a sad dissappointment, 14 Nov 2008
i am sad to report i have to agree with the other reviews. i have been a BTB fan for many years, having been enchanted by a woman of substance and her other stories. this and the other books in the seris have been dreadfully dissappointing. history rewritten poorly!
come back origionality or give it up and hope to be remembered for the good ones!

Heirs of Ravenscar, 02 Aug 2008
I give this book one star mainly because it never got started. Theres over 300 pages and it never got started. It felt like I was reading a persons day to day life, not very interesting. Some parts of the book were enjoyable to read but overall it just never took off and never kept my interest for long

not to be recommended, 20 Apr 2008
Having been disappointed in the Ravenscar Dynasty I was cautious about reading this book. This book continues the story of Edward and Richard Deravenal really Edward and Richard of York but ending with Harry Turner really Henry Tudor. It was just as irritating as the first one. Sorry Ms Taylor Bradford but stick to making up your own plots you do it so much better. i believe this to be a trilogy but I doubt if I will read the third book

a poor effort, 26 Mar 2008
This was my first and last Taylor Bradford book - it was slow, boring and an historical mess! The characters were one dimensional and the plot lacked passion or excitment. I gave the book up about 2/3rds of the way through as an act of self-preservation - i was quickly losing the will to live!

The Lazy Author's Guide to Making (more) Megabucks, 14 Mar 2008
Oh dear!! Quite the most abysmal read I've had for a long time. Miss Taylor Bradford is well-known for her "blockbusters" - but this is the laziest piece of fiction mixed with "historical fact" in a weird kind of mish-mash - maybe she's trying to invent a new genre - "How to be Write a Novel where the Dear Reader Does Not Care About Any of the Main Characters" (and what a boring bunch these Deravenels are!) obviously ripping off the Plantagenets and the Tudors (I mean - Edward D even had a mistress called Jane Shaw - check your history books!). As for Harry Turner wanting to divorce pious, saintly RC Catherine, of Spanish extraction, to marry the (ahem) "sloe-eyed beaty Anne Bowles".... Dear Lord, it's put me off buying another book by this woman. Ever.
(God knows what the editorial team really thought about it... I'm guessing she's successful enough for them not to be, shall we say, completely honest.)

a sad dissappointment, 14 Nov 2008
i am sad to report i have to agree with the other reviews. i have been a BTB fan for many years, having been enchanted by a woman of substance and her other stories. this and the other books in the seris have been dreadfully dissappointing. history rewritten poorly!
come back origionality or give it up and hope to be remembered for the good ones!

Heirs of Ravenscar, 02 Aug 2008
I give this book one star mainly because it never got started. Theres over 300 pages and it never got started. It felt like I was reading a persons day to day life, not very interesting. Some parts of the book were enjoyable to read but overall it just never took off and never kept my interest for long

not to be recommended, 20 Apr 2008
Having been disappointed in the Ravenscar Dynasty I was cautious about reading this book. This book continues the story of Edward and Richard Deravenal really Edward and Richard of York but ending with Harry Turner really Henry Tudor. It was just as irritating as the first one. Sorry Ms Taylor Bradford but stick to making up your own plots you do it so much better. i believe this to be a trilogy but I doubt if I will read the third book

a poor effort, 26 Mar 2008
This was my first and last Taylor Bradford book - it was slow, boring and an historical mess! The characters were one dimensional and the plot lacked passion or excitment. I gave the book up about 2/3rds of the way through as an act of self-preservation - i was quickly losing the will to live!

The Lazy Author's Guide to Making (more) Megabucks, 14 Mar 2008
Oh dear!! Quite the most abysmal read I've had for a long time. Miss Taylor Bradford is well-known for her "blockbusters" - but this is the laziest piece of fiction mixed with "historical fact" in a weird kind of mish-mash - maybe she's trying to invent a new genre - "How to be Write a Novel where the Dear Reader Does Not Care About Any of the Main Characters" (and what a boring bunch these Deravenels are!) obviously ripping off the Plantagenets and the Tudors (I mean - Edward D even had a mistress called Jane Shaw - check your history books!). As for Harry Turner wanting to divorce pious, saintly RC Catherine, of Spanish extraction, to marry the (ahem) "sloe-eyed beaty Anne Bowles".... Dear Lord, it's put me off buying another book by this woman. Ever.
(God knows what the editorial team really thought about it... I'm guessing she's successful enough for them not to be, shall we say, completely honest.)

Easy and satisfying, once you get into it, 29 Jun 2008
This is the first Rosie Thomas book I have read and I loved it once I got into it. That, for me, is the only criticism. Since finishing `Constance', I have started reading `Iris and Ruby' and was hooked after the first few pages. Reading `Constance', it took almost 60 pages to achieve the same effect.

After the prologue, which sets the scene for the story that follows - of a foundling, and how she finally comes to terms with her unconventional start in life - the scene switches to Bali where Connie has made her home. It is here that I felt the story dragged. There is much detail about filming a commercial for which Connie has written the music and, while this serves to introduce certain characters who play a minor role later in the book, there are several who never feature again. I found it not all that interesting and too drawn out.

But once the story switches to Connie's life in her adoptive family, I became intrigued about what would follow and how she progressed from abandoned baby to successful career woman. It seems as if the only person in the family who loves her is Tony, her adoptive father, and when he dies she is lost. Later, when Connie falls in love it is with a man who is not free to be hers. It is no wonder she is restless, with no real sense of her identity.

Her relationship with her deaf sister, Jeanette, is portrayed sensitively and realistically - the tensions that vibrate between the two are almost tangible. Events build to a point where they do not communicate. When Connie hears that Jeanette is dying of cancer, she rushes back from Bali to be at her side - to say more would reveal details that would spoil the story, which is told as a series of flashbacks interwoven with the present, and from several viewpoints. This works well and helps add to the anticipation.

It's not the best book I've read recently, but it is a satisfying well-written story if you like to read about relationships and how they affect the people involved. It would be perfect to take on holiday, as it's an easy read and long enough to retain the interest.

a sad dissappointment, 14 Nov 2008
i am sad to report i have to agree with the other reviews. i have been a BTB fan for many years, having been enchanted by a woman of substance and her other stories. this and the other books in the seris have been dreadfully dissappointing. history rewritten poorly!
come back origionality or give it up and hope to be remembered for the good ones!

Heirs of Ravenscar, 02 Aug 2008
I give this book one star mainly because it never got started. Theres over 300 pages and it never got started. It felt like I was reading a persons day to day life, not very interesting. Some parts of the book were enjoyable to read but overall it just never took off and never kept my interest for long

not to be recommended, 20 Apr 2008
Having been disappointed in the Ravenscar Dynasty I was cautious about reading this book. This book continues the story of Edward and Richard Deravenal really Edward and Richard of York but ending with Harry Turner really Henry Tudor. It was just as irritating as the first one. Sorry Ms Taylor Bradford but stick to making up your own plots you do it so much better. i believe this to be a trilogy but I doubt if I will read the third book

a poor effort, 26 Mar 2008
This was my first and last Taylor Bradford book - it was slow, boring and an historical mess! The characters were one dimensional and the plot lacked passion or excitment. I gave the book up about 2/3rds of the way through as an act of self-preservation - i was quickly losing the will to live!

The Lazy Author's Guide to Making (more) Megabucks, 14 Mar 2008
Oh dear!! Quite the most abysmal read I've had for a long time. Miss Taylor Bradford is well-known for her "blockbusters" - but this is the laziest piece of fiction mixed with "historical fact" in a weird kind of mish-mash - maybe she's trying to invent a new genre - "How to be Write a Novel where the Dear Reader Does Not Care About Any of the Main Characters" (and what a boring bunch these Deravenels are!) obviously ripping off the Plantagenets and the Tudors (I mean - Edward D even had a mistress called Jane Shaw - check your history books!). As for Harry Turner wanting to divorce pious, saintly RC Catherine, of Spanish extraction, to marry the (ahem) "sloe-eyed beaty Anne Bowles".... Dear Lord, it's put me off buying another book by this woman. Ever.
(God knows what the editorial team really thought about it... I'm guessing she's successful enough for them not to be, shall we say, completely honest.)

Easy and satisfying, once you get into it, 29 Jun 2008
This is the first Rosie Thomas book I have read and I loved it once I got into it. That, for me, is the only criticism. Since finishing `Constance', I have started reading `Iris and Ruby' and was hooked after the first few pages. Reading `Constance', it took almost 60 pages to achieve the same effect.

After the prologue, which sets the scene for the story that follows - of a foundling, and how she finally comes to terms with her unconventional start in life - the scene switches to Bali where Connie has made her home. It is here that I felt the story dragged. There is much detail about filming a commercial for which Connie has written the music and, while this serves to introduce certain characters who play a minor role later in the book, there are several who never feature again. I found it not all that interesting and too drawn out.

But once the story switches to Connie's life in her adoptive family, I became intrigued about what would follow and how she progressed from abandoned baby to successful career woman. It seems as if the only person in the family who loves her is Tony, her adoptive father, and when he dies she is lost. Later, when Connie falls in love it is with a man who is not free to be hers. It is no wonder she is restless, with no real sense of her identity.

