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Coronation St: The Complete Saga: An Epic Novel of Life in The Street from 1961 to the Present Day
From the time when Rovers Return landlady Annie Walker first cast a disapproving glance at Ena Sharples gossiping with Minnie Caldwell to the traumas caused by the tangled love lives of the Websters or the McDonalds, viewers have been gripped by the lives of those who live in one street in the northern town of Weatherfield. Just like any other street in the country, the locals living there have changed dramatically over the years since the rest of Britain first paid the area a visit in 1960. There have been many marriages, births, and deaths, with characters such as Elsie Tanner, Hilda Ogden, Alf Roberts, or Mike Baldwin fading into the past as new faces move into the street. The one man who has remained ever since we first saw him there all those years ago is, of course, Ken Barlow. Despite the changing nature of its residents and the many disasters and tragedies that have befallen them, one thing in the street always remains the same. Defying all the dark intrigue and neighborhood squabbles, the people who live there maintain a close-knit community, supporting each other through the tough times and celebrating the good times. This is the complete story of Coronation Street .
- GenresFiction
1088 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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80 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 8, 2017
Book Title: Coronation Street the Novel
Book Author: Katherine Hardy
Introduction: A lovely friend of mine lent me his copy of Coronation Street the Novel - ironically I had the same book on my shelf (his cover was purple and my cover was red). He asked me to read it first and give him a small recap, and I hardly think I'll need to! Why? Read the rest of my review! ;)
Review:
This book is a great starter for anyone wanting to get some back story on Coronation Street (especially if you don't want to go through a million pages of Coronation Street wiki...Those websites are insane!). It starts off at the early years of CS and continues up to about the 2010s. For those who want a back story (if they are new) or want a recap (those who've watched the series for years) this is a great start!
There are parts of this novel that are not perfectly aligned with the show - characters missing, characters doing something another character did or entire plot lines gone - but how can you fit over 50 years of television into a 1000 page book? it's quite difficult, and Katherine Hardy has done an excellent job.
As an avid Corrie fan (I've been watching for about 10 years), I can say this was a great book to give me some back story on the famous families and characters I already knew. To me, it was a lot nicer to read from the beginning and understand the movements of the plot then just hop onto the Wiki page and try to figure it out as I click different characters and read their entire life story.
The book starts out with Elsie and Ena, moves into Ken Barlow (who's still on the show! He's incredible), and continues forward with Valerie, Deidre, the twins Peter and Susan, and Tracy Barlow as well! It showcases Gail and Brian, as well as Nick, Sarah and David with a splash of Audrey as well! Sally and Kevin make an appearance, Molly, Jack, Fiz, Steve! So many great characters from across the ages make an appearance and tie this series together.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It rolls along like the television show. For a different manner of showing off Coronation Street, I think this is great for readers. It shows how crazy and dramatic Coronation Street came be as a soap opera but in book form.
Four out of five stars!
Book Author: Katherine Hardy
Introduction: A lovely friend of mine lent me his copy of Coronation Street the Novel - ironically I had the same book on my shelf (his cover was purple and my cover was red). He asked me to read it first and give him a small recap, and I hardly think I'll need to! Why? Read the rest of my review! ;)
Review:
This book is a great starter for anyone wanting to get some back story on Coronation Street (especially if you don't want to go through a million pages of Coronation Street wiki...Those websites are insane!). It starts off at the early years of CS and continues up to about the 2010s. For those who want a back story (if they are new) or want a recap (those who've watched the series for years) this is a great start!
There are parts of this novel that are not perfectly aligned with the show - characters missing, characters doing something another character did or entire plot lines gone - but how can you fit over 50 years of television into a 1000 page book? it's quite difficult, and Katherine Hardy has done an excellent job.
As an avid Corrie fan (I've been watching for about 10 years), I can say this was a great book to give me some back story on the famous families and characters I already knew. To me, it was a lot nicer to read from the beginning and understand the movements of the plot then just hop onto the Wiki page and try to figure it out as I click different characters and read their entire life story.
