What Is The Plot Summary Of 'A Woman Of Substance'?

Question

Just got this epic historical saga recommended, but the plot of A Woman of Substance seems huge. Hoping for a spoiler-light overview before diving into the rags-to-riches drama.

George Katio · Answer

I read this novel: ‘A Woman of Substance’ by Barbara Taylor Bradford some time ago. The main character is Emma Harte, a poor kitchen maid in early 20th-century Yorkshire, who builds an international business empire through her immense willpower and sacrifices. But her success has a very high price to pay for her. Recently I read another story with a complex female protagonist. This story is very different from the above-mentioned novel. ‘The Surrogate Wife’ describes the contractual marriage of convenience of a woman with a CEO of a large company. Her feelings for him and the way he uses his power to get what he wants create a complicated web of problems for her.

Wyatt · Answer

I have read ‘A Woman of Substance’ on several occasions as it is a powerful read regarding ambition and grit. The main character is Emma Harte who is a poor kitchen maid in early 20th century Yorkshire and builds a retail empire. She uses blackmail, betrayal and even cuts people out of her life including family members to get where she wants to be. You see how each setback is used to fuel her next move. A failed love affair is used as an excuse to invest in property and use the money to better herself. Male rivals who underestimate her are outsmarted by her in business deals. The book spans decades of her life and shows her development from a scrappy young woman to a wealthy business tycoon who has changed the commerce of Britain. The legacy she leaves behind is that no matter what obstacles are in her way, she could have over come them if she wanted to. The sacrifices she made along the way were many.

Bianca · Answer

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good Cinderella story but none are as good as the original – Emma Harte. Re-reading ‘A Woman of Substance’ has reminded me of just why I adore this lady and her story so much. First of all, the way in which ‘A Woman of Substance’ plots and dissectes power is excellent. And the way in which our Emma starts off with nothing but her sharp intellect and her considerable chip on her shoulder is so compelling to read.

This is a timeless book with much love for a particular person, her greatest love her grandson Blackie. The way she carries out her rivalry with the Fairleys is very personal but at the same time symbolic for the class wars she goes through. And when Emma finally buys the ancestral home of the Fairleys, one feels that justice has been done. A great book for people who like to read about the underdog in it and who wins in the end due to his/her will to reach his/her goals. Another great book with a similar ‘-story-line’ is ‘The Tea Rose’ set in the London docks.

Felix · Answer

I read Barbara Taylor Bradford’s ‘A Woman of Substance’ many years ago and it was one of those novels that stayed with me long after I finished reading it. For those who have not read it, ‘A Woman of Substance’ is not just a novel about the rise of a woman from poverty, it is also a masterful study of the main character and therefore a great novel. The early chapters of the book are also great in describing the class divisions in the Yorkshire towns and villages where the story begins and Emma Harte’s first job as a teenager, cleaning the floors of the Fairley family, left an indelible mark on her and caused her great resentment against the aristocracy.

The next part of the book looks at the personal costs of Emma’s empire. It describes her marriages and her relationships with her children. There’s one particularly moving scene in which Emma disowns her daughter because she married beneath herself. But throughout, Bradford does not criticize her heroine. She makes you understand the reasons behind Emma’s behavior and the decisions she makes as a woman in a man’s world. The final part of the book moves forward to the 1960s when an elderly Emma battles with her relatives who want to break up her business empire. I was glued to the book and loved the Fairley family as much as I loved the Boden family in ‘The Thorn Birds’. It’s a great generational novel and one that has spawned a host of imitators.

Samuel Sim · Answer

From a technical standpoint, the plot is amazing. One person managed dozens of characters from multiple generations and countries and kept the reader apprised of their lives. Children introduced early in the story became main characters later. References to events that seemed to have no purpose in the short term were eventually revealed to have all sorts of consequences, sometimes many chapters later. Every thread was pursued to its conclusion. As a writer, I am in awe of how Ms. Bradford managed to keep track of all of these characters and storylines and to balance the numerous plotlines to create a cohesive and effective narrative. The summary fails to convey the sense of a giant, intricate machine, where each gear turns the one next to it. Reading the book is like watching a master watchmaker create a complex timepiece – you are able to appreciate the great care and precise work that has gone into its creation even as you are enjoying the product of that great care and precise work.

Michael Oliver · Answer

One might miss the humor in a summary of the plot. There are so many dry and witty moments between Emma and Blackie during all the drama and negotiating. In the middle of all that seriousness, one of them will make a wry comment. It keeps the story from becoming too heavy and serious. Many of Emma’s sharp remarks are due to her no-nonsense, down-to-earth Yorkshire views. In a posh ballroom full of aristocrats she might point out the excessive cost of their dresses. This humor reveals that there is more to the imperial Empress than meets the eye: she is shrewd and funny and has not forgotten her humble roots.

michelle stair · Answer

The relationship between Emma and Blackie O'Neill is a constant in her life. He is her friend, with whom she has a deep and abiding relationship of mutual respect. The plot anchor of their relationship, so much of the rest of the novel is based on the romantic relationships and the turmoil with her family that it is refreshing to have this stable and loyal relationship. Blackie believes in Emma from the first moment he meets her and supports her in all she does. He also challenges her in ways that she needs to be challenged in order to grow. He never asks for anything that he knows she is unable to give. In her friendship with Blackie, Emma shows that she is a person capable of giving sustained non-transactional love, a complicated and multifaceted character. The plot uses Blackie as a moral compass and as a touchstone for understanding Emma in her humanity. At her best, Emma is just that—Emma, not the intimidating Mrs. Harte.

Neneth de Guzman · Answer

What draws me to the early chapters of this novel is the very physical sense of hardship. Yes, she is poor but we don’t just read those words, we experience the chilblains on her hands from scouring floors, the way her stomach gnaws with hunger, her complete and utter exhaustion. Buying a beautiful piece of silk in later life is more than just finances having changed for her, it is physical liberation from the coarse wool of the uniform of the servant she once was. I find the novel Power comes from the physical contrast between the slave to hardship that she once was and the powerful, aging, highly desired body of later life. All of this is missing from a summary of the plot of the novel. This embodied experience is so much of the novel and none of it is captured.

What Is The Plot Summary Of 'A Woman Of Substance'?

8 Answers

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