Rating: 
Summary: It isn't a triumph...
Review: After reading the description of the book I couldn't wait to for it to be released to read it. I was terribly disappointed. The book started out good but got extremely boring in the middle. Towards the end it picked up a little but the killer is pretty lame. I have read other books by Bradford and think that she needs to stick to that genre and stay away from mystery/thrillers. Sorry Barbara.
Rating:
Summary: Burn Me Twice, Shame On Me!
Review: After reading the written-for-ninnies "Where You Belong" I decided some amateur must have locked Barbara Taylor Bradford up and stolen her identity -- how else to explain the third-rate drek which has replacd talented work like "A Woman of Substance?" But I decided to give her another chance with "The Triumph of Katie Byrne," even the title of which was ridiculous. So I have only me to blame. Why did I waste 290 pages wondering about the significance of Katie's mother's harped-on bronchitis? Who the heck is Lavinia and why was her interesting character left in limbo? Where were we meant to go with Boy-Rex-who-might-have-been-a-spy? What was the point of Xenia's terrible tragedy, other than to open up Katie's memories? Whoever heard of a ten-year-old murder being solved in the last 12 pages with the miraculous emergence of a brand new character, and a witless one at that? And does anyone believe that Chris-the-love-interest is even as believable as a red herring? Get a grip, whoever bodysnatched Barb. And next time Robert has a bright idea like this, remind him the first rule of writing: go with what you know. Mystery ain't it. Sadly, if the last few offerings are any indication, neither is believability. If I read BTB again, it will be a borrowed book, not one I've been dopie enough to buy.
Rating: 
Summary: Fair
Review: Definitely not the best book that I've read but also not the worse. It would have made an exceptional short story but the book contained to many areas that dragged. The author has a smooth writing style and did a great job with character development. Not a great book and not a total waste of time.
Rating:
Summary: The Triumph of Awful Writing
Review: Disclaimer: I read this book for work, otherwise I would never have wasted even a moment of my time with it. Barbara Taylor Bradford is a wonderful example of a fairly accurate generalization about publishing: If you want to sell millions of books, you've got a great chance if you're a terrible writer. Her simple-minded plots are what most critics rip apart, but the plots seem strong compared to her dialogue. HINT: If your dialogue doesn't sound like natural speech, it's probably bad dialogue. And now, two examples.... "Oh, get along with you Katie, 'tis not important, and I'm feeling much better today." "Try not to worry, Katie, me darlin'. And don't forget what I've forever drummed into you...there's nothing worse than anticipatory despair, 'tis debilitating, for one thing, and a waste of precious time for another." I can think of another way to waste precious time. Read this awful book.
Rating:
Summary: Does the Author or Publisher employ a Proof Reader?
Review: Dollar signs must have been in the eyes of the Author and Publisher of this amateurish attempt at a mystery story. Was it a fourth grade assignment for a young relative of Barbara's?
There was no cohesiveness (I don't have a Proofreader either) to this book. The characters were both undeveloped and unbelievable. The only amusing part was when one of the very boring characters in England was described as a double of the author of the book. Thank goodness I took this out of my local library; therefore, costing me nothing but time. Shame on you, Barbara.
Rating:
Summary: Don't bother
Review: Good first half, disjointed second half, implausible conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: she should be ashamed of this book!
Review: How can a writer who did Woman of Substance do such an incredibly poor job on The Triumph of Katie Byrne? Are the editors sure that this is really Mrs. Bradford's work? It continually repeats itself and the adolescent nature of writing and interaction between characters leads me to believe that this could not possibly be one of her works. I highly recommend that NO ONE bother reading this tripe.
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your time or your money!!!!
Review: I did not enjoy this book one bit. Everytime I opened it and get a couple of pages into it I would fall asleep. Saddely enough this was the first BTB book I ever read and I can honestly say it will be my last!! I strongly recommend not wasting your time or money.
Rating:
Summary: hum.
Review: I did not like this book. It was recommended to me by a friend who loved it. I am beginning to lose respect for her taste in fiction. The characters are shallow and lifeless (and that stereotyped Irish mother - oh please!). The storyline is just plain boring. There wasn't a single thing in the whole book that made the pages worth turning. BTB has written a lot of books, but I've never found one worth reading. This book will appeal to fans of Danielle Steele and Mills & Boon. I intend to recommend them to my friend next chance I get.
Rating: 
Summary: I couldn't put this book down!
Review: I found out that this was Ms. Bradford's first mystery novel, and from the first page I knew it was different than her other books but just couldn't put my finger on it. I read this book in record time because I just couldn't put it down. I hope she continues to write mysteries as well as her other novels.
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