The book starts out with Elsie and Ena, moves into Ken Barlow (who's still on the show! He's incredible), and continues forward with Valerie, Deidre, the twins Peter and Susan, and Tracy Barlow as well! It showcases Gail and Brian, as well as Nick, Sarah and David with a splash of Audrey as well! Sally and Kevin make an appearance, Molly, Jack, Fiz, Steve! So many great characters from across the ages make an appearance and tie this series together.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It rolls along like the television show. For a different manner of showing off Coronation Street, I think this is great for readers. It shows how crazy and dramatic Coronation Street came be as a soap opera but in book form.
Four out of five stars!
April 21, 2021
I am all for turning TV shows into books. I would choose the written medium any day. But this particular book was a pain to read. To convert fifty years of episodes into a book is no easy task, and I got the sense that the author got mighty bored halfway through because the writing was so dry. And what else remains to make a book readable when the plot lines are only about people getting married, getting divorced, or dying? A huge bore. I stuck through to the end hoping for it to get better and tell me why people love this show so much, but I was thoroughly disappointed. Maybe someone who has been following the series on television would have appreciated this novelization more.
May 26, 2021
My good friend always talked about this show and when I saw this book on my Nannys shelf I had to borrow it. SO good !
December 30, 2019
This book is an interesting chronicle of Coronation Street from its beginning in 1960 until roughly 2010. I have been a watcher of Corrie since the late 90s and enjoyed learning about the story lines up to that point and revisiting the stories I remember. It's written in a very easy to read style and it doesn't take long to get into it.
The two criticisms of this I have is that 1, the amount of pages each decade is given varies greatly. This book is roughly 1100 pages yet about 300 pages is given to 1960-1970 and the later years are written in a much more rushed style. Tracy Barlow goes from being 7 to 9 in the space of one page. Then the 2000s feature in about 100 pages and characters are just mentioned without being introduced as to who they are as they were in the earlier sections.
My second criticism is that the focus is on the Barlows, Platts, Mike Baldwin and in the earlier years, the Tanners. Some other characters do get their stories covered but in nowhere near as much detail. Some people are omitted completely like the McDonald's.
If you are a fan of Coronation Street you will enjoy this book. I agree with a review I saw on Amazon that said there should have been a book written for each decade to cover more storylines effectively.
The two criticisms of this I have is that 1, the amount of pages each decade is given varies greatly. This book is roughly 1100 pages yet about 300 pages is given to 1960-1970 and the later years are written in a much more rushed style. Tracy Barlow goes from being 7 to 9 in the space of one page. Then the 2000s feature in about 100 pages and characters are just mentioned without being introduced as to who they are as they were in the earlier sections.
My second criticism is that the focus is on the Barlows, Platts, Mike Baldwin and in the earlier years, the Tanners. Some other characters do get their stories covered but in nowhere near as much detail. Some people are omitted completely like the McDonald's.
If you are a fan of Coronation Street you will enjoy this book. I agree with a review I saw on Amazon that said there should have been a book written for each decade to cover more storylines effectively.
February 3, 2019
"marriage is terrible: the novel"
i enjoyed this! as a recent coronation street watcher it was nice to learn more about the characters and the history of the show.
(you can ONLY judge me for owning and reading this if 1) you only read books that have won the nobel prize in literature and 2) you only watch critically acclaimed tv shows about serious people with true to life problems)
(it was cheap, okay?)
i enjoyed this! as a recent coronation street watcher it was nice to learn more about the characters and the history of the show.
(you can ONLY judge me for owning and reading this if 1) you only read books that have won the nobel prize in literature and 2) you only watch critically acclaimed tv shows about serious people with true to life problems)
(it was cheap, okay?)
September 22, 2018
I watch Corrie when I can so when I saw this book I thought it would be great and I really enjoyed it. I particularly liked getting to know some of the characters from before my time. Of course there are holes in the book and certain characters don't get a mention but there is no way you could chronicle the whole show. It was good to remember old times that I watched way back and had forgotten. I would recommend this book to avid corrie fans and especially people like me who wasn't around at the beginning of Corrie.
