A Man of Honor: if you are a fan of Barbara Taylor Bradford, you may enjoy this book

A Man of Honor by Barbara Taylor Bradford is the prequel to her bestselling A Woman of Substance saga. Opening five years before the start of A Woman of Substance (1979), A Man of Honor opens as 13-year old Shane “Blackie” O’Neill faces an uncertain future in rural County Kerry. Orphaned and alone, he must leave his home and set sail for his uncle’s home in Leeds, England. There, he will learn a trade as a navvy, a laborer who works on civil engineering projects and dreams of greater things. Fueled by his tumultuous life and the obstacles in front of him, Blackie is ambitious, driven and determined to leave a life of poverty behind and move up in the world. 

I am familiar with Barbara Taylor Bradford’s name but I have never read any of her works, especially A Woman of Substance. But since A Man of Honor is a prequel, I figured I didn’t need to read the other books to understand the story. Unfortunately, I could not get into Blackie’s story. While the language is lyrical and the descriptions beautiful, I was bored. There is very little going on, even with a bit of mystery, I found myself losing interest and it was hard to finish. I did enjoy Blackie’s characters, although at times he seemed too perfect, too optimistic. In the future, I may pick up A Woman of Substance and read A Man of Honor again. If you are a fan of Barbara Taylor Bradford, you may enjoy A Man of Honor. 

A Man of Honor is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook.