Barbara Taylor Cook

Advantages: Enjoyable,addictive,very descriptive,easy to relate to characters
Disadvantages: not everyone's cup of tea

...Paula O'Neill, originally a Harte before she married her husband Shane O'Neill, is the granddaughter of the legendary Emma Harte. She is the guardian of the famous Harte empire with her children and her close friends from the Kallinski and the O'Neill families, all helping her to run things as smoothly as possible. All but a few of the family are very proud of their roots and of their legendary mother, grandmother and great grandmother, Emma Harte. But while they are all carrying on as normal, running the business and speaking highly of Emma to anyone who will listen, there is a secret of Emma's that is slowly revealing itself. Will it Destroy the Harte empire or will they be able to overcome it? *** About the Book *** 'Emma's Secret' is the fourth in the series which started with 'A woman of Substance' written by Barbara Taylor... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: helps reassure child
Disadvantages: ?

...Sam starts School. I expect a lot of parents will be facing the first days of their child’s school life in September it is an anxious time for all. I know Adrian at only 20 months is a long way from this experience but when the book club arrived at work there was a set of life experience books for children I bought this set primarily for the new house book as hopefully my daughter will be moving house soon. But I thought I would write about this book first. Sam starts school is A Brimax book written by Barbara Taylor Cook illustrated by Nicola Smee. It is about Sam and his first day at school starts by introducing Sam. He is in bed cuddling his Panda (my daughter if she had been a boy was going to be called Sam and she had a Panda that never left her side) The story begins “Mother has put out his new clothes ready... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Gripping - an amazing read!
Disadvantages: Unsympathetic narrator

...staff, which causes much anguish to the narrator and a critical dissection of the envied first choice: “Fatty Hodge”. Indeed, Barbara’s ultimate betrayal stems from Sheba’s refusal to prioritise the friendship, but instead to put the romance with Steven first. ** INTERESTING THEMES: CLASS AND PAEDOPHILIA ** CLASS: Barbara is regularly aware and resentful of the class divide between herself (working-class) and Sheba (upper-class). Barbara muses that Sheba is deeply attached to the mythology of herself as street-smart. For example, she bitterly observes how Sheba loves to go shopping at the Shop-a-Lot next to the Chalk Farm council estates: “It flatters her image of herself as a denizen of the urban jungle to stand cheek by jowl in checkout queues with teenage mothers buying quick-cook macaroni in the shape of Teletubbies... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful