Bøker av Catherine Cookson

'The Queen of raw family romances' Telegraph'Catherine Cookson soars above her rivals' Mail on Sunday'Her characters have the grit of real life' Sunday Times__________________________In Christine Winter's youth, her family home was always full of love and laughter. Along with her brother Ronnie and their neighbours, Don and Sam Dowling, Chrissie passed a happy, untroubled childhood, even when the strains of the outside world darkened her family's doorstepAs she grew up, though, Chrissie quickly realised that she'd have to leave her carefree youth behind. As a young woman, she found that she was seemingly cursed with an indefinable charm that drew men to her, and in some cases led them to the brink of obsession.Chrissie was used to refusing men's advances, preferring to keep to herself even in the face of their passion. Until one day, Chrissie met a stranger on the river bank near her home and found her life irreversibly changed._________________________Readers love Cookson's gripping historical sagas:¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿'Storytelling at its best'¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ 'Cookson's stories are timeless'¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ 'A great choice for a summer read'¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ ¿ 'Always a joy to read'Catherine Cookson, UK's top 100 bestselling authors of all time, Nielsen BookScan, July 2024

Harry Blenheim had always been known as 'the nice bloke' - an inoffensive man whose existence many thought was as dull as ditchwater. But then at the office Christmas party, he gave in to the demands of the vivacious Betty Ray, and the scandal that followed not only split up his family but ruined his career. Harry reasoned that, with luck, he could have avoided It all, but the roots of the problem lay much deeper. There was his rapidly cooling marriage, and his hatred of his unscrupulous father-in-law. Now Harry was in real trouble, and it would take all the efforts of his dearly-loved daughter Gail and his staunch friends Janet and Robbie Dunn to help him pick up the pieces and start to live again...

Mary Hetherington was a mother who dominated her family. She was kind, efficient and generous - providing they did what she wanted. But when David brought home Sarah from the ''wrong end'' of the Fifteen Streets, a girl who brought life and laughter into her dustless house, she soon took against her.Then when she discovered that Sarah was loved not just by David but by all her menfolk, Mary Hetherington realised that this ''interloper'', if allowed to go unchecked, would become a challenge to her authority - while Sarah, for her part, found that even the best people had their quarrels, and secrets they were anxious to hide . . .

A gripping story of forbidden love, perfect for fans of Rosie Goodwin, Dilly Court and Katie Flynn--------------- Life on the Fifteen Streets is tough - a continual struggle for survival. Born into an ever-expanding family, John O'Brien grew up with nothing to call his own. Now, he works on the city's docks while trying to keep his loved ones safe from the drunken wrath of his father and brother. But everything changes when John meets Mary Llewellyn, a beautiful young woman who belongs to a world of wealth and privilege. What starts off as casual friendship soon blossoms into a rare love, but when John is embroiled in scandal Mary's parents forbid them from seeing each other. It seems the Fifteen Streets has succeeded in keeping them apart, but can their love conquer all? --------------- Praise for Catherine Cookson: 'Catherine Cookson soars above her rivals' Mail on Sunday'Her characters have the grit of real life' Sunday Times 'Queen of raw family romances' Telelgraph

Even the approach to Christmas fails to excite restless Agnes Conway, the twenty-two-year-old manager of the sweet and tobacconist shops owned by her feckless father. There are dark secrets in Arthur Conway's past, and these come tragically to light when Agnes's younger sister falls pregnant by one of the notorious Felton brothers. And Agnes herself has a secret, which she knows she must keep from her father: her relationship with Charles Farrier, son of a local landowner, who outrages his own wealthy, pious family by proposing marriage.However Charles is not the only man who could shape Agnes's furture, as his brother Reginald makes no secret of his admiration for her. But she could not have foreseen how significant a part he is to play in her destiny...The Wingless Bird is an absorbing story of love and the harsh realities of Britain's class system.

Unwanted and unloved, fourteen-year-old Marie Anne Lawson is everything her mother doesn't want her to be - adventurous, outspoken and unusual. As soon as she's old enough, Marie Anne is dispatched from Northumberland to London to live with her Aunt Martha to learn to be a lady and perfect her musical talent.Life in London proves to be more difficult than she could ever have imagined. Only the friendship of her Aunt's companion and the praise of her music tutor prevents her from falling into despair.When Anne Marie is suddenly sent back to the Manor, will she find the strength to be who she really is

Annabella Lagrange is the only child of a wealthy family. She thinks the world a wonderful place and only occasionally wonders why her family never takes her beyond the gates of the estate. But she will discover, at the age of 18, the circumstances of her birth and her world will collapse.

But as her health declines, she must entrust Emily Pearson, her capable and beloved employee, with more responsibility. After Mabel's death, Emily is stunned not only to inherit a completely unique broad-brimmed straw hat, but also the shop.

