Catherine Cookson Books In Order

Publication Order of Kate Hannigan Books

Publication Order of Mary Ann Shaughnessy Books

Publication Order of The Mallen Trilogy Books

Publication Order of The Tiller Trotter Trilogy Books

Publication Order of The Hamilton Trilogy Books

Publication Order of The Bailey Chronicles Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of Picture Books

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Catherine Cookson was an English author. Before her death in 1998, she was the United Kingdom’s most widely read novelist, boasting sales in the hundreds of millions. Despite her fame and fortune, she maintained a relatively low profile, even in the world of celebrity writers.

+Biography

Born Catherine Ann McMullen in Tyne Dock, South Shields, she eventually moved to East Jarrow, Country Durham (which became the setting for ‘The Fifteen Streets’, one of her best-known novels).

Catherine was the illegitimate child of Kate Fawcett, an alcoholic. She was raised by her grandparents and, as a child, she thought Kate, her mother, was her sister. Her father was later revealed (by a biographer) to be Alexander Davies, a bigamist and gambler from Lanarkshire.

After leaving school at the age of 13, Catherine Cookson spent some time as a domestic servant before taking a laundry job at Harton Workhouse in South Shields. Eventually moving south to run the Hastings Workhouse laundry, Catherine saved enough money to purchase a large Victorian house after which she took in lodges as a means of supplementing her income.

At the age of 34 (June 1940), Catherine married Tom Cookson. He was a teacher at Hastings Grammar School. She experienced four miscarriages before learning that she suffered from telangiectasia, a rare vascular disease that could result in anemia.

It took Catherine a decade to recover from the mental breakdown she suffered following her miscarriages.

+Literary Career

Catherine joined Hastings Writer’s Group as a means of therapy designed to tackle her depression. Kate Hannigan, her first novel, was published in 1950. She approached the novel as historical fiction and wasn’t happy with the fact that it had been stereotypically described as a romance.

A lot of the work Catherine Cookson produced manifested the uncomfortable research she had to undertake to write her stories, this including going down a mine to study the setting of one of her stories.

Before her death, Catherine Cookson had written nearly a hundred books, which have been translated in more than a dozen languages. She also wrote novels under pseudonyms like Catherine Marchant and Katie McMullen.

Catherine spent nearly twenty years as the most borrowed author in UK public libraries.

+Adaptations

A considerable portion of Catherine Cookson’s books have been adapted into films, radio and stage plays. Jacqueline (1956), which was directed by Roy Ward Baker, was the first film to be produced from her work, based off of ‘A Grand Man’.

Then came Rooney in 1958 based on the book ‘Rooney’ and directed by George Pollock. Katie Mulholland became a stage musical in 1983, composed by Eric Boswell (Ken Hill wrote and directed).

Despite all the films and stage plays adapted from her work, though, it was on Television that she achieved the greatest success. Various series of dramas adapted from her work not only attracted huge ratings, but they lasted for over a decade on ITV. Over a dozen Catherine Cookson novels were adapted for Television between 1990 and 2001, with ‘The Black Velvet’ winning an international Emmy for best drama in 1991.

+Death

Catherine Cookson lived her final years in Jesmond. Giving her last TV interview to North East Tonight from her sickbed (interviewed by Mike Neville), Catherine died sixteen days before her 92nd birthday in Newcastle. She wrote many novels from her sickbed, many of which were posthumously published.

Her husband, Tom, died seventeen days later; the cause of his death was not disclosed.

+The Fifteen Streets

John O’Brien’s world is one where survival is a continuous struggle. Working long hours at the docks to support his parent’s large family, a number of the other families in the Fifteen Streets have all but given up, descending into the despair of grinding poverty, even as the O’Brien’s continue to strive onward.

When O’Brien meets Mary Llewellyn, a beautiful teacher belonging to the world he can only dream of, what begins as a casual conversation over tea quickly becomes love, a rare love that should have been perfect.

Fate, however, intervenes. John is accused to fathering the child of a local girl, with Mary’s parents immediately refusing her to see him again. The couple learns of the widening chasm that exists between them as they wonder whether they can cross the gulf separating their worlds.

The Fifteen Streets is as impressive a Catherine Cookson novel as any other; the plotting is irresistible and the characterization explains her renown as a recognized master of historical and romance fiction.

Even at the beginning of her illustrious career, she had the power to captivate her audiences, delivering passion and compelling drama. While it is true that Catherine Cookson writes the most spectacular romances, there is so much more in this novel than just romance. In fact, a considerable portion of this book is dedicated to the interactions between the different families and neighbors.

The characters are very interesting and likeable. The historical elements are compelling, and John and Mary are perfect as leads in this, one of Catherine Cookson’s most renowned novels.

Anyone that thinks of this novel as little more than fluffy romance will be surprised by the depth they discover.

+Colour Blind

The McQueen family has always strived to remain upbeat, even in the worst days of the recession. As their neighbors depart from the workhouse, their furniture carted off by bailiffs, the McQueen household continues to hold on to its laughter and cheer. When all else has failed, this is what has kept them strong.

As with many of the Fifteen Streets residents, the McQueens are big-hearted and blunt; opinionated and often speaking with no holds barred in the face of any attempt to go against social convention. As such, there is shock when Bridget brings home her African Husband.

Colour Blind tackles issues of prejudice, race, and family; delivered by the unique writing skills of Catherine Cookson, the novel is highly compelling, especially in its portrayal of the McQueens, the most hateful family anywhere.

Hateful of each other, their neighbors and, inevitably, the newest addition to their family, readers are provided a firsthand glimpse into racism in the 1950s, the destruction it unleashed and the families it destroyed.

Colour Blind delivers a family feud like no other; despite some predictable plots and an ending that few readers liked, Colour Blind is as compelling as any other Cathering Cookson novel.