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Our Kate: Catherine Cookson, her personal story
Catherine Cookson novels are set in and around the northeast of England, past and present. This, her autobiography, makes plain how it is she knows her background and her characters so well. The Kate of the title is not Catherine Cookson, but her mother. OUR KATE is about living with hardship and poverty. The story is told from the viewpoint of a highly sensitive child, later the mature woman, whose zest for life and unquenchable sense of humor made Catherine Cookson a warm, engaging writer.
238 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
37 people are currently reading
428 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Cookson
501 books686 followersCatherine 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
October 13, 2020
Our Kate is perhaps the best book I've read this year and certainly one of the best autobiographies I've ever come across. The reason why it took me so long to read this book is because it was so filled with different emotions, meanings and meditations. Some paragraphs I had to read very slowly so I can decipher the meaning intended. This book does not only a fantastic job of transporting us back to a certain historical time and place but also manages to capture the heart and soul of its characters. The psychological portrayal of Catherine Cookson and her family is amazingly detailed but very warm at the same time. Her family members (her mother, aunt and uncle, grandma and grandpa) feel like real people. Even those individuals that are seldom mentioned seem convincing and well rounded. This book is not a light read but it is a very meaningful one. The topics this book touches on (such as alcoholism, cruelty, domestic abuse, depression, miscarriages, illegitimate or unwanted children, extreme poorness) are extremely hard to read about at times. However, there is such sincerity to Catherine's writing that it is find to put down this book, no matter how depressive it gets at times.
The only time I ever remember being so touched and impressed by an autobiography was when I read A Portrait of an Artist As a Young Man. Like Joyce's famous book, this one is a literary autobiography. Plus, it's really the only autobiography I can compare this book with. It is seldom that one comes across a book that feels so thoroughly honest and authentic. Our Kate is a book about the mother of Catherine Cookson, but it is just as much about Catherine Cookson herself. In many ways, it is a book about a troubled relationship between an alcoholic mother and an illegitimate daughter. The author showed with perfect clarity the horrible reality of growing up and living with an alcoholic and yet at the same time, Catherine did not demonize her mother but showed her as a person with weaknesses and strengths. At one point in the novel, when Catherine descends into depression, she realized how much hate she has gathered against her mother. In a way, it is her mother that was the reason for her mental breakdown as the years of worrying about her took their toll. Still, despite everything their bond remains strong. I was glad that Kate (the mother) found peace at the end. I hope Catherine the writer did too. If this book is any judge, Catherine was definitely an inspiring and brave woman and a wonderful human being.
The only time I ever remember being so touched and impressed by an autobiography was when I read A Portrait of an Artist As a Young Man. Like Joyce's famous book, this one is a literary autobiography. Plus, it's really the only autobiography I can compare this book with. It is seldom that one comes across a book that feels so thoroughly honest and authentic. Our Kate is a book about the mother of Catherine Cookson, but it is just as much about Catherine Cookson herself. In many ways, it is a book about a troubled relationship between an alcoholic mother and an illegitimate daughter. The author showed with perfect clarity the horrible reality of growing up and living with an alcoholic and yet at the same time, Catherine did not demonize her mother but showed her as a person with weaknesses and strengths. At one point in the novel, when Catherine descends into depression, she realized how much hate she has gathered against her mother. In a way, it is her mother that was the reason for her mental breakdown as the years of worrying about her took their toll. Still, despite everything their bond remains strong. I was glad that Kate (the mother) found peace at the end. I hope Catherine the writer did too. If this book is any judge, Catherine was definitely an inspiring and brave woman and a wonderful human being.
February 10, 2017
Cookson's real life story is every bit as riveting as her historical fiction. Born illegitimate in poverty, through hard work she eventually escapes her drunken household as maid, laundress, landlady, marries in 1940, suffers mental and physical illnesses before publishing the first of her prolific output of novels in 1950 at age 46.
May 28, 2018
Catherine who was an illegitimate child of an alcoholic mother lived her childhood in poverty. She was ashamed of her illegitimacy, her mother's alcoholism and the odd jobs she had to do as a child to help the house run. This book is her real story written from the heart. There is ugliness of poverty, grimness of harsh reality, helplessness of a child suffering from the torments caused by the unbecoming behaviour of others. Misery of life and the anguish that is intertwined in it with occasional glimpses of joy is written in black in white in this book as best as the limitations of language can allow. Could she write it better ? No. What is written with honesty speaks for itself and cannot be improved.
