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Emma's Secret
Barbara Taylor Bradford Book Review

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Plot Summary of Emma's Secret
"

St. Martin's, Jan 2004, 24.95, 496 pp.
ISBN: 0312307020

Paula McGill Harte Amory Fairley O'Neill runs the Knightsbridge Store of her family's chain. She is pleased that her two daughters Linnet (from her first marriage) and Tessa (from her second marriage) work there because like she did she hopes they will take over management of the company as that is surely a family affair. Paula understands the pressure on the next generation even if they are three removed from the matriarchal legend, Emma Harte.

Evan Hughes arrives from American seeking employment. She looks like a Harte descendent and so is hired. When Emma's great-grandson Gideon Harte, who works in the family newspaper business, meets Evan, he is very attracted to the Connecticut Yankee. However, the family becomes concerned about their potential relationship because Evan's grandmother was rumored to have a very close relationship with the family.

Over the last twenty-five years, four books including EMMA'S SECRET have chronicled the Harte foundation. However, as the novels have been released, each subsequent one seems to have less heart and more descriptions of frivolous details. Die hard fans of the author, series, or curious seekers (that is what kept this reviewer going) will want to read the latest, but for most readers this is a flat line and would be better off reading Barbara Taylor Bradford original novel A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Emma's Secret
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story - Present (2000-2010)
Forbidden/mismatched love? Yes
How mismatched? - different cultures
Hidden Identity/Secret Motive Yes
Is really... - not related

Main Male Character
Profession/status: - journalist
Age/status: - 20's-30's
How sexual is this person? - very picky
How romantic is this person? - somewhat romantic
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - very athletic

Main Female Character
Age/status: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - business executive
How sexual is this person? - very picky
How romantic is this person? - somewhat romantic
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
What % of story is romance related? - 60%
Focus of story - equally on him and her
How much dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to Emma's Secret
First Lady by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
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See How She Dies by Lisa Jackson


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Barbara Taylor Bradford Resident Scholar Profiles

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