Features:
Description:
The love of her life was there all along, she just didn't know it. This is the sequel to the outstanding A Woman of Substance, which was a sort of Upstairs Downstairs meets Gone with the Wind. As sequels go, it's 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. In Hold the Dream, 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. --Tara Chace
| 
