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A Woman of Substance (The Harte Family Saga, Book 1)

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A Woman of Substance (The Harte Family Saga, Book 1)

By: Barbara Taylor Bradford
Narrated by: Bea Holland
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About this listen

Soon to be a Channel 4 series starring Brenda Blethyn (Vera) and Jessica Reynolds (House of Guinness)

One girl. One secret. One unstoppable ascent.

In 1905 a young kitchen maid leaves Fairley Hall. Emma Harte is sixteen, single and pregnant.

By 1968 she is one of the richest women in the world, ruler of a business empire stretching from Yorkshire to the glittering cities of America and the rugged vastness of Australia.

But what is the price she has paid?

‘Few novelists are as consummate as Barbara Taylor Bradford at keeping the reader turning the page. She is one of the best at spinning yarns’ Guardian

‘An extravagant, absorbing novel of love, courage, ambition, war, death and passion’ New York Times

20th Century Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Historical Fiction Women's Fiction Romance

Critic Reviews

‘An extravagant, absorbing novel of love, courage, ambition, war, death and passion.’
New York Times

‘A mighty saga. Little has been so riveting since Gone With the Wind’ Evening News

‘A long, satisfying novel of money, power, passion and revenge, set against the sweep of 20th-century history.’
Los Angeles 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

All stars
Most relevant
A great read.... this is a classic and the telling of here on Audible was exceptional... I really enjoyed it....

A Woman of Substance

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I absolutely loved this book, I found myself caught up in it , I laughed, smiled , and very tearful at times , I just loved this story and how well the narrator told it
Looking forward to listening to more Barbara Taylor Bradford books ... thank you 😊 tho I’m kinda sad now this one is finished

One of the best books

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This Audio book was as good as reading the original, which I must have read over and over in years gone by (so much so the front cover wore out) but which I lost in floods in 2010/11. This book was a reminder of how books used to be written; proper English, big and expressive words. Bea Holland did a fantastic job as narrator and I’m glad she gave up trying to affect the Australian accent in the end. Truly a great sweeping saga!

A Woman of Substance

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Beautifully written and narrated . I’m going to read all the other books she has written

What a remarkable story

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An addictive storyline that is beautifully narrated with excellent accents for each character. can't wait to listen to the sequel!

Sensational book

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