A Man of Honor by Barbara Taylor Bradford is a prequel novel from the A Woman of Substance. It’s been a long time since I read Bradford’s fantastic A Woman of Substance (Harte Family) Saga (began in 1979), which at that time was my favorite series, spending time with Emma Harte, her successful career, loves and her children, who continued the saga. I looked forward to this prequel, especially since it was focuses on Blackie O’Neill, whom we loved in the earlier books, this story is approximately 5 years prior the start of A Woman of Substance. A Man of Honor was a very good story, and brought back many memories about the saga.

We meet 13 year old Blackie, who is alone, having recently lost his sister, living in County Kerry, with his cousins. Blackie is a strapping young boy, who has no qualms working hard to learn his trade and build a better life. He sets sail for England, to stay and work with his Uncle Patrick, who is a builder. Blackie begins to learn his trade as a navvy, and with his ambitions, dreams and determination to build, he becomes very skilled at his creations, which become popular among the wealthy.

For those of us who have read the entire Harte Family Saga, we do get glimpses of others we have met before; such as the wealthy Lord Lassiter, who hires Blackie for major improvements to his properties, which starts Blackie on his way to reaching his dreams. We also learn more about Lassiter and Adrian, and their loves. Of course, as we get closer to the end, Blackie will finally meet a young maid, Emma Harte, and soon a strong bond of friendship begins.

A Man of Honor was a perfect interesting and fun prequel that was very well written by Barbara Taylor Bradford. Blackie was a fantastic hero, who made friends easily, as well as a workaholic that will change his life to reach his high expectations. A Man a Honor can be read as a standalone, however it works so much better if you have read all of the Harte Family Saga.

A Man of Honor is the prequel to Barbara Taylor Bradford's Woman of Substance and it doesn't disappoint. I started reading this series when I was a teen and that was forty years ago. It was wonderful to read of Blackie O' Neill's young life, his determination and ambition. Much like Emma Harte, his dear friend, there is no stopping either of them from the wealth, power, and respect that they both so fervently desire. I thoroughly loved reading about Blackie's young life, his apprenticeship, strong moral character, and work ethic. One of the reasons I've always enjoyed reading Barbara Taylor Bradford books is her unquestionable ability to develop fiercely strong and independent characters that in every way inspire the reader to want more. A Man of Honor tells us the story of Blackie O'Neill in the most beautiful of ways. One of the greatest aspects of his story is that no matter the awful and horrible obstacles he had to overcome, through it all he kept a positive attitude. Another fabulous book by Barbara Taylor Bradford that I would highly recommend.

“A Woman of Substance” is one of my favorite books, so I was very happy to receive an ARC of both the book and audiobook of this prequel. I really enjoyed reading about the early lives of Blackie O’Neill and Emma Harte. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for advanced reader’s copies of the book and audiobook in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars rounded up

I was anxious to read A Man of Honor by Barbara Taylor Bradford. I usually like period novels but in this case, I found it to be a very slow and a less than engaging read. I did not feel there was any depth to any of the characters nor could I connect emotionally, either good or bad, toward any of the characters. At a time in my life when I was much younger, I may have found this novel to be interesting but I’m sorry to say I cannot recommend it.

Having read A Woman of Substance quite a while ago Emma Harte slowly was brought to the fore front. This is actually a prequel to that amazing story. Loved reading about Blackie and his drive to be successful. My heart broke for him as he suffered his devastating loss. He carried the book for me. His natural charisma seemed to leap off the page and into my heart. I found Emma’s story to be less interesting. Many of the other characters names were familiar but I honestly couldn’t place them.
Barbara Taylor Bradford has a way of describing settings, clothing, and some characters in such a way that I feel as though they are right before me and I can reach out and touch them.
Many thanks to Barbara Taylor Bradford, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this read, to be published on December 28th. Three and one half stars.

This is a prequel to the popular novel, A Woman of Substance…which I haven’t read. So, with that caveat in mind here we go.

This book is rich in detail, you will know where everyone was seated at dinner and everything they were served. Similarly, the descriptions of Yorkshire and Ireland are beautiful and make for a wonderful place to set this book.

The synopsis leads me to believe this is the story of Blackie O’Neil, the hero of A Woman of Substance. Except this book has so many, many more characters than Blackie. I had a hard time keeping everyone straight. There are also a few storylines I could have done without, like Robert Lassiter’s wooing of the lovely Vanessa.

I would not recommend reading this book as a stand-alone. Readers who enjoyed A Woman of Substance will most likely get more enjoyment out of the book than I did.

Blackie and Emma Harte are back in a prequel to Woman of Substance.

Although I am usually not a fan of prequels, I loved A Man of Honor.

It was like having old friends drop in for a visit and learn about their life before we met.

It certainly brought back memories of Woman of Substance which I will now reread (seldom do that either).

The author's writing was so vivid, I felt that I was there in both Ireland and Leeds.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for a very enjoyable comforting read.

I did not read Woman of Substance so I felt no connection to the characters in this book. I know this is a prequel but with the other novel being written first, I feel like it was needed. It could also be that I just didn't connect & that's okay. Fans of Barbara Taylor Bradford will probably enjoy this back story on Blackie. I found it a little too long.

