Maggie Jordan

by Emma Blair, Eve Karpf (Read by)

When most of Maggie Jordan's family are killed in a freak flood in the small coastal village of Heymouth, she is forced to find work in one of Glasgow's carpet mills. She becomes engaged to Nevil Sanderson, who suddenly decides he must go to Spain and join the Republicans in their fight against Franco.Although she struggles on without him, Maggie eventually realises her place is by his side and journeys to Spain to join him. But the newly promoted Nevil has become distant and ruthless, and is fiercely jealous of her new friendship with American journalist Howard Taft.Years later, married and with an eight-year-old daughter, Maggie has returned to Glasgow. Astonished when Howard reappears, bringing light and laughter back into her life, she is forced to take decisions - decisions which threaten to destroy even the vibrant and courageous Maggie Jordan.Praise for Emma engaging novel and the characters are endearing - a good holiday read' Historical Novels Review'All the tragedy and passion you could hope for . . . Brilliant' The Bookseller'Romantic fiction pure and simple and the best sort - direct, warm and hugely readable. Women's fiction at an excellent level' Publishing News'Emma Blair explores the complex and difficult nature of human emotions in this passionately written novel' Edinburgh Evening News'Entertaining romantic fiction' Historical Novels Review'[Emma Blair] is well worth recommending' The Bookseller

Genres: Romance

Audio

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Iain Blair was born on 12 August 1942 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. He was an actor and writer, married with the also writer Jane Blanchard. Initially he wrote plays for theatre and television, but later began to write novels. He started out writing suspense novels as Iain Blair, but after being unsuccessful with this genre, switched to writing popular historical romance fiction sagas. But according to his Web site, Iain Blair's publishers decided he'd sell far more books simply by being published as a woman because is a women's fiction genre. "I was given absolutely no choice in the matter. They'd decided on a sex change and even the name. So that was that. Emma I became and Emma I've stayed." His true identity remained a secret until 1998 when his novel Flower of Scotland was nominated for the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association Awards, which required him to admit to being the author. He passed away on 3 July 2011 in Torquay, Devon, England.

Reviews

[Punit Sahani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maggie Jordan by Emma Blair started off with real promise. The first couple of chapters drew me in, giving a compelling glimpse into Maggie’s life and making me curious about her journey ahead.
However, as the story progressed, I found my interest fading. The narrative began to feel stretched, with chapters that were unusually long and, at times, overwhelming. It felt like the plot was dragging, making it difficult to stay engaged through the middle portion of the book.
That said, the novel does regain its footing toward the end. The final few chapters bring back a sense of intrigue and emotional depth. Maggie’s evolving role—as a mother, a wife, and a woman caught between duty and lingering love—adds layers to her character. The twists in her personal life and relationships make for a more engaging and satisfying conclusion.
Overall, while the book struggles with pacing and length, it redeems itself in the end with a more compelling emotional arc. A mixed reading experience, but one that closes on a stronger note than it begins to suggest.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually really like Iain Blair/ Emma Blair's writing. He has a way with words and his stories are so interesting, and romance is not really something I usually enjoy.

I didn't really like this blurb, it didn't captivate me, or interest me but I do like Iain Blair so I thought I'd read it anyway.. Obviously I need to be interested in books to read them, so I don't really want to down do this book because it might have been really amazing, but I wasn't interested in the story of it, so I've only gave it 3/5.

Other Blair books obviously have more!

[Vicki]

Library July 20 Audio book romance OK liked it

When most of Maggie Jordan's family are killed in a freak flood in the small coastal village of Heymouth, she is forced to find work in one of Glasgow's carpet mills. She becomes engaged to Neil Sanderson, who suddenly decides he must go to Spain and join the Republicans in their fight against Franco.

[Kiona18]

I didn’t mind certain parts of this book but overall very depressing.

[Jean Fayusi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my favorite book of all time. I read it in 2006 and up to now no book compares to it.# the best