July 28, 2014
Heartwrenching, heartwarming, at times hard to read but you can't seem to put it down. You will definately need at least one box of tissues nearby. This is the autobiography of Catherine Cookson. It is the key to where all of the marvelous characters and the rich backgrounds in her novels came from. A "must read" for any Catherine Cookson fan!
February 15, 2017
A fascinating insight in to the authors life.
Although she had a very hard upbringing and faced so many tough challenges what makes this book special is the mention of how the certain events/situations inspired which novels. A must for any fan.
Although she had a very hard upbringing and faced so many tough challenges what makes this book special is the mention of how the certain events/situations inspired which novels. A must for any fan.
March 12, 2014
Just arrived from Perth, Australia through BM.
This is the autobiography of Catherine Cookson showing how hard was her life since she was very young. It should be noticed that the title refers to her mother since her own life was strongly influenced by "Our Kate".
Loreto at St Helens Park Road used to be owned by Catherine Cookson.
Page 45:
"I must have started going for the beer (for her mother - Our Kate) when I was seven."
Page 62
"One night I went into the kitchen and said to our Kate, "What's a bax…tard, Kate?" She looked at me. "A bax…tard? What do you mean? A bax…tard?""
Page 78
"The outcome of my nerve-racking experience was my fourth novel, Maggie Rowan."
Page 109
"I remember very distinctly the day in nineteen hundred and fourteen when the First World War broke out. I sat a long while on the slack bank looking across the timbers over the gut to where the ships were passing up and down the river. I was waiting for the battle to begin - I couldn't understand why they were so long about it."
Page 183
"I remember an old lady asking me now I had become educated since I had apparently been working from an early age and was now working in a laundry."
Page 209
"After the loss of my first baby in St Albans I discovered, while forced to lie in bed, I could draw."
Page 225
"I knew that I was going to make money out of this book (Kate Hannigan), thousands and thousands. You read in the papers about the money authors made, look at Somerset Maugham. Why not Catherine Cookson?"
4* Feathers in the Fire
5* Katie Mulholland
4* The Mallen Streak
5* The Black Velvet Gown
4* Tilly Trotter
5* Tilly Trotter Wed
4* Our Kate
TR Tilly Trotter Widowed
TR Tilly Alone
TR The Mallen Girl
TR The Mallen Litter
TR The Rag Nymph
TR The Fifteen Streets
TR The Maltese Angel
This is the autobiography of Catherine Cookson showing how hard was her life since she was very young. It should be noticed that the title refers to her mother since her own life was strongly influenced by "Our Kate".
Loreto at St Helens Park Road used to be owned by Catherine Cookson.
Page 45:
"I must have started going for the beer (for her mother - Our Kate) when I was seven."
Page 62
"One night I went into the kitchen and said to our Kate, "What's a bax…tard, Kate?" She looked at me. "A bax…tard? What do you mean? A bax…tard?""
Page 78
"The outcome of my nerve-racking experience was my fourth novel, Maggie Rowan."
Page 109
"I remember very distinctly the day in nineteen hundred and fourteen when the First World War broke out. I sat a long while on the slack bank looking across the timbers over the gut to where the ships were passing up and down the river. I was waiting for the battle to begin - I couldn't understand why they were so long about it."
Page 183
"I remember an old lady asking me now I had become educated since I had apparently been working from an early age and was now working in a laundry."
Page 209
"After the loss of my first baby in St Albans I discovered, while forced to lie in bed, I could draw."
Page 225
"I knew that I was going to make money out of this book (Kate Hannigan), thousands and thousands. You read in the papers about the money authors made, look at Somerset Maugham. Why not Catherine Cookson?"
4* Feathers in the Fire
5* Katie Mulholland
4* The Mallen Streak
5* The Black Velvet Gown
4* Tilly Trotter
5* Tilly Trotter Wed
4* Our Kate
TR Tilly Trotter Widowed
TR Tilly Alone
TR The Mallen Girl
TR The Mallen Litter
TR The Rag Nymph
TR The Fifteen Streets
TR The Maltese Angel
January 30, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This is a delightfully told auto biography of Katie McMullen/ Catherine Cookson's own life. Her young life filled with dire poverty, her mother's drinking problems plus the stigma imposed on her for being the daughter of a single parent. Her young life surprised me quite a bit and the health problems she endured during her life, it is amazing that she was able to climb to such fame. I'm certainly glad that she had the drive that she possessed as I have just about read every single one of her novels, only a few left to go.
January 21, 2013
This autobiography by Catherine Cookson is a wonderful insight into both her early life and life in the North East of England during a very difficult period. It is hard to image having to deal with some of the things she did and to write about it (many decades later) with such frankness is a wonderful record and testament to a great writer.
February 29, 2008
If you've never read this, then please get a copy - one of the most heart-rending books I ever read - it made me cry!!
May 14, 2020
If you're a fan of Catherine Cooksons books , you'll love this frank account of her family , the challenges they faced and where she grew up.
August 26, 2022
4 stars - English hardcover
Review follows later.
Review follows later.
February 6, 2017
Our Kate is an honest and extremely interesting auotbiography from prolific British author, Catherine Cookson. It is amazing the life that some people have led, and Cookson's is definitely a "rags to riches - all through her own hard work" story!
Catherine Cookson overcame many obstacles, including: a childhood of deprivation and poverty, her illegitimacy and the problems that caused for her, the instability caused by the alcoholism of the adults responsible for raising her, and later her own battles with mental and physical illnesses.
Cookson's achievements considering those struggles are nothing less than astounding - she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1993, she was a very generous philanthropist in the fields of medicine and education (and the philanthropy continues in the UK through the ongoing work of the Catherine Cookson Trust), and some of her books (of which there are close to 100!) have been filmed for British television, including The Gambling Man starring one of my favorites, a young Robson Green (check it out on YouTube)!
In Catherine Cookson's case, truth is definitely as intriguing, if not more so, than fiction!
Catherine Cookson overcame many obstacles, including: a childhood of deprivation and poverty, her illegitimacy and the problems that caused for her, the instability caused by the alcoholism of the adults responsible for raising her, and later her own battles with mental and physical illnesses.
Cookson's achievements considering those struggles are nothing less than astounding - she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1993, she was a very generous philanthropist in the fields of medicine and education (and the philanthropy continues in the UK through the ongoing work of the Catherine Cookson Trust), and some of her books (of which there are close to 100!) have been filmed for British television, including The Gambling Man starring one of my favorites, a young Robson Green (check it out on YouTube)!
In Catherine Cookson's case, truth is definitely as intriguing, if not more so, than fiction!
August 30, 2013
I am a fan of Catherine Cookson's books, which is what led me to read this book.
A fascinating book, really great read. I almost forgot this was non-fiction as Catherine was so much like the characters in her wonderful books.
A fascinating book, really great read. I almost forgot this was non-fiction as Catherine was so much like the characters in her wonderful books.
August 29, 2014
I love Catherine Cookson books,but this auto biography was one sad account of her life. I am anxious to read some of her books now with this account in mind -- to see how her personal life peeks thru in her fictional characters.
Read
October 2, 2010It was very interesting to learn of how the author started and of the struggles she faced in her life.
March 5, 2011
Her life was every bit as harrowing as that of the characters of her imagination
June 23, 2016
Inspirational tale of Catherine Cookson's life, from her poor beginnings to her happy later life as a married woman and author.
April 19, 2019
Based on her life, very sad.
February 5, 2024
Having just read Kate Hannigan, Cookson's first novel based on her mother, it was a good time to follow with her memoir published nineteen years later. Our Kate emphasizes the author's relationship with her alcoholic mother that was tumultuous at best. It's not difficult to understand Kate's substance dependency having been undermined and beaten within her family, who were also dependent on her; nonetheless, her addiction took a serious toll on her daughter. Up until age 7, Catherine thought Kate was her sister, and her grandparents were her father and mother. Cookson includes some nice things to say about Kate; still, I got the impression she was a bit more generous in describing her mother than was actual.
Born in 1906, Cookson's childhood was spent in abject poverty living in Tyne Dock in North East England. The last name on her birth certificate was Davies, the name of her biological father who had disappeared, and she never knew. Oddly, she didn't use her mother's name, Fawcett, but instead was known as McMullen, her step grandfather's name. I suppose that implied legitimacy. She describes the arduous early family conditions she lived in and then in later years holding laborious jobs and persevering through two wartimes. She explains what led to becoming a writer up to publishing Kate Hannigan in 1950.
Suffice it to say Cookson's identity and desire to be a writer was influenced primarily by the stigma of her illegitimacy, intense guilt feelings associated with Catholicism, and the angst and shame of family alcoholism and abuse, common themes in her books. Ongoing fears and pressures led to her mental and physical breakdowns, most notably coping with Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia, an inherited vascular disease that plagued her all her life with dire effects and not diagnosed until late middle age. She surmised she inherited the condition from her biological father. That was later confirmed by a biographer who tracked him down in the records and interviewed his family relations in Scotland and elsewhere and discovered the disease had affected other members. It's curious that Catherine had evidently not followed through with researching this herself.
