother sounds amazing

[Anita]

A Mary Higgins Clark without the mystery. Predictable and poorly written.

[Bea]

The writing seems off to me, plus the dialogues was a bit cliche.
Still, a decent read.

[Robin]

I was expecting the book to be faster pace. It was a bit predictable.

[Chantelle]

I thought something interesting might happen. It didn't.

[Ann]

A reasonable plot with a range of characters but a little bit two dimensional for me. A light holiday read.

[The Hungry Mind]

*𝑨 𝑺𝑼𝑫𝑫𝑬𝑵 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬 𝑶𝑭 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑻*
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Claire Benson and Laura Valiant have been inseparable since they were toddlers, having grown up together they couldn't possibly have dispositions that were more different. With Laura as this bold, confident and strong girl and Claire as this shy, quiet yet protective girl who was more of an elder sister to Laura.
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25 years later everything has changed in their lives except for the unbreakable bond they share, even as they live on different continents.
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Claire is now a divorced, single mother to a lovely teenager Natasha, working as the head designer at a world renowned magazine in Paris and Laura has her own firm that acquires high end art for high end clientele and she is happily married to a Wall Street lawyer names Doug, the only thing marring their love life being the absence of a child.
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However, life has a weird and sometimes painful way of granting wishes. Laura soon finds out that Claire is ill, and there is nothing anyone can do about it.
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Embittered from her marriage, Claire, who was once a robust young woman is now frail and dying, her last wish being that Laura bring up her daughter to become a wonderful woman.
What Laura doesn't realize is how this curve-ball would open doors to places and people unknown.
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Set in the late 1990s, 'A Sudden Change of Heart' is a heart wrenching story intertwined with the stories of many powerful women who have powered and lived through astounding and horrific events in their lives which have brought them to where they are.
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It is when everything in Laura's life is turned upside down that she unlocks the door to a whole new life, a life she never thought possible.
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With a look into the present day art scene and simultaneously the horrific crimes carried out by the Nazis during the Second World War, this novel by Barbara Taylor Bradford will evoke emotions on the hearts of even the most depraved.
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