September 9, 2021
A mega volume of Corrie storylines spanning five decades in 1132 pages tries to cram in too much resulting in characters randomly appearing for the first time, others being killed off with a throwaway line and storylines lasting only a handful of pages.
Ken, Deidre, Mike and Gail get the most amount of page time out of the lot.
I read the second revised edition, you can see where the original version had a nice tied up ending referencing what had gone before, this version just ends in the middle of a storyline giving the impression the writer was only given a set amount of words to add.
Ken, Deidre, Mike and Gail get the most amount of page time out of the lot.
I read the second revised edition, you can see where the original version had a nice tied up ending referencing what had gone before, this version just ends in the middle of a storyline giving the impression the writer was only given a set amount of words to add.
July 29, 2024
This book took me two weeks to read, it definetly is a book you won't want to turn down. Moments in this book left me jaw dropped, tears were shed and even anger was flared. Highly reccomend. One of the best books I've read this year.
January 27, 2019
A Big book over 1,000 pages but interesting as l have watched Corrie for many yrs !!!!!!!!!!
February 7, 2021
A good book to fill in some gaps if you can’t watch Classic Corrie or didn’t watch since the beginning. There are still a lot of gaps and stories left out but only so much can be covered in one book.
July 28, 2012
A great read for those wanting to get into the history of Coronation Street. However, some of the details have been changed to fit from appearance on to page, and if I remember correctly, some of the characters have done things in the book that another character on screen did, this makes it easier for the author, not having to create and describe more characters, and also easier for the the reader so they are not confused by too many characters.
As a die-hard fan, some of things that happened on screen never made it to the book, but then again, if everything was to be included in the book, then it would be twice as long.
The one thing I don't like about the book is that the first edition ended around Millenium Eve, then, subsequent editions have been released, with the whole of the first book but with extra chapters added as the drama continues to unfold.
What I would have ideally liked to have seen is maybe a novelisation for the year or several years, maybe even a decade.
So Coronation Street Saga: Volume 1 (1960-1969)
Coronation Street Saga: Volume 2 (1970-1979)
Coronation Street Saga: Volume 3 (1980-1989)
Coronation Street Saga: Volume 4 (1990-1999)
Coronation Street Saga: Volume 5 (2000-2010)
and so on. This makes it that you can spend more time reading about the past and present characters and also it's not like that as soon as you buy the book, it is out of date.
As a die-hard fan, some of things that happened on screen never made it to the book, but then again, if everything was to be included in the book, then it would be twice as long.
The one thing I don't like about the book is that the first edition ended around Millenium Eve, then, subsequent editions have been released, with the whole of the first book but with extra chapters added as the drama continues to unfold.
What I would have ideally liked to have seen is maybe a novelisation for the year or several years, maybe even a decade.
So Coronation Street Saga: Volume 1 (1960-1969)
Coronation Street Saga: Volume 2 (1970-1979)
Coronation Street Saga: Volume 3 (1980-1989)
Coronation Street Saga: Volume 4 (1990-1999)
Coronation Street Saga: Volume 5 (2000-2010)
and so on. This makes it that you can spend more time reading about the past and present characters and also it's not like that as soon as you buy the book, it is out of date.
June 4, 2011
This book preports to be a novelization of the entire run of the series. It does cover the major plot points, focusing on the very popular and log running characters such as Ken Barlow, Emily Nugent/Bishop, Bet Lynch, Elsie Tanner, Len Fairclough, Rita Littlewood/Fairclough/Sullivan and Gail Potter/Tilsley/Plat/Hillman. Unfortunately they leave out the entire McDonald Clan, not to mention the entire fabulous Battersby clan, who are turned into bit players except for Leanne's involvement with Nicky Platt. This means that one of the best stories of the last few years, the Dennis/Eileen/Janice triangle, is missing. And Mavis is only in the story as a spear carrier. There is no mention of Derek or Arthur the gnome. There are also some factual errors in the book, such as Des Barnes dying of a heart attack, when he, in fact, was murdered.
Overall though, the book is a satisfying read and helps fill in some missing pieces for the new fans, as well as give the long time fan a bit of nostalia.