She also inherited high intelligence, imagination, multiple talents, and an intense work ethic (constant work and projects may have served as a distraction from her on-going problems?). It's surprising she achieved so many different things throughout her life while constantly dealing with ill health, bad luck, and depression yet she lived to age 91. Despite horrendous challenges and emotional anxieties, Cookson could also be positive with a cheerful sense of humor. Her stressful family was always problematic, but she seemed able to recognize and appreciate their good qualities as well as the bad, and also acknowledge she was an unusual and challenging kid. More amazing was her husband Tom, who so patiently supported his wife's ambitions and quirks throughout her physical and mental difficulties. It was a happy marriage until she died in 1998.
Cookson must have had a photographic memory since she tells her experiences in such vivid detail with objectivity and thoughtfulness. Her communication style was engaging, so no wonder Dame Catherine was so popular and captured imagination. Needless to say, her life story is an interesting one and reminds us to be grateful for how societal conditions have vastly improved in the last 100+ years. Recommended memoir.
Later note: I accessed some past articles that said there have been doubts about some things Cookson said about herself, and it's likely she did not reveal certain aspects. There was speculation "masculine." Nan and Catherine had been lovers, which may have continued even after she met and married Tom. Catherine said they loved each other as friends but denied they had a sexual relationship. She indicated Nan was jealous of her marriage and spread rumors about the author's supposed checkered past, which Cookson also denied. Some thought Nan's allegations (i.e., the letters) may have contained some truth in that Catherine did have an affair with a married man before and possibly several. I suppose a former lesbian relationship could explain Nan's vindictive behavior and Cookson's odd obligation toward her over the years. In addition, biographer Kathleen Jones (I've not read her book) evidently concludes Catherine was not physically abused by her step grandfather who loved her. However, when drunk , he sexually harass Kate after Rose died. Jack also harassed Kate and probably did have sex with her. He allegedly also approached Catherine on a couple of occasions, but she put him off. There are also speculations that Catherine was sexually abused by her mother. If so, it could explain why she hated her mother so much besides the drinking. If that were true, I would lose any sympathy I may have had for Kate and her problems. Cookson's goal was to be open and honest about herself, but these revelations would have been toxic. I expect those speculations were/are familiar in Britain about their famous author, and I wish I'd been aware of them before reading the various memoirs. There appears a certain logic to these theories, but could it have just been salacious stories to generate public interest and sell books after her death? It seems to be working on my curiosities even now. However, if any of this were true, it doesn't diminish the relevancy of the author's rags to riches achievements and put light on the conditions of the poor in the twentieth century. We are left with just Catherine Cookson's word as to how things really happened in her life.
Born in 1906, Cookson's childhood was spent in abject poverty living in Tyne Dock in North East England. The last name on her birth certificate was Davies, the name of her biological father who had disappeared, and she never knew. Oddly, she didn't use her mother's name, Fawcett, but instead was known as McMullen, her step grandfather's name. I suppose that implied legitimacy. She describes the arduous early family conditions she lived in and then in later years holding laborious jobs and persevering through two wartimes. She explains what led to becoming a writer up to publishing Kate Hannigan in 1950.
Suffice it to say Cookson's identity and desire to be a writer was influenced primarily by the stigma of her illegitimacy, intense guilt feelings associated with Catholicism, and the angst and shame of family alcoholism and abuse, common themes in her books. Ongoing fears and pressures led to her mental and physical breakdowns, most notably coping with Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia, an inherited vascular disease that plagued her all her life with dire effects and not diagnosed until late middle age. She surmised she inherited the condition from her biological father. That was later confirmed by a biographer who tracked him down in the records and interviewed his family relations in Scotland and elsewhere and discovered the disease had affected other members. It's curious that Catherine had evidently not followed through with researching this herself.
She also inherited high intelligence, imagination, multiple talents, and an intense work ethic (constant work and projects may have served as a distraction from her on-going problems?). It's surprising she achieved so many different things throughout her life while constantly dealing with ill health, bad luck, and depression yet she lived to age 91. Despite horrendous challenges and emotional anxieties, Cookson could also be positive with a cheerful sense of humor. Her stressful family was always problematic, but she seemed able to recognize and appreciate their good qualities as well as the bad, and also acknowledge she was an unusual and challenging kid. More amazing was her husband Tom, who so patiently supported his wife's ambitions and quirks throughout her physical and mental difficulties. It was a happy marriage until she died in 1998.
Cookson must have had a photographic memory since she tells her experiences in such vivid detail with objectivity and thoughtfulness. Her communication style was engaging, so no wonder Dame Catherine was so popular and captured imagination. Needless to say, her life story is an interesting one and reminds us to be grateful for how societal conditions have vastly improved in the last 100+ years. Recommended memoir.