''Catherine Cookson soars above her rivals'' Mail on Sunday''Her characters have the grit of real life'' Sunday Times''Queen of raw family romances'' TelegraphA rags-to-riches story of a young woman who must overcome the scandal of her past to forge a new life.In Heap Hollow cottage in County Durham live what appears to be a close and loving family. But across the happy façade lies a shadow that has lengthened and darkened with the passing years. Their narrow-minded neighbours disapprove of the family''s choices because of their illegitimacy, their mother and father never having married.Anna, the eldest daughter, is determined to face the challenging legacy of her birth and prove herself to those in the community who look down on her. Will her strength of character and zest for life be enough to put the scandal of her past behind her and forge a new life?Previously published as The Gillyvors

CATHERINE COOKSON'S NOVELS HAVE SOLD OVER 100 MILLION COPIES--------Cock Shield Farm, 1881After Molly Geary finds herself pregnant with landowner Angus McBain's child, she is left distraught and ruined.

'Catherine Cookson soars above her rivals' Mail on Sunday'Her characters have the grit of real life' Sunday Times'Queen of raw family romances' TelegraphAfter making his money as a respected manufacturer of an array of shoes, Samuel Fairbrother decides to find a new home for his business and family. When a grand mansion becomes available Samuel buys it - and with it, inherits the servants. But when his butler, Maitland, makes it clear he prefers Samuel's predecessor, a conflict between the classes begins to emerge. Maitland, believes Samuel is nothing more than an upstart and because Samuel knows his well-educated but troublesome butler is indispensable - they reach a stalemate. Until Samuel's eldest daughter, Janet, tries to reconcile the impossible; but can she bring the uneasy truce to an end?From bestselling saga author Catherine Cookson, this forgotten classic captures the conflicts of class in the society of the late nineteenth century. If you like Dilly Court, Katie Flynn or Donna Douglas, you'll love Catherine Cookson. Previously published as The Upstart.

In the specialised world of women's popular fiction, Cookson has created her own territory.' - Helen Dunmore, The TimesJust two years after the death of their mother, Hector Stewart tells his children he plans to remarry and has chosen a distant relative from Ireland to be his bride.

Volume 1 follows Mary Ann, a young girl living in poverty in a dockland tenement on Tyneside, from the ages of eight to thirteen.

'Humour, toughness, resolution and generosity are Cookson virtues . In the specialised world of women's popular fiction, Cookson has created her own territory.' - Helen Dunmore, The TimesEveryone, including her family, thought Ward Gibson would marry Daisy Mason.

Born into poverty, Katie Mulholland is forced to find work as a maid in the house of a wealthy family. But Katie's fate changes course when one man offers her the opportunity to make her own fortune, and to discover real love .

But when their father dies unexpectedly their security is threatened, and Beatrice must lay plans to protect this most prized possession. How will the sister's survive now their father is gone?

This is a collection of Catherine Cookson's first three Bill Bailey novels. Bill Bailey came into the life of young widow Fiona Nelson and her three children as a lodger. At first he seems ordinary enough but behind his rough charm lies some remarkable qualities.

_______________________"Humour, toughness, resolution and generosity are Cookson virtues .

Even the approach to Christmas fails to excite restless Agnes Conway, the twenty-two-year-old manager of the sweet and tobacconist shops owned by her feckless father.

HANNAH MASSEYProud and canny, ignorant and intensely ambitious, Hannah Massey is a born ruler. Others, like the O'Briens - and especially John O'Brien - fought grimly for a world they were only rarely allowed to glimpse.

Yorkshire, 1880s. At nineteen years old, Bridget Dean Mordaunt inherits her father's candle and blacking factories. Determined to restore the businesses to their former glory, by the time she turns twenty-three she is running them as confidently as any man. But despite her success, trouble is looming.

When Millie's mother abandons her one late afternoon in 1854, fate brings the seven-year-old to Aggie's door - and life will never be the same for either of them. The unlikely pair soon form an unexpectedly strong bond. But there will be obstacles in their paths - will their friendship survive?

When John O'Brien fell in love with Mary Llewellyn he knew there was a gulf between them that nothing could bridge - the gulf of the "Fifteen Streets".

County Durham, 1830sWhen fifteen-year-old Cissie Brodie loses her parents to cholera, she is forced out of the family cottage and left to raise her nine brothers and sisters by herself.

Cumbria, 1870s. Just before her fifteenth birthday Jinnie Howlett is offered a position as maid-of-all-work at a farm near the Cumbrian border.

She resolved he should have all in life she had missed and to achieve that end, she would stop at nothing.It was Sir Arthur Jebeau, her late husband's brother, who came to her aid, and soon Ellen and Joseph were living at the old fmaily seat at Screehaugh.

This collection of poems draws on many themes that will be familiar to the readers of Catherine Cookson's novels: love, work, class and the beauty of nature.