Her relationship with her deaf sister, Jeanette, is portrayed sensitively and realistically - the tensions that vibrate between the two are almost tangible. Events build to a point where they do not communicate. When Connie hears that Jeanette is dying of cancer, she rushes back from Bali to be at her side - to say more would reveal details that would spoil the story, which is told as a series of flashbacks interwoven with the present, and from several viewpoints. This works well and helps add to the anticipation.

It's not the best book I've read recently, but it is a satisfying well-written story if you like to read about relationships and how they affect the people involved. It would be perfect to take on holiday, as it's an easy read and long enough to retain the interest.


Touch of Yorkshire, 18 Aug 2008
I loved Ned, and I loved the plot. I suppose because I am from Yorkshire maybe it helped, but I haven't read Barbara Taylor Bradford books recently, but I am looking forward to the sequel. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the modern day 'war of the roses'within the plot, but I am hoping to see more of this aspect in the next book. I have stood on the Cliff edge and looked out to the cold North Sea as described in the book, I like to see Barbara continues to include her County of birth within her books.

I could not put the book down - excellent read.

What a great read, 17 Aug 2008
I really enjoyed this book. I felt that it flowed wonderfully whilst holding your attention at the same time.

I really like Ned and I thought it was nice to see some of the not so nice people get what they deserve. No doubt as this is fiction and also a trilogy more will be heard from the otherside as it were in the next book, which I look forward to reading soon.

Oh, No, No. No. No, Barbara, 25 Jul 2008
Well, don't really know what to say except that it was obvious from the first few pages that this book is based on Edward 4th. and his life including his beautiful but terrible wife, Elizabeth Woodville. Well, that's OK as it goes I suppose - Barbara used names which are virtually the same as the historical characters BUT it did just not ring true.
Everyone is either extremely handsome and beautiful and all places are extremely sumptuous - not real at all.
All in all, I found the book rather shallow. I don't think this metier suits her style of writing at all and hope she goes back to her usual genre.
I won't be bothering to read the sequel as I feel that I am not interested in anybody in the Derevenel family and its adherents and to me this means that this is NOT a good book.

confusing, 20 Apr 2008
Essentially the tale of Edward and Richard of York brought into the 20 century. I read this one and will probaby read the next in the series but must say I prefer the real story of Edward and Richard. I found the similarity in names confusing and even irritating at times e.g.Hastings became Hasling. I also found it irresistable to think about what had happened to the Yorks rather than pay attention to what was happening to the Derevenals. I suppose the idea was worth a try but I think Ms Taylor Bradford should do what she can do so well and devise her own plots

One to be avoided, 20 Mar 2008
When I started to read the book I hadn't realised the link to the Plantagenets. I soon did and the story written round real events but updated to the Edwardian period and with thinly disguised names irritated me. If you want to read a good fiction book about the Plantagenets, read The Sunne in Splendour.

a sad dissappointment, 14 Nov 2008
i am sad to report i have to agree with the other reviews. i have been a BTB fan for many years, having been enchanted by a woman of substance and her other stories. this and the other books in the seris have been dreadfully dissappointing. history rewritten poorly!
come back origionality or give it up and hope to be remembered for the good ones!

Heirs of Ravenscar, 02 Aug 2008
I give this book one star mainly because it never got started. Theres over 300 pages and it never got started. It felt like I was reading a persons day to day life, not very interesting. Some parts of the book were enjoyable to read but overall it just never took off and never kept my interest for long

not to be recommended, 20 Apr 2008
Having been disappointed in the Ravenscar Dynasty I was cautious about reading this book. This book continues the story of Edward and Richard Deravenal really Edward and Richard of York but ending with Harry Turner really Henry Tudor. It was just as irritating as the first one. Sorry Ms Taylor Bradford but stick to making up your own plots you do it so much better. i believe this to be a trilogy but I doubt if I will read the third book

a poor effort, 26 Mar 2008
This was my first and last Taylor Bradford book - it was slow, boring and an historical mess! The characters were one dimensional and the plot lacked passion or excitment. I gave the book up about 2/3rds of the way through as an act of self-preservation - i was quickly losing the will to live!

The Lazy Author's Guide to Making (more) Megabucks, 14 Mar 2008
Oh dear!! Quite the most abysmal read I've had for a long time. Miss Taylor Bradford is well-known for her "blockbusters" - but this is the laziest piece of fiction mixed with "historical fact" in a weird kind of mish-mash - maybe she's trying to invent a new genre - "How to be Write a Novel where the Dear Reader Does Not Care About Any of the Main Characters" (and what a boring bunch these Deravenels are!) obviously ripping off the Plantagenets and the Tudors (I mean - Edward D even had a mistress called Jane Shaw - check your history books!). As for Harry Turner wanting to divorce pious, saintly RC Catherine, of Spanish extraction, to marry the (ahem) "sloe-eyed beaty Anne Bowles".... Dear Lord, it's put me off buying another book by this woman. Ever.
(God knows what the editorial team really thought about it... I'm guessing she's successful enough for them not to be, shall we say, completely honest.)

Easy and satisfying, once you get into it, 29 Jun 2008
This is the first Rosie Thomas book I have read and I loved it once I got into it. That, for me, is the only criticism. Since finishing `Constance', I have started reading `Iris and Ruby' and was hooked after the first few pages. Reading `Constance', it took almost 60 pages to achieve the same effect.

After the prologue, which sets the scene for the story that follows - of a foundling, and how she finally comes to terms with her unconventional start in life - the scene switches to Bali where Connie has made her home. It is here that I felt the story dragged. There is much detail about filming a commercial for which Connie has written the music and, while this serves to introduce certain characters who play a minor role later in the book, there are several who never feature again. I found it not all that interesting and too drawn out.

But once the story switches to Connie's life in her adoptive family, I became intrigued about what would follow and how she progressed from abandoned baby to successful career woman. It seems as if the only person in the family who loves her is Tony, her adoptive father, and when he dies she is lost. Later, when Connie falls in love it is with a man who is not free to be hers. It is no wonder she is restless, with no real sense of her identity.

Her relationship with her deaf sister, Jeanette, is portrayed sensitively and realistically - the tensions that vibrate between the two are almost tangible. Events build to a point where they do not communicate. When Connie hears that Jeanette is dying of cancer, she rushes back from Bali to be at her side - to say more would reveal details that would spoil the story, which is told as a series of flashbacks interwoven with the present, and from several viewpoints. This works well and helps add to the anticipation.

It's not the best book I've read recently, but it is a satisfying well-written story if you like to read about relationships and how they affect the people involved. It would be perfect to take on holiday, as it's an easy read and long enough to retain the interest.


Touch of Yorkshire, 18 Aug 2008
I loved Ned, and I loved the plot. I suppose because I am from Yorkshire maybe it helped, but I haven't read Barbara Taylor Bradford books recently, but I am looking forward to the sequel. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the modern day 'war of the roses'within the plot, but I am hoping to see more of this aspect in the next book. I have stood on the Cliff edge and looked out to the cold North Sea as described in the book, I like to see Barbara continues to include her County of birth within her books.

I could not put the book down - excellent read.

What a great read, 17 Aug 2008
I really enjoyed this book. I felt that it flowed wonderfully whilst holding your attention at the same time.

I really like Ned and I thought it was nice to see some of the not so nice people get what they deserve. No doubt as this is fiction and also a trilogy more will be heard from the otherside as it were in the next book, which I look forward to reading soon.

Oh, No, No. No. No, Barbara, 25 Jul 2008
Well, don't really know what to say except that it was obvious from the first few pages that this book is based on Edward 4th. and his life including his beautiful but terrible wife, Elizabeth Woodville. Well, that's OK as it goes I suppose - Barbara used names which are virtually the same as the historical characters BUT it did just not ring true.
Everyone is either extremely handsome and beautiful and all places are extremely sumptuous - not real at all.
All in all, I found the book rather shallow. I don't think this metier suits her style of writing at all and hope she goes back to her usual genre.
I won't be bothering to read the sequel as I feel that I am not interested in anybody in the Derevenel family and its adherents and to me this means that this is NOT a good book.

confusing, 20 Apr 2008
Essentially the tale of Edward and Richard of York brought into the 20 century. I read this one and will probaby read the next in the series but must say I prefer the real story of Edward and Richard. I found the similarity in names confusing and even irritating at times e.g.Hastings became Hasling. I also found it irresistable to think about what had happened to the Yorks rather than pay attention to what was happening to the Derevenals. I suppose the idea was worth a try but I think Ms Taylor Bradford should do what she can do so well and devise her own plots

One to be avoided, 20 Mar 2008
When I started to read the book I hadn't realised the link to the Plantagenets. I soon did and the story written round real events but updated to the Edwardian period and with thinly disguised names irritated me. If you want to read a good fiction book about the Plantagenets, read The Sunne in Splendour.

A rivetting read, 29 Jun 2008
I read this book several years ago. I finished the books I had brought with me on holidays and bought this book in the shop on the French campsite where we were staying. I was absolutely rivetted by it. It was so well written and the plot was really well thought out. The ending was very satisfying - no opting for the easy way out here. I really recommend this book.

Wonderful, well written book, 31 Oct 2007
Oh what a must read this book is - from start to finish I was hooked by the storyline and the depth of feelings that Rosie Thomas portrays is excellent - the story just seemed to touch me deep down and by the end I was crying
One of the best books I have read for years


A wonderfully written book, very moving, 21 Sep 2007
I have enjoyed many books by Rosie Thomas but this has to be the best so far, simply for the depth of emotion it is written. I was totally moved by this book and feel the auther suceeds in making it as realistic and as thought provoking as possible. I felt I knew the characters and could feel what they felt. It does not follow a classic 'love story' path and therefore is hard to put down as you become so engrossed, never knowing what will happen. A wonderfully written book, it touches the heart.

Searing view of the meaning of life, 10 Sep 2006
It looks like a classic romance from the cover, but this book gives a remarkable view of what it must feel like to be close to death, in a disaster, and how it changes your perspective. Extremely well written and thought provoking. Has a satisfying ending that makes perfect sense.

Very moving and poignant, 08 Nov 2000
You start off this rather small looking book not really knowing what you are going to find. However, what starts as a quite little tale about a woman and her life, soons becomes something quite dark and moving at the same time. You really feel for the 2 main characters in this book and will them on all the way through. The ending is a surprise in some ways and not in others - but I think it is very realistic - thoroughly enjoyable.

a sad dissappointment, 14 Nov 2008
i am sad to report i have to agree with the other reviews. i have been a BTB fan for many years, having been enchanted by a woman of substance and her other stories. this and the other books in the seris have been dreadfully dissappointing. history rewritten poorly!
come back origionality or give it up and hope to be remembered for the good ones!

Heirs of Ravenscar, 02 Aug 2008
I give this book one star mainly because it never got started. Theres over 300 pages and it never got started. It felt like I was reading a persons day to day life, not very interesting. Some parts of the book were enjoyable to read but overall it just never took off and never kept my interest for long

not to be recommended, 20 Apr 2008
Having been disappointed in the Ravenscar Dynasty I was cautious about reading this book. This book continues the story of Edward and Richard Deravenal really Edward and Richard of York but ending with Harry Turner really Henry Tudor. It was just as irritating as the first one. Sorry Ms Taylor Bradford but stick to making up your own plots you do it so much better. i believe this to be a trilogy but I doubt if I will read the third book

a poor effort, 26 Mar 2008
This was my first and last Taylor Bradford book - it was slow, boring and an historical mess! The characters were one dimensional and the plot lacked passion or excitment. I gave the book up about 2/3rds of the way through as an act of self-preservation - i was quickly losing the will to live!

The Lazy Author's Guide to Making (more) Megabucks, 14 Mar 2008
Oh dear!! Quite the most abysmal read I've had for a long time. Miss Taylor Bradford is well-known for her "blockbusters" - but this is the laziest piece of fiction mixed with "historical fact" in a weird kind of mish-mash - maybe she's trying to invent a new genre - "How to be Write a Novel where the Dear Reader Does Not Care About Any of the Main Characters" (and what a boring bunch these Deravenels are!) obviously ripping off the Plantagenets and the Tudors (I mean - Edward D even had a mistress called Jane Shaw - check your history books!). As for Harry Turner wanting to divorce pious, saintly RC Catherine, of Spanish extraction, to marry the (ahem) "sloe-eyed beaty Anne Bowles".... Dear Lord, it's put me off buying another book by this woman. Ever.
(God knows what the editorial team really thought about it... I'm guessing she's successful enough for them not to be, shall we say, completely honest.)

Easy and satisfying, once you get into it, 29 Jun 2008
This is the first Rosie Thomas book I have read and I loved it once I got into it. That, for me, is the only criticism. Since finishing `Constance', I have started reading `Iris and Ruby' and was hooked after the first few pages. Reading `Constance', it took almost 60 pages to achieve the same effect.

After the prologue, which sets the scene for the story that follows - of a foundling, and how she finally comes to terms with her unconventional start in life - the scene switches to Bali where Connie has made her home. It is here that I felt the story dragged. There is much detail about filming a commercial for which Connie has written the music and, while this serves to introduce certain characters who play a minor role later in the book, there are several who never feature again. I found it not all that interesting and too drawn out.

But once the story switches to Connie's life in her adoptive family, I became intrigued about what would follow and how she progressed from abandoned baby to successful career woman. It seems as if the only person in the family who loves her is Tony, her adoptive father, and when he dies she is lost. Later, when Connie falls in love it is with a man who is not free to be hers. It is no wonder she is restless, with no real sense of her identity.

Her relationship with her deaf sister, Jeanette, is portrayed sensitively and realistically - the tensions that vibrate between the two are almost tangible. Events build to a point where they do not communicate. When Connie hears that Jeanette is dying of cancer, she rushes back from Bali to be at her side - to say more would reveal details that would spoil the story, which is told as a series of flashbacks interwoven with the present, and from several viewpoints. This works well and helps add to the anticipation.

It's not the best book I've read recently, but it is a satisfying well-written story if you like to read about relationships and how they affect the people involved. It would be perfect to take on holiday, as it's an easy read and long enough to retain the interest.


Touch of Yorkshire, 18 Aug 2008
I loved Ned, and I loved the plot. I suppose because I am from Yorkshire maybe it helped, but I haven't read Barbara Taylor Bradford books recently, but I am looking forward to the sequel. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the modern day 'war of the roses'within the plot, but I am hoping to see more of this aspect in the next book. I have stood on the Cliff edge and looked out to the cold North Sea as described in the book, I like to see Barbara continues to include her County of birth within her books.

I could not put the book down - excellent read.

What a great read, 17 Aug 2008
I really enjoyed this book. I felt that it flowed wonderfully whilst holding your attention at the same time.

I really like Ned and I thought it was nice to see some of the not so nice people get what they deserve. No doubt as this is fiction and also a trilogy more will be heard from the otherside as it were in the next book, which I look forward to reading soon.

Oh, No, No. No. No, Barbara, 25 Jul 2008
Well, don't really know what to say except that it was obvious from the first few pages that this book is based on Edward 4th. and his life including his beautiful but terrible wife, Elizabeth Woodville. Well, that's OK as it goes I suppose - Barbara used names which are virtually the same as the historical characters BUT it did just not ring true.
Everyone is either extremely handsome and beautiful and all places are extremely sumptuous - not real at all.
All in all, I found the book rather shallow. I don't think this metier suits her style of writing at all and hope she goes back to her usual genre.
I won't be bothering to read the sequel as I feel that I am not interested in anybody in the Derevenel family and its adherents and to me this means that this is NOT a good book.

confusing, 20 Apr 2008
Essentially the tale of Edward and Richard of York brought into the 20 century. I read this one and will probaby read the next in the series but must say I prefer the real story of Edward and Richard. I found the similarity in names confusing and even irritating at times e.g.Hastings became Hasling. I also found it irresistable to think about what had happened to the Yorks rather than pay attention to what was happening to the Derevenals. I suppose the idea was worth a try but I think Ms Taylor Bradford should do what she can do so well and devise her own plots

One to be avoided, 20 Mar 2008
When I started to read the book I hadn't realised the link to the Plantagenets. I soon did and the story written round real events but updated to the Edwardian period and with thinly disguised names irritated me. If you want to read a good fiction book about the Plantagenets, read The Sunne in Splendour.

A rivetting read, 29 Jun 2008
I read this book several years ago. I finished the books I had brought with me on holidays and bought this book in the shop on the French campsite where we were staying. I was absolutely rivetted by it. It was so well written and the plot was really well thought out. The ending was very satisfying - no opting for the easy way out here. I really recommend this book.

Wonderful, well written book, 31 Oct 2007
Oh what a must read this book is - from start to finish I was hooked by the storyline and the depth of feelings that Rosie Thomas portrays is excellent - the story just seemed to touch me deep down and by the end I was crying
One of the best books I have read for years


A wonderfully written book, very moving, 21 Sep 2007
I have enjoyed many books by Rosie Thomas but this has to be the best so far, simply for the depth of emotion it is written. I was totally moved by this book and feel the auther suceeds in making it as realistic and as thought provoking as possible. I felt I knew the characters and could feel what they felt. It does not follow a classic 'love story' path and therefore is hard to put down as you become so engrossed, never knowing what will happen. A wonderfully written book, it touches the heart.

Searing view of the meaning of life, 10 Sep 2006
It looks like a classic romance from the cover, but this book gives a remarkable view of what it must feel like to be close to death, in a disaster, and how it changes your perspective. Extremely well written and thought provoking. Has a satisfying ending that makes perfect sense.

Very moving and poignant, 08 Nov 2000
You start off this rather small looking book not really knowing what you are going to find. However, what starts as a quite little tale about a woman and her life, soons becomes something quite dark and moving at the same time. You really feel for the 2 main characters in this book and will them on all the way through. The ending is a surprise in some ways and not in others - but I think it is very realistic - thoroughly enjoyable.

An old favourite!, 11 Jul 2007
I first read this author in 1985 when I enjoyed her first novel `A Woman of Substance'
I read a couple more titles in the early 90's and then nothing more until 2005 when I read `Where You Belong'
I recently came across this title, her 20th and decided that it was worth reading. The continuing story of the Harte Dynasty started in `A Woman of Substance', more than twenty years ago.