Later note: I accessed some past articles that said there have been doubts about some things Cookson said about herself, and it's likely she did not reveal certain aspects. There was speculation "masculine." Nan and Catherine had been lovers, which may have continued even after she met and married Tom. Catherine said they loved each other as friends but denied they had a sexual relationship. She indicated Nan was jealous of her marriage and spread rumors about the author's supposed checkered past, which Cookson also denied. Some thought Nan's allegations (i.e., the letters) may have contained some truth in that Catherine did have an affair with a married man before and possibly several. I suppose a former lesbian relationship could explain Nan's vindictive behavior and Cookson's odd obligation toward her over the years. In addition, biographer Kathleen Jones (I've not read her book) evidently concludes Catherine was not physically abused by her step grandfather who loved her. However, when drunk , he sexually harass Kate after Rose died. Jack also harassed Kate and probably did have sex with her. He allegedly also approached Catherine on a couple of occasions, but she put him off. There are also speculations that Catherine was sexually abused by her mother. If so, it could explain why she hated her mother so much besides the drinking. If that were true, I would lose any sympathy I may have had for Kate and her problems. Cookson's goal was to be open and honest about herself, but these revelations would have been toxic. I expect those speculations were/are familiar in Britain about their famous author, and I wish I'd been aware of them before reading the various memoirs. There appears a certain logic to these theories, but could it have just been salacious stories to generate public interest and sell books after her death? It seems to be working on my curiosities even now. However, if any of this were true, it doesn't diminish the relevancy of the author's rags to riches achievements and put light on the conditions of the poor in the twentieth century. We are left with just Catherine Cookson's word as to how things really happened in her life.
January 13, 2023
My grandmother and even her mother were obsessed with Cookson so I picked up their very tattered old copies of Cookson novels at their house at a young age and read her work into my early teens. She was a bit formulaic in terms of plot lines, but her attention to the lives of the urban Northern English poor in some of her best work was unusual for a popular historical novelist. It was a real act of memory reactivation to read this memoir and it is mind-blowing the degree to which Cookson appears to have drawn from her own background in her work. I'd recommend this if you are nostalgic about Cookson's novels too
August 25, 2022
5 stars, What makes us who we are
OUR KATE: CATHERINE COOKSON, HER PERSONAL STORY
by Catherine Cookson
This is the raw story of little Katie McMullen and her mother Our Kate whom little Katie was brought up to think that Our Kate was her sister, not her mother. Little Katie had a hard early life because she was illegitimate and people were unkind to the less fortunate in the early 1910s and beyond. Katie was forced to do things she was scared of and really didn't want to do, but there were no children's advocates back then.
Catherine Cookson was blessed with a large, caring heart. This translates itself into her stories. I've loved her novels since I discovered her books in 1994. She will always be a favorite author of mine.
Highly recommend it, especially if you like Catherine Cookson's novels.
OUR KATE: CATHERINE COOKSON, HER PERSONAL STORY
by Catherine Cookson
This is the raw story of little Katie McMullen and her mother Our Kate whom little Katie was brought up to think that Our Kate was her sister, not her mother. Little Katie had a hard early life because she was illegitimate and people were unkind to the less fortunate in the early 1910s and beyond. Katie was forced to do things she was scared of and really didn't want to do, but there were no children's advocates back then.
Catherine Cookson was blessed with a large, caring heart. This translates itself into her stories. I've loved her novels since I discovered her books in 1994. She will always be a favorite author of mine.
Highly recommend it, especially if you like Catherine Cookson's novels.
July 17, 2017
Kind of skimmed this one but it's a pretty interesting depiction of poverty in northeastern England circa 1910-1930. I know Cookson as the author of pretty ridiculous bodice rippers so it's interesting to see her sincere struggle for a literary education.
March 18, 2017
CC has a real knack for storytelling and her autobiography gets the full treatment.
February 18, 2023
Katherine Cookson's autobiography, definitely a good read..
June 7, 2012
A fascinating life. She experieneced some very hard times and I'm sure this experience is what gave her the most amazing ability to conjure up so many stories.
June 8, 2012
I love true storied
June 13, 2012
Can't remember when I read this, but I started reading Catherine Cookson in the 1980's. She also wrote under the name of Catherine Marchant.
October 16, 2016
Her autobiography ~ wonderful book
April 19, 2021
somewhat disturbing story of the author's life but certainly sheds light on the backgrounds for many of her novels. I wish I could speak to her in person.
April 19, 2022
I read this as a young teen & enjoyed it at the time.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews