Book #10: A Woman of Substance

Title: A Woman of Substance


Author: Barbara Taylor Bradford


When I read that book club book a couple of months ago, one of the books that all of the characters swooned over was A Woman of Substance. They particularly loved the character of Emma Harte, and used her as an example of how modern female authors do a better job of characterization than their male counterparts.


It's true, Emma Harte was an interesting, complex character. I didn't get sick of her through the 800+ pages of the book. But it's also a book that didn't have to be 800 pages long. I've never read much Barbara Taylor Bradford. I even felt a little bit embarrassed requesting this book at the library and carrying it around with me. I'm one of those reading snobs who shuns romance novels, and I had always thought Barbara Taylor Bradford was a romance novelist (it's her covers that make me think that). Anyway, other than the overblown descriptions of furniture (she sometimes went on for two or three pages about how a room was furnished) and some descriptions of lovemaking that made me blush, I don't think it necessarily fit the conventions of a romance novel. At least I'll tell myself that so I don't feel bad about reading it. And Emma Harte is a fantastic character.


It's definitely worth the read. I even caught a reference to the novel last night during The Sopranos when Tony called his young niece Murgatroyd (an evil butler in the book). I'm glad I read it, even if just to be able to understand obscure literary references.


--originally published 4/9/07