She still writes an enjoyable tale that keeps you turning the pages. I certainly enjoyed catching up with Emma Hartes family in the early years of the 21st century now her great granddaughters, Evan, Tessa, Linnet and India are passionate and volatile young women.
Not a challenging read but if you enjoy a good family saga then this is for you. There is even a list of all the clan members to help you keep track of the many characters.


Disappointed, 25 Nov 2004
I loved all of the "Emma" stories. I even enjoyed "Emma's Secret". I was really looking forward to this one. But.. I can appreciate "author's license" but I don't like the lack of memory in this one. It just feels like spinning out the story for an easy novel. Wasn't it Winston who painted Emily blue in Hold the Dream? Why did it change from Shane to Paula or did they both have the same experience? Just too many repeated paragraphs and some of those misremembered. Also - what with the Robin makeover? I thought he was the bad boy that started the rebelion in the great "Woman of Substance".

Back to her writing roots at last!, 22 Aug 2004
With this and Emma's secrets Barbara has done what I hoped she would for years given us more of the Hartes and their story. She has gone back to her writing roots and once again it has substance and feeling. You feel you are there with the characters, with the addition of a well known recent event she has kept up with the times while not going over the top.

I had stopped reading her books for awhile they had lost their grit now its back and I cant wait for the next installment. If you read Woman of Substance you wont be disappointed. I didnt want to put either of the recent books down.

Sequel to Emma's Secret, 22 Jul 2004
Even if you have not read Emma's Secret, you can read this book and know that once you start you will not be able to put this book down. Barbary writes in such an intimate family way that you are at once transported into the dysnasty of the Hart foundation and loving every minute of it! Well worth reading.

Unexpected Blessings, 13 Jul 2004
This is a gripping Bestseller!! Barbara Taylor Bradford has outdone herself once again... I could not put this book down - it was gripping from beginning to the end. This book simply absorbs the reader not only in the book but in the shoes of the characters. I recommend buying this book immediately!!

a sad dissappointment, 14 Nov 2008
i am sad to report i have to agree with the other reviews. i have been a BTB fan for many years, having been enchanted by a woman of substance and her other stories. this and the other books in the seris have been dreadfully dissappointing. history rewritten poorly!
come back origionality or give it up and hope to be remembered for the good ones!

Heirs of Ravenscar, 02 Aug 2008
I give this book one star mainly because it never got started. Theres over 300 pages and it never got started. It felt like I was reading a persons day to day life, not very interesting. Some parts of the book were enjoyable to read but overall it just never took off and never kept my interest for long

not to be recommended, 20 Apr 2008
Having been disappointed in the Ravenscar Dynasty I was cautious about reading this book. This book continues the story of Edward and Richard Deravenal really Edward and Richard of York but ending with Harry Turner really Henry Tudor. It was just as irritating as the first one. Sorry Ms Taylor Bradford but stick to making up your own plots you do it so much better. i believe this to be a trilogy but I doubt if I will read the third book

a poor effort, 26 Mar 2008
This was my first and last Taylor Bradford book - it was slow, boring and an historical mess! The characters were one dimensional and the plot lacked passion or excitment. I gave the book up about 2/3rds of the way through as an act of self-preservation - i was quickly losing the will to live!

The Lazy Author's Guide to Making (more) Megabucks, 14 Mar 2008
Oh dear!! Quite the most abysmal read I've had for a long time. Miss Taylor Bradford is well-known for her "blockbusters" - but this is the laziest piece of fiction mixed with "historical fact" in a weird kind of mish-mash - maybe she's trying to invent a new genre - "How to be Write a Novel where the Dear Reader Does Not Care About Any of the Main Characters" (and what a boring bunch these Deravenels are!) obviously ripping off the Plantagenets and the Tudors (I mean - Edward D even had a mistress called Jane Shaw - check your history books!). As for Harry Turner wanting to divorce pious, saintly RC Catherine, of Spanish extraction, to marry the (ahem) "sloe-eyed beaty Anne Bowles".... Dear Lord, it's put me off buying another book by this woman. Ever.
(God knows what the editorial team really thought about it... I'm guessing she's successful enough for them not to be, shall we say, completely honest.)

Easy and satisfying, once you get into it, 29 Jun 2008
This is the first Rosie Thomas book I have read and I loved it once I got into it. That, for me, is the only criticism. Since finishing `Constance', I have started reading `Iris and Ruby' and was hooked after the first few pages. Reading `Constance', it took almost 60 pages to achieve the same effect.

After the prologue, which sets the scene for the story that follows - of a foundling, and how she finally comes to terms with her unconventional start in life - the scene switches to Bali where Connie has made her home. It is here that I felt the story dragged. There is much detail about filming a commercial for which Connie has written the music and, while this serves to introduce certain characters who play a minor role later in the book, there are several who never feature again. I found it not all that interesting and too drawn out.

But once the story switches to Connie's life in her adoptive family, I became intrigued about what would follow and how she progressed from abandoned baby to successful career woman. It seems as if the only person in the family who loves her is Tony, her adoptive father, and when he dies she is lost. Later, when Connie falls in love it is with a man who is not free to be hers. It is no wonder she is restless, with no real sense of her identity.

Her relationship with her deaf sister, Jeanette, is portrayed sensitively and realistically - the tensions that vibrate between the two are almost tangible. Events build to a point where they do not communicate. When Connie hears that Jeanette is dying of cancer, she rushes back from Bali to be at her side - to say more would reveal details that would spoil the story, which is told as a series of flashbacks interwoven with the present, and from several viewpoints. This works well and helps add to the anticipation.

It's not the best book I've read recently, but it is a satisfying well-written story if you like to read about relationships and how they affect the people involved. It would be perfect to take on holiday, as it's an easy read and long enough to retain the interest.


Touch of Yorkshire, 18 Aug 2008
I loved Ned, and I loved the plot. I suppose because I am from Yorkshire maybe it helped, but I haven't read Barbara Taylor Bradford books recently, but I am looking forward to the sequel. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the modern day 'war of the roses'within the plot, but I am hoping to see more of this aspect in the next book. I have stood on the Cliff edge and looked out to the cold North Sea as described in the book, I like to see Barbara continues to include her County of birth within her books.

I could not put the book down - excellent read.

What a great read, 17 Aug 2008
I really enjoyed this book. I felt that it flowed wonderfully whilst holding your attention at the same time.

I really like Ned and I thought it was nice to see some of the not so nice people get what they deserve. No doubt as this is fiction and also a trilogy more will be heard from the otherside as it were in the next book, which I look forward to reading soon.

Oh, No, No. No. No, Barbara, 25 Jul 2008
Well, don't really know what to say except that it was obvious from the first few pages that this book is based on Edward 4th. and his life including his beautiful but terrible wife, Elizabeth Woodville. Well, that's OK as it goes I suppose - Barbara used names which are virtually the same as the historical characters BUT it did just not ring true.
Everyone is either extremely handsome and beautiful and all places are extremely sumptuous - not real at all.
All in all, I found the book rather shallow. I don't think this metier suits her style of writing at all and hope she goes back to her usual genre.
I won't be bothering to read the sequel as I feel that I am not interested in anybody in the Derevenel family and its adherents and to me this means that this is NOT a good book.

confusing, 20 Apr 2008
Essentially the tale of Edward and Richard of York brought into the 20 century. I read this one and will probaby read the next in the series but must say I prefer the real story of Edward and Richard. I found the similarity in names confusing and even irritating at times e.g.Hastings became Hasling. I also found it irresistable to think about what had happened to the Yorks rather than pay attention to what was happening to the Derevenals. I suppose the idea was worth a try but I think Ms Taylor Bradford should do what she can do so well and devise her own plots

One to be avoided, 20 Mar 2008
When I started to read the book I hadn't realised the link to the Plantagenets. I soon did and the story written round real events but updated to the Edwardian period and with thinly disguised names irritated me. If you want to read a good fiction book about the Plantagenets, read The Sunne in Splendour.

A rivetting read, 29 Jun 2008
I read this book several years ago. I finished the books I had brought with me on holidays and bought this book in the shop on the French campsite where we were staying. I was absolutely rivetted by it. It was so well written and the plot was really well thought out. The ending was very satisfying - no opting for the easy way out here. I really recommend this book.

Wonderful, well written book, 31 Oct 2007
Oh what a must read this book is - from start to finish I was hooked by the storyline and the depth of feelings that Rosie Thomas portrays is excellent - the story just seemed to touch me deep down and by the end I was crying
One of the best books I have read for years


A wonderfully written book, very moving, 21 Sep 2007
I have enjoyed many books by Rosie Thomas but this has to be the best so far, simply for the depth of emotion it is written. I was totally moved by this book and feel the auther suceeds in making it as realistic and as thought provoking as possible. I felt I knew the characters and could feel what they felt. It does not follow a classic 'love story' path and therefore is hard to put down as you become so engrossed, never knowing what will happen. A wonderfully written book, it touches the heart.

