Emma’s Secret

The legendary Emma Harte, heroine of A Woman of Substance, returns…

The legendary Emma Harte, heroine of A Woman of Substance, returns…

At the centre of this sweeping saga stands Paula O'Neill, beloved granddaughter of Emma and the guardian of her vast business empire. Paula believes that all that Emma left to the family is secure. However, beneath the surface sibling rivalry and discontent are beginning to flare.

Into this volatile mix walks Evan Hughes, a young American fashion designer. On her deathbed, Evan's grandmother told her to find Emma Harte. But Emma has been dead for thirty years; and Evan bears an uncanny resemblance to Paula O'Neill.

Troubled by Evan's presence, Paula turns to Emma's recently discovered war-time diaries to find the truth…

The decades fall away. It is London during The Blitz and Emma Harte comes vividly back to life. Working hard under war-time conditions, she is also holding her family together as bombs drop, sirens wail and her sons go off to war. As she struggles to cope, the indomitability, will power and strength that have forged Emma into the woman she is all come to the fore.

As the pages unfurl, Paula discovers the secret Emma Harte took to the grave to protect others.

Emma's Secret is vintage Barbara Taylor Bradford. Emotion, drama, intrigue and passion fill the pages in a spellbinding novel which only she could write.

Reviews

Praise for Barbara Taylor Bradford:

'Queen of the genre.' Sunday Times

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

‘A classic saga of loyalty, secrets, passion and intrigue…if you’ve been suffering withdrawal symptoms from Downton, this is for you’ Daily Mail

‘As romantic and thrilling as the rest’ Independent on Sunday

‘Another great yarn from the ultimate storyteller’ The Sun

‘The storyteller of substance.’ The Times

About the author

Barbara Taylor Bradford was born and raised in Leeds. She left school at 15 for the typing pool at the Yorkshire Evening Post.

At 16, she became a reporter on the paper and, at 18, its first Woman’s Editor. Aged 20, she moved to London and became a columnist and editor on Fleet Street.

Her first novel, A Woman of Substance, is one of the bestselling novels of all time and Barbara’s books have sold more than 90 million copies worldwide. In 2007, Barbara was appointed an OBE by the Queen for her services to literature.

Barbara was married to her beloved husband, television and film producer Robert Bradford, for 55 years until he died in 2019. She continued to live in New York and write novels, her last entitled The Wonder of It All, until she died in November 2024.