Yes, Barbara Cartland is worth reading. If you are writing Romance novels, and you haven’t read Cartland, there’s a big hole in your education! If you are a reader seeking out the greatest Romance around, Cartland’s offerings surely must entice you, as they have millions of others.
Barbara Cartland is known as the Queen of Romance: she published works contemporary to the time of writing (starting in 1923!) and also historical works which were largely set during the Victorian era.
She sold over 750 million copies of her novels: she also wrote in other forms including for TV, film, radio, plays, operettas, and made many other contributions. This woman was an absolute powerhouse.
Whatever we think of the quality of Cartland’s offerings, such an impressive body of work, which sold so well during her life (and continues to sell!) must be acknowledged: especially if we are seeking to emulate any aspect of her success, or to understand the Romance genre and it’s perennial fascination for readers across all the societies and cultures of the world.
Where to Start with Barbara Cartland?
When planning where to start reading Barbara Cartland it’s important to remember that she wrote over 723 novels during her lifetime. A body of work that size is going to take a long time to read (if it’s even possible). However, you should start reading Barbara Cartland with A Hazard of Hearts.
She wrote 23 in one year, and held the world record for that feat.
Some readers will be interested to start at the beginning of her collection, when she was a young woman, and read through.
Remember, she published her first novel Jigsaw in 1923.
If we read them chronologically they become a record of the changing society in which she wrote.
What Are Barbara Cartland’s Most Famous Books?
Image: Cartland in 1925
A Hazard of Hearts (1949) is Barbara Cartland’s most famous novel. This status is helped enormously by the television movie which starred Helena Bonham Carter in one of her first leading roles. It’s a novel described by Cartland as her ‘first costume book’, meaning she put jewels and highwaymen in, along with just about every trope she could bring to mind!
The Bored Bridegroom is another work of Cartland’s which is well known, and beloved by many.
Cartland launched her career in the realm of words as a gossip columnist for the Daily Express, and utilised everything she learned there to craft engrossing tales like The Bored Bridegroom.
In this work a young woman strives to become more worldly and sophisticated in order to retain the affections of the most eligible bachelor in Regency England, a certain Marquis resident at Merlyncourt.
Is Barbara Cartland a Good Writer?
Image: Allan Warren
According to the people who bought over 750 million copies of her work, yes Cartland is a good writer and worth the time of any and all readers interested in the Romance genre. Cartland wasn’t just a prolific writer, she was also a society figure in Britain, regularly featuring prominently at social events and in the media.
She transcended the category of novelist to become a much loved British figure for her contributions to a vast number of fields, including aviation!
This woman contained multitudes.
Cartland was a gifted writer of Romance tales.
If you love the Romance genre, Cartland is a must read author.
If you are an aspiring Romance writer, you’ve got to see what made Cartland so popular and commercially successful for so long: she’s a titan in your field and it behooves you to leap on in.
Conclusion
Barbara Cartland is worth reading because she sold so many copies of her work (over 750 million) over half a century, and she became an interesting and important person in Britain who made contributions in multiple fields including aviation! Whether you are a Romance reader or writer, Cartland is a must see destination on your Romantic literary escapade.