Determining who is the "better" writer is subjective, as Barbara Taylor Bradford and Barbara Cartland had distinct writing styles and focused on different niches within popular fiction
.
Barbara Taylor Bradford's work is generally considered to have more literary depth and substance, while Barbara Cartland was the far more prolific and commercially successful author in terms of sheer volume.
Barbara Taylor Bradford: The Saga Storyteller
Barbara Taylor Bradford (1933-2024) was known for her sweeping family sagas and narratives centered on strong, ambitious, and resilient women.
Style and Themes: Her novels, such as her famous debut A Woman of Substance, focused on ordinary women who achieve extraordinary success through hard work and determination, often building business empires from humble beginnings. Her work explored themes of ambition, social mobility, and personal and professional struggles, offering readers a sense of empowerment.
Critical Reception/Legacy: While considered a commercial writer rather than a literary giant, her books were praised for their compelling characters and engaging plotlines. She is highly regarded as the "queen of family sagas".
Sales: She sold over 90 million copies of her 40 novels worldwide.
Barbara Cartland: The Queen of Romance
Dame Barbara Cartland (1901-2000) was one of the most commercially successful authors of the 20th century, known for her prolific output of historical romance novels.
Style and Themes: Her books followed a strict, formulaic structure with chaste, innocent heroines and aristocratic heroes, invariably ending in a "blissful happy ending". The plots were straightforward, emphasizing romantic love and beauty, with no explicit sexuality. She dictated her novels to assistants, sometimes producing a book in just two weeks.
Critical Reception/Legacy: Critics often dismissed her work as simplistic and formulaic. However, she holds a Guinness World Record for the most books published in a single year (191) and her immense popularity made her a global phenomenon.
Sales: She wrote over 700 books (some sources say 723), with estimated sales ranging from 750 million to over a billion copies worldwide, making her one of the best-selling female authors of all time.
Summary Comparison
Feature
Barbara Taylor Bradford Barbara Cartland
Primary Genre Family sagas, contemporary fiction Historical romance (Victorian/Edwardian)
Themes Female ambition, business success, resilience Innocent love, moral certainty, happy endings
Volume 40 novels Over 700 novels
Total Sales Over 90 million copies Over 1 billion copies (estimated)
Style In-depth character and plot development Formulaic, light, escapist
Conclusion:
If "better" is measured by sheer volume of work and global sales, Barbara Cartland is the clear winner. If "better" is defined by more complex narratives, character depth, and thematic exploration of women's professional lives, then Barbara Taylor Bradford holds that distinction. The preference ultimately depends on the reader's taste in literature.