Searing view of the meaning of life, 10 Sep 2006
It looks like a classic romance from the cover, but this book gives a remarkable view of what it must feel like to be close to death, in a disaster, and how it changes your perspective. Extremely well written and thought provoking. Has a satisfying ending that makes perfect sense.

Very moving and poignant, 08 Nov 2000
You start off this rather small looking book not really knowing what you are going to find. However, what starts as a quite little tale about a woman and her life, soons becomes something quite dark and moving at the same time. You really feel for the 2 main characters in this book and will them on all the way through. The ending is a surprise in some ways and not in others - but I think it is very realistic - thoroughly enjoyable.

An old favourite!, 11 Jul 2007
I first read this author in 1985 when I enjoyed her first novel `A Woman of Substance'
I read a couple more titles in the early 90's and then nothing more until 2005 when I read `Where You Belong'
I recently came across this title, her 20th and decided that it was worth reading. The continuing story of the Harte Dynasty started in `A Woman of Substance', more than twenty years ago.

She still writes an enjoyable tale that keeps you turning the pages. I certainly enjoyed catching up with Emma Hartes family in the early years of the 21st century now her great granddaughters, Evan, Tessa, Linnet and India are passionate and volatile young women.
Not a challenging read but if you enjoy a good family saga then this is for you. There is even a list of all the clan members to help you keep track of the many characters.


Disappointed, 25 Nov 2004
I loved all of the "Emma" stories. I even enjoyed "Emma's Secret". I was really looking forward to this one. But.. I can appreciate "author's license" but I don't like the lack of memory in this one. It just feels like spinning out the story for an easy novel. Wasn't it Winston who painted Emily blue in Hold the Dream? Why did it change from Shane to Paula or did they both have the same experience? Just too many repeated paragraphs and some of those misremembered. Also - what with the Robin makeover? I thought he was the bad boy that started the rebelion in the great "Woman of Substance".

Back to her writing roots at last!, 22 Aug 2004
With this and Emma's secrets Barbara has done what I hoped she would for years given us more of the Hartes and their story. She has gone back to her writing roots and once again it has substance and feeling. You feel you are there with the characters, with the addition of a well known recent event she has kept up with the times while not going over the top.

I had stopped reading her books for awhile they had lost their grit now its back and I cant wait for the next installment. If you read Woman of Substance you wont be disappointed. I didnt want to put either of the recent books down.

Sequel to Emma's Secret, 22 Jul 2004
Even if you have not read Emma's Secret, you can read this book and know that once you start you will not be able to put this book down. Barbary writes in such an intimate family way that you are at once transported into the dysnasty of the Hart foundation and loving every minute of it! Well worth reading.

Unexpected Blessings, 13 Jul 2004
This is a gripping Bestseller!! Barbara Taylor Bradford has outdone herself once again... I could not put this book down - it was gripping from beginning to the end. This book simply absorbs the reader not only in the book but in the shoes of the characters. I recommend buying this book immediately!!

Pure escapism, 16 Aug 2008
I loved this and was hooked from the first page. An easy bedtime or holiday read, it's the intertwining stories of a lonely old lady cared for by two ageing servants and her feisty granddaughter who arrives unannounced on her doorstep.

Iris lives among faded memories which she dreads losing forever as her mind slowly deteriorates. Her immediate reaction to Ruby's presence is to send her straight back to her mother in England, but she becomes attached to the girl and allows her to stay.

Her story is richly evocative of wartime Cairo and as romantic and sad as `Brief Encounter'. It was this era that fascinated me most, but Ruby's development from rebellious, swearing teenager, and the nuances of mother/daughter relationships were equally well drawn and became just as absorbing.

To anyone who enjoys a warm, well-written romantic read with a bustling sense of place I'd thoroughly recommend it.


Take me back to Cairo!!, 15 Feb 2008
As someone who has been to Cairo on several occasions and loves the place A friend recommended this as a possible read. I picked the book up and couldn't put it down. Life inconveniently kept getting in the way but I managed to read it in under a week, which is good for me. Now I have finished it I really want to read it all again. The authors story takes me back to modern Cairo with great accuracy but also gives me enough to conjure up what it would have been like back in War Time. They way the book is written made me believe in the characters and want to be more involved with them as the book progressed. It was not too slushy or to the other extreme too serious. It is not the kind of book I would usually have picked up by I recommend it to anyone who like me has a love of Eygpt, personal interest or just a damn good story!!

A spectacular novel!, 05 Nov 2007
I have never read a Rosie Thomas book before. Now I am going to go out and buy all of them. Iris and Ruby is a spectacular romantic read about a doomed epic love that shaped a woman's life so proufoundly that even nearing death she clings to her memories of a bygone time and the life that should have been - telling her stories to her granddaughter, who absorbs them with a quiet fascination - the bond between them slowly growing to the heartbreaking end. Iris's story is told to her granddaughter who goes to Cairo looking for the grandmother she never knew, and finds a mesmerizing history that explains a lot about who she is and the family she has come from. I loved this book. I can't tell you how much. I cried to the point of howling tears at the end. Rosie Thomas is a truly gifted storyteller who weaves a description of wartime and modern day Cairo that unfolds colourfully before my eyes. Interestingly, the book is told in first and third person, switching often between the two. Yet the result is a captivating, because Thomas is such a skilled storyteller. I was so disappointed to get to the end. There are some books that are good but leave little impression, and then there are some books that we know we'll never forget - this is one of them.

Good in parts, 03 Nov 2007
I found the first third of this book rather slow to get into as it moved between the two characters. The grandmother's tale of her frantic/romantically intense time with her war time lover in Cairo was a little 'Mills and Boon' in parts. The contemporary tale of the grandaughter escaping a personal tragedy then gradually moving to the next stage of maturity through her newly-gained relationship with her grandmother was a little more interesting. However, as the two stories came together, my interest in that story developed. There is a particular scene in which Iris and Ruby are in a dangerous, life-threatening situation and this, for me, was the turning point of the novel. From then on the characters became more 'real' and the storyline flew. I am glad I read it and it had certain resonances for me in terms of relationships between older and younger women which can go either way... to be a destroying experience or to develop everyone in the relationship. I would read another book by this author.

Fantastic - Don't Miss It!, 14 Aug 2007
I really loved this book.

The writing is fantastic and you really can smell and feel the atmosphere of bustling Cairo.

There was not one dull moment and it is one of those books that you can't wait to read the ending but also sad that it has finished.
The characters are realistic, they are not always entirely lovable but this book really does make you consider and cherish your own family relationships.

This book lightened my life whilst I was reading it - thoroughly recommended!

a sad dissappointment, 14 Nov 2008
i am sad to report i have to agree with the other reviews. i have been a BTB fan for many years, having been enchanted by a woman of substance and her other stories. this and the other books in the seris have been dreadfully dissappointing. history rewritten poorly!
come back origionality or give it up and hope to be remembered for the good ones!

Heirs of Ravenscar, 02 Aug 2008
I give this book one star mainly because it never got started. Theres over 300 pages and it never got started. It felt like I was reading a persons day to day life, not very interesting. Some parts of the book were enjoyable to read but overall it just never took off and never kept my interest for long

not to be recommended, 20 Apr 2008
Having been disappointed in the Ravenscar Dynasty I was cautious about reading this book. This book continues the story of Edward and Richard Deravenal really Edward and Richard of York but ending with Harry Turner really Henry Tudor. It was just as irritating as the first one. Sorry Ms Taylor Bradford but stick to making up your own plots you do it so much better. i believe this to be a trilogy but I doubt if I will read the third book

a poor effort, 26 Mar 2008
This was my first and last Taylor Bradford book - it was slow, boring and an historical mess! The characters were one dimensional and the plot lacked passion or excitment. I gave the book up about 2/3rds of the way through as an act of self-preservation - i was quickly losing the will to live!

The Lazy Author's Guide to Making (more) Megabucks, 14 Mar 2008
Oh dear!! Quite the most abysmal read I've had for a long time. Miss Taylor Bradford is well-known for her "blockbusters" - but this is the laziest piece of fiction mixed with "historical fact" in a weird kind of mish-mash - maybe she's trying to invent a new genre - "How to be Write a Novel where the Dear Reader Does Not Care About Any of the Main Characters" (and what a boring bunch these Deravenels are!) obviously ripping off the Plantagenets and the Tudors (I mean - Edward D even had a mistress called Jane Shaw - check your history books!). As for Harry Turner wanting to divorce pious, saintly RC Catherine, of Spanish extraction, to marry the (ahem) "sloe-eyed beaty Anne Bowles".... Dear Lord, it's put me off buying another book by this woman. Ever.
(God knows what the editorial team really thought about it... I'm guessing she's successful enough for them not to be, shall we say, completely honest.)

Easy and satisfying, once you get into it, 29 Jun 2008
This is the first Rosie Thomas book I have read and I loved it once I got into it. That, for me, is the only criticism. Since finishing `Constance', I have started reading `Iris and Ruby' and was hooked after the first few pages. Reading `Constance', it took almost 60 pages to achieve the same effect.

After the prologue, which sets the scene for the story that follows - of a foundling, and how she finally comes to terms with her unconventional start in life - the scene switches to Bali where Connie has made her home. It is here that I felt the story dragged. There is much detail about filming a commercial for which Connie has written the music and, while this serves to introduce certain characters who play a minor role later in the book, there are several who never feature again. I found it not all that interesting and too drawn out.

But once the story switches to Connie's life in her adoptive family, I became intrigued about what would follow and how she progressed from abandoned baby to successful career woman. It seems as if the only person in the family who loves her is Tony, her adoptive father, and when he dies she is lost. Later, when Connie falls in love it is with a man who is not free to be hers. It is no wonder she is restless, with no real sense of her identity.

Her relationship with her deaf sister, Jeanette, is portrayed sensitively and realistically - the tensions that vibrate between the two are almost tangible. Events build to a point where they do not communicate. When Connie hears that Jeanette is dying of cancer, she rushes back from Bali to be at her side - to say more would reveal details that would spoil the story, which is told as a series of flashbacks interwoven with the present, and from several viewpoints. This works well and helps add to the anticipation.

It's not the best book I've read recently, but it is a satisfying well-written story if you like to read about relationships and how they affect the people involved. It would be perfect to take on holiday, as it's an easy read and long enough to retain the interest.


Touch of Yorkshire, 18 Aug 2008
I loved Ned, and I loved the plot. I suppose because I am from Yorkshire maybe it helped, but I haven't read Barbara Taylor Bradford books recently, but I am looking forward to the sequel. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the modern day 'war of the roses'within the plot, but I am hoping to see more of this aspect in the next book. I have stood on the Cliff edge and looked out to the cold North Sea as described in the book, I like to see Barbara continues to include her County of birth within her books.

I could not put the book down - excellent read.

What a great read, 17 Aug 2008
I really enjoyed this book. I felt that it flowed wonderfully whilst holding your attention at the same time.

I really like Ned and I thought it was nice to see some of the not so nice people get what they deserve. No doubt as this is fiction and also a trilogy more will be heard from the otherside as it were in the next book, which I look forward to reading soon.

Oh, No, No. No. No, Barbara, 25 Jul 2008
Well, don't really know what to say except that it was obvious from the first few pages that this book is based on Edward 4th. and his life including his beautiful but terrible wife, Elizabeth Woodville. Well, that's OK as it goes I suppose - Barbara used names which are virtually the same as the historical characters BUT it did just not ring true.
Everyone is either extremely handsome and beautiful and all places are extremely sumptuous - not real at all.
All in all, I found the book rather shallow. I don't think this metier suits her style of writing at all and hope she goes back to her usual genre.
I won't be bothering to read the sequel as I feel that I am not interested in anybody in the Derevenel family and its adherents and to me this means that this is NOT a good book.

confusing, 20 Apr 2008
Essentially the tale of Edward and Richard of York brought into the 20 century. I read this one and will probaby read the next in the series but must say I prefer the real story of Edward and Richard. I found the similarity in names confusing and even irritating at times e.g.Hastings became Hasling. I also found it irresistable to think about what had happened to the Yorks rather than pay attention to what was happening to the Derevenals. I suppose the idea was worth a try but I think Ms Taylor Bradford should do what she can do so well and devise her own plots

One to be avoided, 20 Mar 2008
When I started to read the book I hadn't realised the link to the Plantagenets. I soon did and the story written round real events but updated to the Edwardian period and with thinly disguised names irritated me. If you want to read a good fiction book about the Plantagenets, read The Sunne in Splendour.

A rivetting read, 29 Jun 2008
I read this book several years ago. I finished the books I had brought with me on holidays and bought this book in the shop on the French campsite where we were staying. I was absolutely rivetted by it. It was so well written and the plot was really well thought out. The ending was very satisfying - no opting for the easy way out here. I really recommend this book.

Wonderful, well written book, 31 Oct 2007
Oh what a must read this book is - from start to finish I was hooked by the storyline and the depth of feelings that Rosie Thomas portrays is excellent - the story just seemed to touch me deep down and by the end I was crying
One of the best books I have read for years


A wonderfully written book, very moving, 21 Sep 2007
I have enjoyed many books by Rosie Thomas but this has to be the best so far, simply for the depth of emotion it is written. I was totally moved by this book and feel the auther suceeds in making it as realistic and as thought provoking as possible. I felt I knew the characters and could feel what they felt. It does not follow a classic 'love story' path and therefore is hard to put down as you become so engrossed, never knowing what will happen. A wonderfully written book, it touches the heart.

Searing view of the meaning of life, 10 Sep 2006
It looks like a classic romance from the cover, but this book gives a remarkable view of what it must feel like to be close to death, in a disaster, and how it changes your perspective. Extremely well written and thought provoking. Has a satisfying ending that makes perfect sense.

Very moving and poignant, 08 Nov 2000
You start off this rather small looking book not really knowing what you are going to find. However, what starts as a quite little tale about a woman and her life, soons becomes something quite dark and moving at the same time. You really feel for the 2 main characters in this book and will them on all the way through. The ending is a surprise in some ways and not in others - but I think it is very realistic - thoroughly enjoyable.

An old favourite!, 11 Jul 2007
I first read this author in 1985 when I enjoyed her first novel `A Woman of Substance'
I read a couple more titles in the early 90's and then nothing more until 2005 when I read `Where You Belong'
I recently came across this title, her 20th and decided that it was worth reading. The continuing story of the Harte Dynasty started in `A Woman of Substance', more than twenty years ago.

She still writes an enjoyable tale that keeps you turning the pages. I certainly enjoyed catching up with Emma Hartes family in the early years of the 21st century now her great granddaughters, Evan, Tessa, Linnet and India are passionate and volatile young women.
Not a challenging read but if you enjoy a good family saga then this is for you. There is even a list of all the clan members to help you keep track of the many characters.


Disappointed, 25 Nov 2004
I loved all of the "Emma" stories. I even enjoyed "Emma's Secret". I was really looking forward to this one. But.. I can appreciate "author's license" but I don't like the lack of memory in this one. It just feels like spinning out the story for an easy novel. Wasn't it Winston who painted Emily blue in Hold the Dream? Why did it change from Shane to Paula or did they both have the same experience? Just too many repeated paragraphs and some of those misremembered. Also - what with the Robin makeover? I thought he was the bad boy that started the rebelion in the great "Woman of Substance".

Back to her writing roots at last!, 22 Aug 2004
With this and Emma's secrets Barbara has done what I hoped she would for years given us more of the Hartes and their story. She has gone back to her writing roots and once again it has substance and feeling. You feel you are there with the characters, with the addition of a well known recent event she has kept up with the times while not going over the top.

I had stopped reading her books for awhile they had lost their grit now its back and I cant wait for the next installment. If you read Woman of Substance you wont be disappointed. I didnt want to put either of the recent books down.

Sequel to Emma's Secret, 22 Jul 2004
Even if you have not read Emma's Secret, you can read this book and know that once you start you will not be able to put this book down. Barbary writes in such an intimate family way that you are at once transported into the dysnasty of the Hart foundation and loving every minute of it! Well worth reading.

Unexpected Blessings, 13 Jul 2004
This is a gripping Bestseller!! Barbara Taylor Bradford has outdone herself once again... I could not put this book down - it was gripping from beginning to the end. This book simply absorbs the reader not only in the book but in the shoes of the characters. I recommend buying this book immediately!!

Pure escapism, 16 Aug 2008
I loved this and was hooked from the first page. An easy bedtime or holiday read, it's the intertwining stories of a lonely old lady cared for by two ageing servants and her feisty granddaughter who arrives unannounced on her doorstep.

Iris lives among faded memories which she dreads losing forever as her mind slowly deteriorates. Her immediate reaction to Ruby's presence is to send her straight back to her mother in England, but she becomes attached to the girl and allows her to stay.

Her story is richly evocative of wartime Cairo and as romantic and sad as `Brief Encounter'. It was this era that fascinated me most, but Ruby's development from rebellious, swearing teenager, and the nuances of mother/daughter relationships were equally well drawn and became just as absorbing.

To anyone who enjoys a warm, well-written romantic read with a bustling sense of place I'd thoroughly recommend it.


Take me back to Cairo!!, 15 Feb 2008
As someone who has been to Cairo on several occasions and loves the place A friend recommended this as a possible read. I picked the book up and couldn't put it down. Life inconveniently kept getting in the way but I managed to read it in under a week, which is good for me. Now I have finished it I really want to read it all again. The authors story takes me back to modern Cairo with great accuracy but also gives me enough to conjure up what it would have been like back in War Time. They way the book is written made me believe in the characters and want to be more involved with them as the book progressed. It was not too slushy or to the other extreme too serious. It is not the kind of book I would usually have picked up by I recommend it to anyone who like me has a love of Eygpt, personal interest or just a damn good story!!

