Jarrow Trilogy
3 primary works • 4 total works Complete
Book 1
Brought up on her parents' smallholding in Jarrow, Rose McConnell knows she is luckier than many in Tyneside during the harsh years of the 1870s. But she can't help dreaming of the world she has glimpsed in the idyllic country estate of Ravensworth where her own mother grew up. And when she captures the heart of handsome William Fawcett, who comes from a respectable family and lives in the well-to-do James Terrace, it seems her dream of a better life is finally within her reach. As the years go by she is blessed not only with a loving husband she adores, but with a home of her own and a brood of beautiful daughters who she vows will never know the hardship of her upbringing. But with the poverty of Jarrow never far away, it sometimes seems that the security of Rose's new life is as delicate as her childhood dreams...
Book 1
To escape her possessive and drunken step-father, Kate is sent away from teaming Jarrow to work on the Ravensworth Estate. Swapping a life of hardship for this rural idyll, she is soon attracting the attention of charming, headstrong Alexander, a distant cousin of the Earl. Kate dares to dream of a future with Alexander; but when their love is consummated in one stolen night of passion those dreams are shattered. With her lover forced into an unwanted betrothal, Kate discovers she is pregnant and must return to face the wrath of her step-father and a bleak future. But she refuses to give up hope that one day Alexander might return to claim her and their love child. A CHILD OF JARROW (the second novel in the Jarrow Trilogy) is a poignant and compelling story with an engaging heroine who will steal your heart.
Book 3
1923: Jarrow, Tyneside. Catherine McMullen, or Kitty as she is known, is seventeen, restless and rebellious. Furious with her mother Kate for marrying a common seaman, Catherine is thrilled when her aunt divulges the secret Kate fought hard to protect - the identity of Catherine's father. The revelation that he was a wealthy gentleman fuels Catherine's desire to better herself and escape her squalid surroundings. Taking a job at the workhouse laundry, Catherine is further confronted by the horrors and indignities of poverty. She decides that the only way out is to educate herself and she spends every spare moment reading. It's not long before the streetwise Kitty McMullen is a ghost from the past, and the well-spoken, well-read Catherine leaves the north-east to follow her dreams. But there is hardship and heatbreak to overcome before Catherine finds the happiness she longs for...
Passionate tales of love, heartache and survival against the odds, The Jarrow Trilogy follows the lives of 3 remarkable heroines and their families from the dire poverty of Victorian dockyards through the momentous times of the First and Second World Wars to the changed world of 1950s Britain. Gripping, emotional and uplifting, the Trilogy is inspired by Catherine Cookson, her mother and grandmother. The Jarrow Lass: Brought up on her parents' smallholding in Jarrow in the harsh years of the 1870s, selling vegetables to poverty-struck Irish labourers such as the unruly McMullens, Rose dreams of the world beyond the grime of the town, a world she glimpsed at a fairytale wedding on the Ravensworth Estate as a child. Capturing the heart of handsome and respectable steelworker William Fawcett, it seems her wish for a better life is finally within reach. But tragedy strikes, and to save her young family from destitution, Rose must turn to wild John McMullen. THE JARROW LASS is the first novel in the JARROW TRILOGY and is inspired by Catherine Cookson's grandmother.
A Child of Jarrow: To escape her possessive and drunken step-father, Kate is sent away from teaming Jarrow to work on the Ravensworth Estate. She is soon attracting the attention of charming, headstrong Alexander and dares to dream of a future with him. But when Kate discovers herself pregnant and alone she must return to face the wrath of her step-father. Yet she refuses to give up hope that one day Alexander might return to claim her and their love child. Poignant and compelling, A CHILD OF JARROW is the second in the JARROW TRILOGY. Return to Jarrow: Rebellious Catherine (Kitty) McMullen, resentful of her mother's new husband and yearning to escape impoverished Jarrow, determines to educate herself. Soon streetwise Kitty is a ghost of the past and the well-spoken, well-read Catherine leaves the north-east to follow her dreams. But this plucky and romantic heroine encounters hardship and heartbreak on the road to self-discovery. RETURN TO JARROW concludes the bestselling trilogy.
A Child of Jarrow: To escape her possessive and drunken step-father, Kate is sent away from teaming Jarrow to work on the Ravensworth Estate. She is soon attracting the attention of charming, headstrong Alexander and dares to dream of a future with him. But when Kate discovers herself pregnant and alone she must return to face the wrath of her step-father. Yet she refuses to give up hope that one day Alexander might return to claim her and their love child. Poignant and compelling, A CHILD OF JARROW is the second in the JARROW TRILOGY. Return to Jarrow: Rebellious Catherine (Kitty) McMullen, resentful of her mother's new husband and yearning to escape impoverished Jarrow, determines to educate herself. Soon streetwise Kitty is a ghost of the past and the well-spoken, well-read Catherine leaves the north-east to follow her dreams. But this plucky and romantic heroine encounters hardship and heartbreak on the road to self-discovery. RETURN TO JARROW concludes the bestselling trilogy.