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

In the book Man of Honor we follow Blackie, oh his story that occurs prior to the best selling book, Woman of Substance. The book was interesting and made you truly want to cheer on Blackie and Emma, however, the book was slow moving and was hard to follow at times. I wish it would have been more condensed and then the story would have been better.

I have never read Barbara Taylor Bradford before. I had heard of her.
I thought I would read this as it is a prequel to A Woman of Substance. I had also heard of this book.
I thought that if I liked A Man of Honor, I would move on to A Woman of Substance and the other books in the series.
It was interesting, but not for me.
The main character was likeable, but not very deep.
The story-line was transparent.
I kept reading because I thought it would get better. In fact, I read it all the way to the end because I was curious to see what would happen. But curiosity is not enough. I was disappointed.
Sorry, this one only gets 3 stars.

This is an outstanding work of literature. The story follows the life of several characters the main one being Blackie. Blackie is from Ireland. He is orphaned as a child but through the love and guidance of his uncle he becomes a resounding success. There is also Lord Lassiter and his friends and family whose life is intertwined with Blackie’s. He too goes through his own growth process and finds love. Emma is the other major character whose life goes through major changes. She is also a friend of Blackie. This a definite must read.

After reading "A Woman of Substance" decades ago, I jumped at the chance to read this prequel. The story had a comforting familiarity, following the character of Blackie from his teenage years up through the time he meets Emma, the protagonist of the subsequent book. The story dragged a bit, but this was excellent "comfort reading."

DNF

This story begins with Blackie as he navigates through poverty-stricken Ireland. He is given the opportunity to move to England to his Uncle's home and improve his life. He becomes an apprentice and is very successful. He has a dream to one day build a home in the big city. And that's about as far as I got (33% in).

This was just too slow. I actually liked Blackie's character until the point I gave up. The part I ended on didn't feel genuine to his character and by then I couldn't get myself to read any more.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I don’t think I read this series and it was a problem. The story never grabbed me. I nearly didn’t finish it. At times the writing was almost juvenile or untrained and the plot was perhaps meaningful to fans of the series but to me it was meandering and nearly pointless. I’m sorry to have to say this given Bradford’s reputation. I was excited to get the book to review but sadly not wowed when reading it.

Thrilled to be approved for this prequel to the Emma Hart series, written by this fabulous author. Interesting to finally know the beginnings of the relationship between Emma and Blackie. Lots of characters to remember, which at times was a bit daunting, but very satisfying.

I am so happy we are getting Blackie's story. Blackie had so much loss in his young life. He should be such a basket case but he keeps positive. He knows what he wants to do and he is wiling to work hard. He leaves Galway to live and learn from his Uncle Patrick. They say that Leeds was paved in gold. Opportunity to make something of yourself. His friend Finn came over from Galway. and together they are learning carpentry and construction. On his was to a project, he meets Emma Harte. From that moment forward they will always be linked. Best friends but never lovers. Blackie's heart belongs to Laura Spencer, who he asks to marry.

I loved this amazing story of the man behind the infamous Emma Hart!!!!!!! This is an amazing story of trials of tribulations that Blackie O' Neill faced in his life before Emma Hart. I highly recommend this book.

As a prequel, I would think this book would clearly describe the characters and their relationships. However, I had a hard time keeping everyone straight and remembering their connections. The story itself didn’t hold my attention. Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I read A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford years ago, so when I saw this prequel featuring a character from that book, I was didn’t want to miss it!

While I had forgotten much of the story that centered around Blackie O’Neill, this did not interfere with my enjoyment of the prequeel. In fact, readers can enjoy this one even if they have not read any of Bradford’s previous stories.

Emma Harte enters the tale fairly late in the book, but soon takes on the role of one of the major characters. Her earliest struggles are revealed, and readers learn how Emma and Blackie met and became friends.

There were quite a few characters in the book—some of which really played no part to the story to speak of. I also felt like a few storylines were left dangling, such as the one with the Lassiter marriage and thee one about a missing girl.

I expect Bradford will be featuring more stories about Black O’Neill, so maybe some of my issues with the book will be resolved at a later date.

I enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more from this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to give my honest review.

The prequel to Barbara Taylor Bradford's New York Times bestselling and dazzling saga A Woman of Substance.

Opening five years before the start of A Woman of Substance, A Man of Honor begins with 13-year-old Blackie O’Neill facing an uncertain future in rural County Kerry. Orphaned and alone, he has just buried his sister, Bronagh, and must leave his home to set sail for England, in search of a better life with his mother’s brother in Leeds. There, he learns his trade as a navvy, amid the grand buildings and engineering triumphs of one of England’s most prosperous cities, and starts to dream of greater things... And then, high on the Yorkshire moors, in the mists of a winter morning he meets a kitchen maid called Emma Harte.

In A Man of Honor, the true Blackie O'Neill is revealed. For the first time, readers discover his story: his tumultuous life, the obstacles facing him, the desire he has to throw off the impotence of poverty and move up in the world. Like his friend Emma, he is ambitious, driven, disciplined, and determined to make it to the top. And like Emma Harte, he is an unforgettable character for the millions who loved the book.