Readers welcome one of Yorkshire’s best-loved authors to an exclusive brunch

Bestselling author Barbara Taylor Bradford was greeted with great affection and warm applause as she arrived for an exclusive Yorkshire Life reader brunch at Rudding Park, Harrogate. The Yorkshire-born author of the enduring novel A Woman of Substance which has sold over 32 million copies was home to promote her latest book Cavendon Women, the second book in a multi-generational saga set around the stately home of Cavendon Hall as the Roaring Twenties change the family’s fortunes forever.

Four young women from both sides of the house will be the ones to shape its future – Daphne, fighting to modernise her ancestral home; Cecily Swann, forging a path as a fashion designer in London; Deidre, the career girl and Dulcie, the outspoken debutant. They will change the estate’s future for good or ill as the Roaring Twenties burn towards the Great Depression. Nothing will ever be the same again ….

Her leading characters are often feisty women, her ‘warrior women’, whose strength of character and determination have served as role models for many young people trying to make their way in often a difficult world.

Barbara began her writing career on the Yorkshire Evening Post and later worked as a journalist in Fleet Street. She is a forthright and popular commentator on everything from fashion to marriage and her journalism has appeared across the national press.

She supports the National Literacy Trust, a charity dedicated to improving literacy across the UK. She is passionate about improving life chances for everyone, to help them reach their full potential, in particular young women.

Our special thanks go to Rudding Park for hosting the event.

Rudding Park in Harrogate, North Yorkshire is a privately owned luxury hotel, spa and golf course set in 300 acres of beautiful parkland within easy access of both York and Leeds. The stylish 90-bedroom hotel also features a spa and private cinema and has achieved numerous accolades, including being voted best UK Luxury Hotel in TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards.