Does Queenie have the strength to overcome her father's sins and grasp love and happiness?
Queenie seemed born to suffer. Her mam died giving birth to her, her drunken father George Kenney ignored her unless he was cursing her, and only beloved Auntie Biddy provided an anchor for the little girl. Growing up in post-war Blackburn, life could be tough when Biddy had to take in washing to make ends meet - at a time when the washing machine began to gain popularity. After Auntie Biddy's death there was only Queenie to care for the home and to earn money, and no one to protect her from the father who blamed his daughter for her mother's death. But Queenie is resilient. And in spite of hardship, she grows up tall and strikingly beautiful with her deep grey eyes and her abundant honey-coloured hair. Love, in the shape of Rick Marsden, might have released her from the burden of the drink-sodden George. But the sins of the fathers cannot be easily forgotten...
Josephine Cox was born in Blackburn, one of ten children. At the age of sixteen, Josephine met and married her husband Ken, and had two sons. When the boys started school, she decided to go to college and eventually gained a place at university but was unable to take this up as it would have meant living away from home. Instead, she went into teaching – and started to write her first full-length novel. She won the ‘Superwoman of Great Britain’ Award, for which her family had secretly entered her, at the same time as her novel was accepted for publication. She is now a No.1 bestselling author with over 40 books to her name.
She wrote dark psychological thrillers under the name Jane Brindle.
Requirements for reading this book are an endless supply of tissues and someone to dust. Absolutely brilliant story and I enjoyed every word on the pages. Recommended.
I finished this book, rather than throw it away, because I had to see how much worse it could get. It reminded me of a bad soap opera. Child, mother died in childbirth, hated by her father, raised by an aunt who died, raped by the father, loved a man she thought was her half brother (who, we found out wasn’t, though they never knew). Pregnant by her father, married another man who raped her, she had and lost the baby. Then her hated hubby got run over by a coal lorry. I presume in the next book she will meet back up with the non-brother and then he’ll die or something. Save yourself some time and skip this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Set in Blackburn, northern England, after WW2. The men are described as drinking, shouting, swearing. The women are described as sharp-tongued, nagging and sleeping around. This may be a good portrayal of place and time, but I didn't enjoy it. I read a paperback. This is an unbiased review.
Wow what a read. You get so caught up with the characters it's like being in the same room as them. Josephine cox books are an emotional rollercoaster.
I found this one a bit hard going to start with, but kept with it. It turned out to be a good read, lots of twists and turns. It didn't finish as I predicted (which i'm usually pretty good at)
I really enjoyed this Josephine Cox book. It was a good story, and I wanted more when I came to the end. I think there may be another book, that continues the lives of some of the characters, but have not read it as yet. Recommended.
First book I ever read that got me interested in reading. Such a deep book. It taught me that no matter what you go through at whatever age, you have to be strong and you can make it.