Catherine Cookson was born in Tyne Dock, the illegitimate daughter of a poverty-stricken woman, Kate, who Catherine believed was her older sister. Catherine began work in service but eventually moved south to Hastings, where she met and married Tom Cookson, a local grammar-school master.
Although she was originally acclaimed as a regional writer - her novel The Round Tower won the Winifred Holtby Award for the best regional novel of 1968 - her readership quickly spread throughout the world, and her many best-selling novels established her as one of the most popular contemporary woman novelist. She received an OBE in 1985, was created a Dame of the British Empire in 1993, and was appointed an Honorary Fellow of St Hilda's College, Oxford, in 1997.
For many years she lived near Newcastle upon Tyne.
4.5⭐ This was such a good read. The last few books I read were lacking in some way that I can't quite put into words, I was just falling out of love with reading and slowing my reading pace astronomically, but this book! It was exactly what I needed. I picked this book up almost by accident, I was at a book fair, and while I waited for the people i was with to choose their books, I walked towards the second-hand books section. I picked this one up and started to read the first pages. Almost immediately, I had a sense of nostalgia because it reminded me in some ways of Heidi (which I adore) - you know, the orphan kid that goes to live with her grumpy, loner grandfather. The book was so cheap that I took it home with me. And boy, am I grateful that I did. It's an easy read, and the story is simple and yet captivating. What attracted me the most though was the descriptions. Since Bella is blind, the way she "sees" things is so well written. What she hears, smells, her intuition... I loved how it was made truly. This book was a breath of fresh air for me.
I love this book. I loved it 30 years ago when I read it for the first time and I love it now.
Bella is taken to spend the summer with her grandfather after her father's death. When he discovers that she is not only blind, but talks incessantly and has an active imagination, he is sure that he has made a mistake in agreeing to have her.
Bella is a joy: She is whip smart, fearless and is a force to be reckoned with when angered.
I am so glad I found this book again. It rivals Mister God, This Is Anna for bringing a smile to my face and making me feel safe, warm and happy
Another off the "books that have been sitting on the shelf unread since my mother got them in a Scholastic book catalogue sale in 1984" list. This one I quite liked, although the story wasn't compelling enough for me as an adult reader to imagine a child rereading this. Other reviewers seem to have fond memories of it so it might depend on reading it when you're young. This was from a period of time where you could mention that a male character hates women and it doesn't necessarily ring any alarm bells, just "oh what a curmudgeon."
What a delightful story and an easy read too. It's probably been about 30 years since I read this, so all characters were 'new' to me, though were also recognisable too - a crusty (lonely) grandfather, a lonely, spirited child in need of a home and a motley assortment of characters around them. It's a simple read and would, today, be classified as an older children or young adult story. I'm glad I re-read it!
I really enjoyed this book as well as all of Catherine Cooksons other books! Even though I am 63 and she wrote this one for youth I found it to be another wonderfully told story!
Written in 1977, this has the genuine feel of going back in time and, as one would expect for this era, it comes complete with morals. It represents a time when even a blind child was free to wander the countryside and the wardship of an orphaned child could be decided without resorting to the courts.
Bella has lost her parents and her only surviving relative was a grumpy old grandfather, set in his ways and very reluctant to take on a 9 year old child, let alone a sightless one. He finds himself caring for her during school holidays and the relationship is prickly. Bella is hugely forgiving though, and the reader cannot help but fall for her. Fourteen year-old John, the son of a neighbour, is prevailed upon to be her friend and a bond develops between the two, in spite of the age difference. When Bella comes across a man who has been bound and gagged, she and John find themselves having an unexpected adventure.
I would have liked to have given this 3 1/2 stars as I did enjoy reading it, though I do wonder how it would be received by today's children.
I loved this tale of a blind girl who is sent to stay with her grandfather stumbles upon a kidnapping in their small town.
Nine-year-old Bella was blind and had had a hard life alone with a drunken father whom her grandfather had eventually refused to treat as his son. Now she was coming to her grandfather almost without warning – and he hated women – all women. She had to learn about her new surroundings and about her grandfather, Joe Dodds. She also had to get to know John Thompson, an older boy who had been asked to ‘help’ her. Bella did not want to be helped; she wanted to be accepted as herself, clever, forthright, brave and loving – a person, not an encumbrance.
In all her trials the thing that most sustained her was the memory of her friend, Mrs. Golightly, and the pungent wit for which that lady was renowned. Soon Bella was to need every scrap of help those memories could give, for out of the blue came real danger for her, for John and for a most important stranger.
This book was written for a juvenile audience...and it is one of my favorite Catherine Cookson novels. Her writing style was so tightly honed by this time that it was a treat to read. I am going to find it and reread it.