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Quick answer: If you loved A Woman of Substance, read Barbara Taylor Bradford's Hold the Dream, Gone with the Wind, Rebecca and Poldark. All are sweeping sagas about ambitious women, family fortunes and long love stories.
Barbara Taylor Bradford's 1979 debut follows Emma Harte, a poor Yorkshire servant girl who builds a business empire across decades. It is a long, satisfying family saga of love, revenge and ambition. The books below offer similar big sagas, strong heroines and rich period detail.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hold the Dream | Barbara Taylor Bradford | Adult | the sequel |
| Gone with the Wind | Margaret Mitchell | Adult | epic of survival |
| Rebecca | Daphne du Maurier | Adult | gothic classic |
| Ross Poldark | Winston Graham | Adult | Cornish saga |
| The Pillars of the Earth | Ken Follett | Adult | historical epic |
| Lace | Shirley Conran | Adult | glamorous saga |
| Scruples | Judith Krantz | Adult | fashion and ambition |
| The Fifteen Streets | Catherine Cookson | Adult | northern saga |
| The Shell Seekers | Rosamunde Pilcher | Adult | family saga |
| Circle of Friends | Maeve Binchy | Adult | Irish friendships |
| The Other Boleyn Girl | Philippa Gregory | Adult | Tudor intrigue |
| The Far Pavilions | M. M. Kaye | Adult | epic romance |
| Hollywood Wives | Jackie Collins | Adult | glitzy drama |
| The Forsyte Saga | John Galsworthy | Adult | family chronicle |
| North and South | Elizabeth Gaskell | Adult | class and romance |
1. Hold the Dream by Barbara Taylor Bradford
Emma Harte's granddaughter takes over the family empire. A natural next book.
Best for: the sequel.
2. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Scarlett O'Hara survives the Civil War and its aftermath. A sweeping and controversial classic.
Best for: epic of survival.
3. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
A young bride is haunted by her husband's first wife. Moody and brilliant.
Best for: gothic classic.
4. Ross Poldark by Winston Graham
A soldier returns home to a ruined estate. The start of the long Poldark series.
Best for: Cornish saga.
5. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Builders, monks and nobles struggle through twelfth-century England. Vast and gripping.
Best for: historical epic.
6. Lace by Shirley Conran
Four school friends reunite to find a mysterious mother. Racy and glossy.
Best for: glamorous saga.
7. Scruples by Judith Krantz
A shy woman builds a Beverly Hills boutique. Fun and lavish.
Best for: fashion and ambition.
8. The Fifteen Streets by Catherine Cookson
A family in a northern English slum faces hardship and love. Warm and gritty.
Best for: northern saga.
9. The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
An elderly woman reflects on her life and her three children. Gentle and absorbing.
Best for: family saga.
10. Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
Two friends grow up in an Irish village and then in Dublin. Warm and old-fashioned.
Best for: Irish friendships.
11. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Mary Boleyn tells her story at the court of Henry VIII. Dramatic and juicy.
Best for: Tudor intrigue.
12. The Far Pavilions by M. M. Kaye
A British officer raised in India falls for a princess. Grand and romantic.
Best for: epic romance.
13. Hollywood Wives by Jackie Collins
Wives and mistresses scheme in Hollywood. Racy and fast.
Best for: glitzy drama.
14. The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy
A wealthy English family over generations. A classic of the saga form.
Best for: family chronicle.
15. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
A southern woman moves to an industrial northern town and meets a mill owner. Romantic and sharp.
Best for: class and romance.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with A Woman of Substance: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
How to Choose
For more Bradford read Hold the Dream and the Harte family books. For classic sweeps choose Gone with the Wind, Rebecca or The Far Pavilions. For British sagas pick Poldark, The Fifteen Streets or The Forsyte Saga. For glossy family drama read Scruples or Hollywood Wives. For history try The Pillars of the Earth. These are long, so audiobooks and holidays help. A Woman of Substance became a hugely popular television miniseries and spawned a long run of Harte family books, so readers who enjoy it have plenty to continue with. These family sagas are best read slowly over several weeks, as the family tree grows long. If you like the business and ambition, Scruples and Lace are glamorous alternatives. If you like the historical settings, Poldark and The Pillars of the Earth give you period detail. Library holds are an easy way to try them. Bradford's saga has a cast spread across decades, so a simple family tree on paper can help.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is A Woman of Substance about?
Emma Harte rises from servant girl to business tycoon.
Who wrote it?
Barbara Taylor Bradford.
When was it published?
1979.
Is it a series?
Yes, the Emma Harte saga continues in several books.
Is it a romance?
It has romance, but it is also about business and family.
Is it long?
Yes, around 700 pages.
Is there a TV version?
Yes, a 1985 miniseries.
What should I read next?
Try Hold the Dream.
Is A Woman of Substance part of a series?
Yes, the Emma Harte saga continues through several sequels.
Is it suitable for book clubs?
Yes, it gives plenty to discuss about ambition, class and family.
Is A Woman of Substance suitable for book clubs?
Yes, it offers plenty of debate about ambition and fairness.
How many Emma Harte books are there?
Several. Check current listings for the full list and order.