A spectacular novel!, 05 Nov 2007
I have never read a Rosie Thomas book before. Now I am going to go out and buy all of them. Iris and Ruby is a spectacular romantic read about a doomed epic love that shaped a woman's life so proufoundly that even nearing death she clings to her memories of a bygone time and the life that should have been - telling her stories to her granddaughter, who absorbs them with a quiet fascination - the bond between them slowly growing to the heartbreaking end. Iris's story is told to her granddaughter who goes to Cairo looking for the grandmother she never knew, and finds a mesmerizing history that explains a lot about who she is and the family she has come from. I loved this book. I can't tell you how much. I cried to the point of howling tears at the end. Rosie Thomas is a truly gifted storyteller who weaves a description of wartime and modern day Cairo that unfolds colourfully before my eyes. Interestingly, the book is told in first and third person, switching often between the two. Yet the result is a captivating, because Thomas is such a skilled storyteller. I was so disappointed to get to the end. There are some books that are good but leave little impression, and then there are some books that we know we'll never forget - this is one of them.

Good in parts, 03 Nov 2007
I found the first third of this book rather slow to get into as it moved between the two characters. The grandmother's tale of her frantic/romantically intense time with her war time lover in Cairo was a little 'Mills and Boon' in parts. The contemporary tale of the grandaughter escaping a personal tragedy then gradually moving to the next stage of maturity through her newly-gained relationship with her grandmother was a little more interesting. However, as the two stories came together, my interest in that story developed. There is a particular scene in which Iris and Ruby are in a dangerous, life-threatening situation and this, for me, was the turning point of the novel. From then on the characters became more 'real' and the storyline flew. I am glad I read it and it had certain resonances for me in terms of relationships between older and younger women which can go either way... to be a destroying experience or to develop everyone in the relationship. I would read another book by this author.

Fantastic - Don't Miss It!, 14 Aug 2007
I really loved this book.

The writing is fantastic and you really can smell and feel the atmosphere of bustling Cairo.

There was not one dull moment and it is one of those books that you can't wait to read the ending but also sad that it has finished.
The characters are realistic, they are not always entirely lovable but this book really does make you consider and cherish your own family relationships.

This book lightened my life whilst I was reading it - thoroughly recommended!

Too long and boring., 31 Dec 2006
I love and enjoy reading long stories and big novels but this book really bored me. I found it very difficult to get into the story from the very beginning and struggled to keep reading. I finally gave up half way through, which was more than enough. It is not really worth buying.

Should have been a shorter book., 24 Apr 2006
I read this book because it was one of the books discussed in "The Reading Group" by Elizabeth Noble. I'm afraid I was disappointed.
It is a saga following the life of a young, poverty stricken girl. Starting as a servant in the Fairly mansion, it details her rise to the eventual accumulation of extreme wealth through business - and the Fairly family's downfall.
Overly descriptive and drawn out. Would have been decidedly better in 400 pages. And, horror of horrors, there's a sequel, bringing the total saga to over 1600 pages. Groan.

Mind Blowing, 28 Apr 2005
an extreme, realistic, story of one woman rising from nothing to everything with everyone trying to stop her, it is one of the most fantastic books i have ever read. The beggining is slightly slow but once you get in to it you cant get out. The story is fantastically gripping, and of revenge against one family who made Emma Harte's child hood a misery i strongly reccomend this book to anyone.

Woman of substance, 26 May 2004
This is a stunning story following the story of Emma Harte from her humble, poor beginnings and the story leading to the founding of her empire. You really feel as though you are there every step of the way from when she leaves where her home is to finding her way and how she finds help with Blackie and her continuing strength against all odds.
This is a beautiful story and pretty much one you won't forget, this is by far Barbara Taylor Bradford's best work.

Vivid and eloquent, a joy to read, 05 Sep 2002
This is an immensely descriptive account of one woman's life as she rides out all that it has to offer her, both the good and bad times. The use of words is so vivid and evocative that you are transported into the story, living and breathing with the characters. The scenery and settings are described down to the last detail making it all the more real.
A tremoudous read that grips you tightly and doesn't let you go till the end.

a sad dissappointment, 14 Nov 2008
i am sad to report i have to agree with the other reviews. i have been a BTB fan for many years, having been enchanted by a woman of substance and her other stories. this and the other books in the seris have been dreadfully dissappointing. history rewritten poorly!
come back origionality or give it up and hope to be remembered for the good ones!

Heirs of Ravenscar, 02 Aug 2008
I give this book one star mainly because it never got started. Theres over 300 pages and it never got started. It felt like I was reading a persons day to day life, not very interesting. Some parts of the book were enjoyable to read but overall it just never took off and never kept my interest for long

not to be recommended, 20 Apr 2008
Having been disappointed in the Ravenscar Dynasty I was cautious about reading this book. This book continues the story of Edward and Richard Deravenal really Edward and Richard of York but ending with Harry Turner really Henry Tudor. It was just as irritating as the first one. Sorry Ms Taylor Bradford but stick to making up your own plots you do it so much better. i believe this to be a trilogy but I doubt if I will read the third book

a poor effort, 26 Mar 2008
This was my first and last Taylor Bradford book - it was slow, boring and an historical mess! The characters were one dimensional and the plot lacked passion or excitment. I gave the book up about 2/3rds of the way through as an act of self-preservation - i was quickly losing the will to live!

The Lazy Author's Guide to Making (more) Megabucks, 14 Mar 2008
Oh dear!! Quite the most abysmal read I've had for a long time. Miss Taylor Bradford is well-known for her "blockbusters" - but this is the laziest piece of fiction mixed with "historical fact" in a weird kind of mish-mash - maybe she's trying to invent a new genre - "How to be Write a Novel where the Dear Reader Does Not Care About Any of the Main Characters" (and what a boring bunch these Deravenels are!) obviously ripping off the Plantagenets and the Tudors (I mean - Edward D even had a mistress called Jane Shaw - check your history books!). As for Harry Turner wanting to divorce pious, saintly RC Catherine, of Spanish extraction, to marry the (ahem) "sloe-eyed beaty Anne Bowles".... Dear Lord, it's put me off buying another book by this woman. Ever.
(God knows what the editorial team really thought about it... I'm guessing she's successful enough for them not to be, shall we say, completely honest.)

Easy and satisfying, once you get into it, 29 Jun 2008
This is the first Rosie Thomas book I have read and I loved it once I got into it. That, for me, is the only criticism. Since finishing `Constance', I have started reading `Iris and Ruby' and was hooked after the first few pages. Reading `Constance', it took almost 60 pages to achieve the same effect.

After the prologue, which sets the scene for the story that follows - of a foundling, and how she finally comes to terms with her unconventional start in life - the scene switches to Bali where Connie has made her home. It is here that I felt the story dragged. There is much detail about filming a commercial for which Connie has written the music and, while this serves to introduce certain characters who play a minor role later in the book, there are several who never feature again. I found it not all that interesting and too drawn out.

But once the story switches to Connie's life in her adoptive family, I became intrigued about what would follow and how she progressed from abandoned baby to successful career woman. It seems as if the only person in the family who loves her is Tony, her adoptive father, and when he dies she is lost. Later, when Connie falls in love it is with a man who is not free to be hers. It is no wonder she is restless, with no real sense of her identity.

Her relationship with her deaf sister, Jeanette, is portrayed sensitively and realistically - the tensions that vibrate between the two are almost tangible. Events build to a point where they do not communicate. When Connie hears that Jeanette is dying of cancer, she rushes back from Bali to be at her side - to say more would reveal details that would spoil the story, which is told as a series of flashbacks interwoven with the present, and from several viewpoints. This works well and helps add to the anticipation.

It's not the best book I've read recently, but it is a satisfying well-written story if you like to read about relationships and how they affect the people involved. It would be perfect to take on holiday, as it's an easy read and long enough to retain the interest.


Touch of Yorkshire, 18 Aug 2008
I loved Ned, and I loved the plot. I suppose because I am from Yorkshire maybe it helped, but I haven't read Barbara Taylor Bradford books recently, but I am looking forward to the sequel. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of the modern day 'war of the roses'within the plot, but I am hoping to see more of this aspect in the next book. I have stood on the Cliff edge and looked out to the cold North Sea as described in the book, I like to see Barbara continues to include her County of birth within her books.

I could not put the book down - excellent read.

What a great read, 17 Aug 2008
I really enjoyed this book. I felt that it flowed wonderfully whilst holding your attention at the same time.

I really like Ned and I thought it was nice to see some of the not so nice people get what they deserve. No doubt as this is fiction and also a trilogy more will be heard from the otherside as it were in the next book, which I look forward to reading soon.

Oh, No, No. No. No, Barbara, 25 Jul 2008
Well, don't really know what to say except that it was obvious from the first few pages that this book is based on Edward 4th. and his life including his beautiful but terrible wife, Elizabeth Woodville. Well, that's OK as it goes I suppose - Barbara used names which are virtually the same as the historical characters BUT it did just not ring true.
Everyone is either extremely handsome and beautiful and all places are extremely sumptuous - not real at all.
All in all, I found the book rather shallow. I don't think this metier suits her style of writing at all and hope she goes back to her usual genre.
I won't be bothering to read the sequel as I feel that I am not interested in anybody in the Derevenel family and its adherents and to me this means that this is NOT a good book.

confusing, 20 Apr 2008
Essentially the tale of Edward and Richard of York brought into the 20 century. I read this one and will probaby read the next in the series but must say I prefer the real story of Edward and Richard. I found the similarity in names confusing and even irritating at times e.g.Hastings became Hasling. I also found it irresistable to think about what had happened to the Yorks rather than pay attention to what was happening to the Derevenals. I suppose the idea was worth a try but I think Ms Taylor Bradford should do what she can do so well and devise her own plots

One to be avoided, 20 Mar 2008
When I started to read the book I hadn't realised the link to the Plantagenets. I soon did and the story written round real events but updated to the Edwardian period and with thinly disguised names irritated me. If you want to read a good fiction book about the Plantagenets, read The Sunne in Splendour.