Overall though, the book is a satisfying read and helps fill in some missing pieces for the new fans, as well as give the long time fan a bit of nostalia.
July 27, 2011
This book preports to be a novelization of the entire run of the series. It does cover the major plot points, focusing on the very popular and log running characters such as Ken Barlow, Emily Nugent/Bishop, Bet Lynch, Elsie Tanner, Len Fairclough, Rita Littlewood/Fairclough/Sullivan and Gail Potter/Tilsley/Plat/Hillman. Unfortunately they leave out the entire McDonald Clan, not to mention the entire fabulous Battersby clan, who are turned into bit players except for Leanne's involvement with Nicky Platt. This means that one of the best stories of the last few years, the Dennis/Eileen/Janice triangle, is missing. And Mavis is only in the story as a spear carrier. There is no mention of Derek or Arthur the gnome. There are also some factual errors in the book, such as Des Barnes dying of a heart attack, when he, in fact, was murdered.
Overall though, the book is a satisfying read and helps fill in some missing pieces for the new fans, as well as give the long time fan a bit of nostalia.
Overall though, the book is a satisfying read and helps fill in some missing pieces for the new fans, as well as give the long time fan a bit of nostalia.
August 2, 2011
This book purports to be a novelization of the entire run of the series. It does cover the major plot points, focusing on the very popular and log running characters such as Ken Barlow, Emily Nugent/Bishop, Bet Lynch, Elsie Tanner, Len Fairclough, Rita Littlewood/Fairclough/Sullivan and Gail Potter/Tilsley/Plat/Hillman. Unfortunately they leave out the entire McDonald Clan, not to mention the entire fabulous Battersby clan, who are turned into bit players except for Leanne's involvement with Nicky Platt. This means that one of the best stories of the last few years, the Dennis/Eileen/Janice triangle, is missing. And Mavis is only in the story as a spear carrier. There is no mention of Derek or Arthur the gnome. There are also some factual errors in the book, such as Des Barnes dying of a heart attack, when he, in fact, was murdered.
Overall though, the book is a satisfying read and helps fill in some missing pieces for the new fans, as well as give the long time fan a bit of nostalgia.
Overall though, the book is a satisfying read and helps fill in some missing pieces for the new fans, as well as give the long time fan a bit of nostalgia.
October 24, 2015
I did enjoy looking back at the various storylines through the years but the format of the book was annoying. I agree with other readers that the author should have done a series of books based on each decade so that ALL the major stories could be covered in some way. A lot of my favourite storylines don't even get a mention! Some of the best characters in the series aren't mentioned.
But my big pet hate is the way the author has changed storylines so that what you read is NOT what happened on screen. I found that so irritating. I'm reading it because I want to read the stories as they unfolded on the show but instead she was making things up, leaving me yelling at the book. What was there, especially the early years was very good but the later years covered were too rushed.
But my big pet hate is the way the author has changed storylines so that what you read is NOT what happened on screen. I found that so irritating. I'm reading it because I want to read the stories as they unfolded on the show but instead she was making things up, leaving me yelling at the book. What was there, especially the early years was very good but the later years covered were too rushed.
November 19, 2011
Wow! As an avid Corrie fan, I enjoyed it. It filled in quite a few gaps for me. A lot of stuff was left out, but at 1100 pages, the tome still packed a punch. It would have been great if there was an insight into some of the rowdiest clans on the street such as the MacDonalds and Battersbys. A good read for Corrie fans.
August 10, 2011
I enjoyed it, it certainly filled in some gaps for me. A lot of stuff was left out but it would have been 10 times longer to mention everything. A good read for Corrie fans.
February 18, 2012
I got this book for my mum for Christmas and I haven't read it yet, but I'm a huge fan of the show so I will hopefully borrow this from her soon so I can read it
Want to read
May 17, 2013No review yet, started this book 2 yrs ago, i really enjoy it but its 1100+ pages, and i get bored easily of the same book!! Will write proper review when i finish it
September 21, 2012
1100 pages of Corrie storylines for the truly addicted.
November 5, 2012
What a great, fast way to catch up on Corrie, for those of us who've only been watching for the past decade or so. Love it!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews