The Wonder of It All

James Falconer returns in the third House of Falconer historical novel from multi-million copy bestseller Barbara Taylor Bradford. The Somme, 1916. James Falconer, once a barrow boy on a London market, stands in the trenches, awaiting the command to go over the top. Away from his business empire in London, he is simply a soldier, war the great leveller. But, unlike his men, and unknown to them, deep down, Falconer doesn't care if he lives or dies. When a face from the past offers James the chance to repair his fractured relationship with his estranged daughter, Leonie, he must decide if he can hold different things dear - and make space in his life for love. But the war has left terrible scars, both personal and professional, and swept huge changes through the glittering world he once inhabited. James must weather myriad storms as he attempts to right past wrongs and build a new life. 'Bradford's tale is enriched by dynamic characters, especially James, who heroically persists in his effort to rebuild his life. It's a satisfying culmination to a richly drawn historical series' Publishers Weekly

Barbara Taylor Bradford was born and raised in Leeds. She left school at 15 for the typing pool at the Yorkshire Evening Post. At 16, she became a reporter on the paper and, at 18, its first Woman's Editor. Aged 20, she moved to London and became a columnist and editor on Fleet Street. Her first novel, A Woman of Substance, is one of the bestselling novels of all time and Barbara's books have sold more than 90 million copies worldwide. In 2007, Barbara was appointed an OBE by the Queen for her services to literature. Barbara was married to her beloved husband, television and film producer Robert Bradford, for 55 years until he died in 2019. She continued to live in New York and write novels, her last entitled The Wonder of It All, until she died in November 2024.