A rivetting read, 29 Jun 2008
I read this book several years ago. I finished the books I had brought with me on holidays and bought this book in the shop on the French campsite where we were staying. I was absolutely rivetted by it. It was so well written and the plot was really well thought out. The ending was very satisfying - no opting for the easy way out here. I really recommend this book.

Wonderful, well written book, 31 Oct 2007
Oh what a must read this book is - from start to finish I was hooked by the storyline and the depth of feelings that Rosie Thomas portrays is excellent - the story just seemed to touch me deep down and by the end I was crying
One of the best books I have read for years


A wonderfully written book, very moving, 21 Sep 2007
I have enjoyed many books by Rosie Thomas but this has to be the best so far, simply for the depth of emotion it is written. I was totally moved by this book and feel the auther suceeds in making it as realistic and as thought provoking as possible. I felt I knew the characters and could feel what they felt. It does not follow a classic 'love story' path and therefore is hard to put down as you become so engrossed, never knowing what will happen. A wonderfully written book, it touches the heart.

Searing view of the meaning of life, 10 Sep 2006
It looks like a classic romance from the cover, but this book gives a remarkable view of what it must feel like to be close to death, in a disaster, and how it changes your perspective. Extremely well written and thought provoking. Has a satisfying ending that makes perfect sense.

Very moving and poignant, 08 Nov 2000
You start off this rather small looking book not really knowing what you are going to find. However, what starts as a quite little tale about a woman and her life, soons becomes something quite dark and moving at the same time. You really feel for the 2 main characters in this book and will them on all the way through. The ending is a surprise in some ways and not in others - but I think it is very realistic - thoroughly enjoyable.

An old favourite!, 11 Jul 2007
I first read this author in 1985 when I enjoyed her first novel `A Woman of Substance'
I read a couple more titles in the early 90's and then nothing more until 2005 when I read `Where You Belong'
I recently came across this title, her 20th and decided that it was worth reading. The continuing story of the Harte Dynasty started in `A Woman of Substance', more than twenty years ago.

She still writes an enjoyable tale that keeps you turning the pages. I certainly enjoyed catching up with Emma Hartes family in the early years of the 21st century now her great granddaughters, Evan, Tessa, Linnet and India are passionate and volatile young women.
Not a challenging read but if you enjoy a good family saga then this is for you. There is even a list of all the clan members to help you keep track of the many characters.


Disappointed, 25 Nov 2004
I loved all of the "Emma" stories. I even enjoyed "Emma's Secret". I was really looking forward to this one. But.. I can appreciate "author's license" but I don't like the lack of memory in this one. It just feels like spinning out the story for an easy novel. Wasn't it Winston who painted Emily blue in Hold the Dream? Why did it change from Shane to Paula or did they both have the same experience? Just too many repeated paragraphs and some of those misremembered. Also - what with the Robin makeover? I thought he was the bad boy that started the rebelion in the great "Woman of Substance".

Back to her writing roots at last!, 22 Aug 2004
With this and Emma's secrets Barbara has done what I hoped she would for years given us more of the Hartes and their story. She has gone back to her writing roots and once again it has substance and feeling. You feel you are there with the characters, with the addition of a well known recent event she has kept up with the times while not going over the top.

I had stopped reading her books for awhile they had lost their grit now its back and I cant wait for the next installment. If you read Woman of Substance you wont be disappointed. I didnt want to put either of the recent books down.

Sequel to Emma's Secret, 22 Jul 2004
Even if you have not read Emma's Secret, you can read this book and know that once you start you will not be able to put this book down. Barbary writes in such an intimate family way that you are at once transported into the dysnasty of the Hart foundation and loving every minute of it! Well worth reading.

Unexpected Blessings, 13 Jul 2004
This is a gripping Bestseller!! Barbara Taylor Bradford has outdone herself once again... I could not put this book down - it was gripping from beginning to the end. This book simply absorbs the reader not only in the book but in the shoes of the characters. I recommend buying this book immediately!!

Pure escapism, 16 Aug 2008
I loved this and was hooked from the first page. An easy bedtime or holiday read, it's the intertwining stories of a lonely old lady cared for by two ageing servants and her feisty granddaughter who arrives unannounced on her doorstep.

Iris lives among faded memories which she dreads losing forever as her mind slowly deteriorates. Her immediate reaction to Ruby's presence is to send her straight back to her mother in England, but she becomes attached to the girl and allows her to stay.

Her story is richly evocative of wartime Cairo and as romantic and sad as `Brief Encounter'. It was this era that fascinated me most, but Ruby's development from rebellious, swearing teenager, and the nuances of mother/daughter relationships were equally well drawn and became just as absorbing.

To anyone who enjoys a warm, well-written romantic read with a bustling sense of place I'd thoroughly recommend it.


Take me back to Cairo!!, 15 Feb 2008
As someone who has been to Cairo on several occasions and loves the place A friend recommended this as a possible read. I picked the book up and couldn't put it down. Life inconveniently kept getting in the way but I managed to read it in under a week, which is good for me. Now I have finished it I really want to read it all again. The authors story takes me back to modern Cairo with great accuracy but also gives me enough to conjure up what it would have been like back in War Time. They way the book is written made me believe in the characters and want to be more involved with them as the book progressed. It was not too slushy or to the other extreme too serious. It is not the kind of book I would usually have picked up by I recommend it to anyone who like me has a love of Eygpt, personal interest or just a damn good story!!

A spectacular novel!, 05 Nov 2007
I have never read a Rosie Thomas book before. Now I am going to go out and buy all of them. Iris and Ruby is a spectacular romantic read about a doomed epic love that shaped a woman's life so proufoundly that even nearing death she clings to her memories of a bygone time and the life that should have been - telling her stories to her granddaughter, who absorbs them with a quiet fascination - the bond between them slowly growing to the heartbreaking end. Iris's story is told to her granddaughter who goes to Cairo looking for the grandmother she never knew, and finds a mesmerizing history that explains a lot about who she is and the family she has come from. I loved this book. I can't tell you how much. I cried to the point of howling tears at the end. Rosie Thomas is a truly gifted storyteller who weaves a description of wartime and modern day Cairo that unfolds colourfully before my eyes. Interestingly, the book is told in first and third person, switching often between the two. Yet the result is a captivating, because Thomas is such a skilled storyteller. I was so disappointed to get to the end. There are some books that are good but leave little impression, and then there are some books that we know we'll never forget - this is one of them.

Good in parts, 03 Nov 2007
I found the first third of this book rather slow to get into as it moved between the two characters. The grandmother's tale of her frantic/romantically intense time with her war time lover in Cairo was a little 'Mills and Boon' in parts. The contemporary tale of the grandaughter escaping a personal tragedy then gradually moving to the next stage of maturity through her newly-gained relationship with her grandmother was a little more interesting. However, as the two stories came together, my interest in that story developed. There is a particular scene in which Iris and Ruby are in a dangerous, life-threatening situation and this, for me, was the turning point of the novel. From then on the characters became more 'real' and the storyline flew. I am glad I read it and it had certain resonances for me in terms of relationships between older and younger women which can go either way... to be a destroying experience or to develop everyone in the relationship. I would read another book by this author.

Fantastic - Don't Miss It!, 14 Aug 2007
I really loved this book.

The writing is fantastic and you really can smell and feel the atmosphere of bustling Cairo.

There was not one dull moment and it is one of those books that you can't wait to read the ending but also sad that it has finished.
The characters are realistic, they are not always entirely lovable but this book really does make you consider and cherish your own family relationships.

This book lightened my life whilst I was reading it - thoroughly recommended!

Too long and boring., 31 Dec 2006
I love and enjoy reading long stories and big novels but this book really bored me. I found it very difficult to get into the story from the very beginning and struggled to keep reading. I finally gave up half way through, which was more than enough. It is not really worth buying.

Should have been a shorter book., 24 Apr 2006
I read this book because it was one of the books discussed in "The Reading Group" by Elizabeth Noble. I'm afraid I was disappointed.
It is a saga following the life of a young, poverty stricken girl. Starting as a servant in the Fairly mansion, it details her rise to the eventual accumulation of extreme wealth through business - and the Fairly family's downfall.
Overly descriptive and drawn out. Would have been decidedly better in 400 pages. And, horror of horrors, there's a sequel, bringing the total saga to over 1600 pages. Groan.

Mind Blowing, 28 Apr 2005
an extreme, realistic, story of one woman rising from nothing to everything with everyone trying to stop her, it is one of the most fantastic books i have ever read. The beggining is slightly slow but once you get in to it you cant get out. The story is fantastically gripping, and of revenge against one family who made Emma Harte's child hood a misery i strongly reccomend this book to anyone.

Woman of substance, 26 May 2004
This is a stunning story following the story of Emma Harte from