Life and Mary Ann

The Mary Ann Series #5

by Catherine Cookson

It is impossible to imagine Mary Ann Shaughnessy as anything but an enchanting, aggravating and utterly natural child, possessed of an outsized love for her father and with an inherent inclination to put right the lives of those near to her.

Yet children must grow up. Mary Ann is now “going on” seventeen and life, as it really is, comes forcing itself on her attention. Mary Ann the teenager is much the same as the diminutive warrior when it comes to affairs of the heart. She is still in love with her childhood sweetheart Corny Boyle, but Corny takes the carrot dangled by Mr. Lord – the old devil – and deserts her to go to America.

So the field is once again open to Mr. Lord’s grandson to court Mary Ann. But does she want him to? As is to be expected he proposes to Mary Ann…

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance

177 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Shirley Revill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book a while ago and I enjoyed every word. Storytelling at it's best.

[Ashlee Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know if the fact I hadn't read the previous 4 books would be an issue and I'd be lost but I found this an easy read and was able to figure out the characters as it went on. A nice quick read.

[Shirley Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enthralling story of Mary Ann, her family trials and the love of her life. I won't say any more about the story as it will spoil it for readers but I do highly recommend it. Catherine Cookson's mind must have been overflowing with ideas for her to have written so many good stories.

[Gloria Mitchell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Passable read bit slow going but read it right through

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this, the fifth installment of the Mary Ann novels, Mary Ann is seventeen years old and still living on Mr. Lord's farm. Her family life seems to be going rather well tho her da is still threatening to hit the bottle again over every little thing that goes wrong. However, Mary Ann is always able to stop him. At seventeen, Mary Ann is still quite enamored with her childhood sweetheart, Corny. Corny announces he is going to America tho and will come back for Mary Ann in a year. Mary Ann has her doubts..

Meanwhile, during Corny's one year absence, Mary Ann is meddling in everyone's affairs and trying to fix everyone's problems again. A friend is pregnant, an acquaintance is getting smacked around by her husband, Mr. Lord's grandson is about to drop a bomb by announcing his plans to wed a woman that Mr. Lord will not approve of, and somebody gets a serious case of polio with drastic results.

Amid all this excitement, Mary Ann wonders and worries, "Will Corny come back?"

Four stars because it wasn't quite as exciting or as funny as the last Mary Ann novel, Love and Mary Ann. Still good tho.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cute little story by Catherine Cookson. Unfortunately I started it out of sequence but it didn't seem to matter much. Mary Ann a happy go lucky teenager is in love with a young man. Her mother and another gentleman have other plans for her though. This story describes how her mother and Mr Lord try to keep her away from the young man she loves so they can fix her up with Mr Lord's grandson. Of course nothing works out as they plan. A fun novel and now I look forward to reading the rest of the series of seven which starts with " A Grand Man"..... if I can find them.

[Lili · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read all of Catherine Cookson's books some years ago and enjoyed them immensley. I recently re-read all of them and find that on a second look I found them all so very predictable, and was rather disappointed. However I'm sure that it is my tastes that have changed not the calibre of her story telling.