LoveReading Says
LoveReading Says
Barbara Taylor Bradford, the doyenne of family dramas and romantic fiction, returns with her fortieth book, The Wonder of it All.
James Falconer has volunteered for the trenches of World War One, leaving his London real estate empire behind. At the Battle of the Somme, he is badly injured and he needs to return home, both to recover and put his life back together. Top of his list is to make amends with his estranged daughter Leonie, to whom he wants to entrust his business, having no other heirs. The novel follows his journey to become a happy man.
This is the third novel in Bradford’s The House of Falconer series, though one does not need to have read the previous two to enjoy this instalment. The family tree included on the first two pages may be helpful to those new to the series.
Bradford, 90, is known both for her sweeping and her prodigious output. She has been published in ninety countries and in forty languages, and ten of her novels have been made into films or television mini-series. This is her fortieth book.
The Wonder of it All is not short on glamorous locations and lifestyles of the rich in 1920s London. Lunches at the Ritz, jewellery from Cartier and suits from Saville Row all feature. Bradford transports the readers there, and it is a lovely place to be.
Maureen Stapleton
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The Wonder of It All Synopsis
James Falconer returns in the third House of Falconer historical novel from multi-million copy bestseller Barbara Taylor Bradford.
The Somme, 1916. James Falconer, once a barrow boy on a London market, stands in the trenches, awaiting the command to go over the top. Away from his business empire in London, he is simply a soldier, war the great leveller.
But, unlike his men, and unknown to them, deep down, Falconer doesn’t care if he lives or dies.
When a face from the past offers James the chance to repair his fractured relationship with his estranged daughter, Leonie, he must decide if he can hold different things dear – and make space in his life for love.
But the war has left terrible scars, both personal and professional, and swept huge changes through the glittering world he once inhabited. James must weather myriad storms as he attempts to right past wrongs and build a new life.
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Barbara Taylor Bradford Press Reviews
Praise for Barbara Taylor Bradford
‘An extravagant, absorbing novel of love, courage, ambition, war, death and passion.’ New York Times
‘A mighty saga. Little has been so riveting since Gone With the Wind’ Evening News
‘A long, satisfying novel of money, power, passion and revenge, set against the sweep of 20th-century history.’ Los Angeles 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
‘A stately home, a dangerous secret and two families whose fates have been intertwined for generations … a gripping period piece set on the brink of the Great War. Exquisite escapism of the highest order’ The Lady
Author
About Barbara Taylor Bradford
Barbara Taylor Bradford was born and raised in Leeds, and worked as a journalist in London. 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. Ten miniseries and television movies have been made of her books. In October of 2007, Barbara was appointed an OBE by the Queen for her services to literature. She died on 24th November 2024 aged 91.
Author image credit: Mike Daines
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