Emmas Secret (Emma Harte Saga #4) by Barbara Taylor Bradford

Emmas Secret (Emma Harte Saga #4) Reviews

• 
  Diane Wallace

  Great saga! a continuing story of three families who work hard all their lives to keep the dream of Emma Harte alive..it's enjoyable and intriguing also (paperback!)
• 
  Ines

  I found the book very uneven, sometimes interesting but most just boring. This book is part of a saga, which worried me at first whether I could understand the little details, since I haven't read the other books but the author explains everything. And I really mean EVERYTHING. She even repeats herself, as if the reader wouldn't remember what he/she read a couple of chapters before!
  There are too many characters and each character has a story line which makes story hard to follow at times. The middle of the book (part 2) takes place during WWII as to provide us background to Evan's grandmother and who is her real grandfather. It takes almost 250 pages which the author prefers to make about Emma instead. So the real mystery only gets solved around page 500! After that, things evolve quite fast, which is a relief considering that the first 200 pages are dull and slow.
  The ending is not satisfactory. Most storyline don't get a proper conclusion, they provide some but are clearly left open to new books. After all this is a saga. But what I hated was that even in the last chapters the author introduces us new developments which will only be resolved in following books. They get you intrigued but the problem is that it isn't enough to make me go out and buy the book.
• 
  Shirley Revill

  I listened to the audiobook version of this story and I really enjoyed listening. The narration was really good and the story was really interesting. I will be looking for more from this author as this book was a first for me. Recommended.
• 
  Stuart Aken

  • EMMA’S SECRET by Barbara Taylor Bradford, Harper Collins
  506 pps. 47 chaps, 3 parts. 172,000 words.
  A family saga and part of a series based on A Woman of Substance. The author breaks almost every rule ever made for fiction and doesn’t always get away with it. Some of her dialogue is banal and stilted, there are long passages of tedious description of clothes and décor, viewpoint changes frequently and without notice and the complex relationships are not helped by the use of similar names for several characters, e.g. Uncles Robin and Ronnie, Emma and Emily. Having said all that, the characters are well drawn and the tale itself is absorbing, if a little long. The book moved me to tears, laughter, rage and occasional frustration. Set largely in England but partly in the USA, the settings are evocative and brought to life by description. Some of the descriptive passages form barriers to the story, however and there is quite a lot of repetition. The single most irritating feature, though, is her habit of having one character telling another something they must already know. It is a method of passing information to the reader but it is dreadfully intrusive and a little insulting to the intelligence. Barbara Taylor Bradford sells a huge number of books and is very popular but I doubt I shall read another of her offerings, based on this one.
  
• 
  Joanne

  A continuation of the Emma Harte A Woman of Substance series. Book #4
  
  A little confusing at 1st to remember the characters since I read the first book about 8 years ago. There is a nice family tree in the front for reference.
  
  Loved it - family and history. Story goes between 2001 and back to 1940's war time London to reveal the secret Emma kept.
  
  Evan Hughes travels to England after her grandmother Glynnis tells on her deathbed to go see Emma Harte. Emma has been dead 30 years, but Evan is given a job in the family store since she has exceptional fashion and merchandising experience. Her strong resembalance to the McGill family intrigues all and the gossip mill starts. Emma's secret told through her diaries and letters solves the mystery.
  
  A story in its self, but there is more waiting to be told of their empire.
• 
  Nancy nagrant

  The saga continues
  
  As in the previous 3 books the author's attention to detail and colorful and thorough descriptions of everything from characters clothing to their surroundings makes all come alive in the reading. For anyone who enjoys people centered stories, this is just that on a grand scale!
• 
  Jennifer

  Another $1 book from the clearance shelf. I guess this is part of a series. It stands alone which is good, but nothing really made me want to hunt down the other books.
• 
  Ellah

  Emma's Secret is the 4th book in the Emma Harte Saga series. I just picked this up in a bargain sale and didn't know that it was part of a series. But thankfully, I didn't have to read the three books prior to this one because the author did a wonderful way of incorporating the history of the Harte Family as well as the other clans. I understood the story and enjoyed it with ease.
  
  This book is about Evan Hughes who went to London after her grandmother died; on her deathbed, Glynnis told Evan to go to Emma Harte for she holds the key to her future.
  Evan's arrival at Harte's stirred some controversy and her mysterious likeness to Paula, Emma Harte's heiress, bore to suspicions that she might be a long lost relative.
  
  
  Normally it would take me weeks to finish a long physical book, but this one captivated me in a sense. I love the author's writing style, it makes me want to read more and more. I was enchanted by the descriptions of their clothes, their jewelry, their fashion overall. This book made me want to be a part of their big family as well.
  
  I really enjoyed this book and I am so glad I picked this up.
• 
  Annette

  Thirty years ago in London, Emma Harte create a business empire that Paula her granddaughter inherited.
  
  In America, Evan Hughs's grandmother on her death bed whispered "see Emma". Evan takes this revelation seriously and moves to London. Evan becomes employed as a fashion designer by Paula Harte.
  
  Evan's facial features are striking to the Harte lineage. Unbeknownst to her, she is related to this family that has become dear to her heart.
  
  Events and people come out of the family's shadow. Paula finds Emma's long-lost diaries. To her great surprise, she discovers Emma's secret.
  
  
• 
  Amy

  I am hooked on the Emma Harte series of books. Not sure why. Good plots, interesting characters mostly well developed, love the descriptions of clothes and jewels. But basically these rich, good looking people have to grapple with the same sorts of issues us plebs grapple with - honesty, integrity, loyalty, friendship and love - or the lack of same.
  
  In this book we again encounter Emma herself and that was welcome. Also the plot of this one kept me guessing until Evan's father's identity was revealed.
• 
  Wendy

  I didn’t actually finish this book. Years ago I enjoyed Woman of Substance and perhaps my tastes have changed since then as I was expecting to enjoy this book as well.
  I found myself getting annoyed reading about how beautiful and wealthy these people were…reading in minute detail about the impeccable expensive clothes they were wearing…it’s like the author needed to constantly drill these facts into your head as if they were important to the story.
• 
  Jennifer

  So boring. I didn’t finish the the last few pages because I Just didn’t care anymore. Too many characters to keep track of, too much explaining. The main story, I think, ... was a “who’s the daddy” kind of mystery, except it was more like “who’s the grandpa”.
  
  I haven’t read the other books in the series, but I think I’ve got the gist. *yawn*
• 
  Cara Byrne

  I read the first three books of the series years ago so I don't really remember very much. I know that I did enjoy them (why would I read all three if I didn't). This time though, I couldn't get into it. There were too many characters to think about (and I found it frustrating having to go back to the beginning of the book to see who was related to who).
• 
  Raquel Iacob

  I love this series, but part two of three in this book was FAR too long when it went back to Emma’s time. It could have been a third of that length. I skimmed a lot of it. Can’t wait to get my hands on book five!
• 
  Debra McEathron

  This is about a family dynasty that Emma and her two friends decided to start at a young age. Emma's granddaughter has inherited the family business. Evan has just lost her grandmother and was giving a mission to seek out.