Barbara Taylor Bradford's A Woman of Substance Trilogy (A Woman of Substance / Hold the Dream / To Be the Best)
by Don Sharp, Tony Wharmby

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Movie Reviews of Barbara Taylor Bradford's A Woman of Substance Trilogy (A Woman of Substance / Hold the Dream / To Be the Best)

Movie Review: Up and Down
Summary: 3 Stars

Summary of Barbara Taylor Bradford's A Woman of Substance Trilogy (A Woman of Substance / Hold the Dream / To Be the Best)

Hold the Dream
The love of her life was there all along, she just didn't know it. As sequels go, Hold the Dream is a little like the sequel to Gone with the Wind: it's not devoid of merit, but it's not as captivating or enthralling as the original. Paula Fairley (Jenny Seagrove) inherits and runs the retail empire built by her grandmother, Emma Harte (Deborah Kerr). This somewhat lackluster tale of dutiful, hard-working Harte versus undeserving, greedy heirs set in the rather sterile world of 1980s New York City penthouses and English country manors lacks both its precursor's production budget and inspiring poor-girl-makes-good conviction. On the other hand, the love story between Paula and Shane (7th Heaven's Stephen Collins) manages to transcend the miniseries' weaknesses. Overcoming obstacles, tragedy, and deceit on numerous fronts, Paula remains driven by her sense of duty and business acumen. Finally learning that she cannot live on work and her grandmother's dream alone, Paula slowly warms to the possibility of true love. Her most loyal supporter and lifelong friend Shane helps her see that her own dreams can be the most rewarding. Wonderful performances by Seagrove and Collins make Hold the Dream a heartwarming tale about a powerful businesswoman learning to look beyond the bottom line and accept the love of a man who has loved her in silence her whole life.

To Be the Best
In the close of the trilogy, To Be the Best, Paula (Lindsay Wagner) comes into her own as a woman, mother, wife, and businesswoman. While not as captivating as the first parts of the trilogy, To Be the Best offers a satisfying close to the story and has its strengths, including a standout performance from Academy Award? winner Anthony Hopkins, who plays Paula's chief of security. Thanks to Hopkins's performance, what might otherwise have seemed like a long-lost episode of Dynasty is also part espionage thriller. As Paula gets inveigled into a series of compromising business situations in Hong Kong, it is her dapper and debonair chief of security who repeatedly saves the day. --Tara Chace

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