Fenwick Houses

by Catherine Cookson

A novel set in a mining town featuring a girl blessed - or cursed - with the indefinable appeal that drives men to the brink of obsession. Three men dominated her life, until one day a stranger, came to the river bank near her home and she found herself changed beyond recall.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

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

[Noella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wat een triest boek. Het is het levensverhaal van Christine Winter, een mooi meisje dat opgroeit in de mijnstreken in Engeland. Van in haar prille jeugd zijn de drie belangrijkste mannen in haar leven: haar broer Ronnie, die ook wel ogen in zijn hoofd heeft en ziet hoe mooi zijn zus is. Het komt zelfs zo ver dat Christine angstig wordt als hij 's avonds naar haar kamer komt om een praatje te maken. Ze beseft dat zijn gedrag aan het abnormale grenst.
Dan is er Don Dowling, een buurjongen van Christine. Don heeft een erg dominant karakter en is vast van plan Christine tot de zijne te maken. Hij deinst voor niets terug. Uiteindelijk probeert hij zelfs de dochter van Christine, Constance, in zijn klauwen te krijgen.
En dan is er Sam, de jongere broer van Don, die Christine in stilte aanbidt. Sam is een rustige jongen, en Christine kan altijd op hem rekenen, zelfs als er verschrikkelijke dingen gebeuren. In feite is het juist dàn dat Sam zijn onvoorwaardelijke toewijding toont.
Tijdens de oorlog maakt de jonge Christine een verschrikkelijke fout. Ze geeft zich aan een jongen, Martin, en wordt zwanger. Bij hun ontmoeting waren ze echter betrapt door pater Ellis, en Martin was op de vlucht geslagen. De pater doet nasporingen naar hem, maar hij is nergens te vinden.
Zo wordt Constance dus geboren, en de reputatie van Christine is naar de maan. Zelfs dan laat Don haar niet met rust. Hij doet echt verachtelijke dingen. En Christine kan dit allemaal aan niemand vertellen. Ze heeft wel een vriendin, Mollie, maar die tracht haar leven te vullen met plezier maken. Ze laat Christine ook kennis maken met alcohol, en Christine vindt soelaas in de drank....
Hoewel het geen verhaal is van 'ze leefden nog lang en gelukkig', zorgt Sam er wel voor dat Christine eindelijk van haar nemesis verlost raakt.

Het verhaal is zo goed geschreven dat je echt kan meeleven met Christine, het is echt erg om te lezen hoe een vrolijk maar naïef jong meisje zo in haar ongeluk kan lopen en het van kwaad naar erger gaat. Ook het harde leven van de mijnwerkers en de invloed van de oorlog op de mensen uit het stadje zijn pakkend beschreven.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three men love Christine. Don't you hate when that happens!

[Shirley Revill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of Catherine Cookson better books but still a good read.

[Mookie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started off so beautiful and so dreamy. At first I wondered if it was a Cookson book, because in many ways it lacked a lot of her trademarks. And there was so much attention paid to the descriptors- it felt like she paid a lot of attention to the small details here. Turns out this is one of her earlier books. The first half of the book just swept me away. The second half I could have done without. I suppose the theme of this book is about the ugliness to beauty, of a woman oppressed by male attention, and how the male gaze can distort beauty into something that belongs outside of oneself.

Spoilers below.

* It was hard to believe badly about Ronnie. But I understand how Cookson was trying to relay the intense anxieties over subtle tensions in something as horribly dynamic and uncomfortable as incestuous abuse. Ronnie's demise was incredibly quick - I supposed he was just a stock character to express the domination of the male gaze in Christine's life.

* I read this like a week ago and I've completely forgotten who she ended up with. The neighbours brother? Totally forgettable character.

* As awfully pervasive and insidious as Don was described in the first half of the book, he fell considerably flat in the second half.

* I really hate Cookson books where the story fast-forwards like fifteen years and the problems begin anew with the protagonists child. She's done this often and it's simply not something I enjoy.

* I really feel bad for Christine's dad. His beautiful life falls apart when his wife dies, his son dies, his daughter gets pregnant twice in a time where reputations are ruined, and his daughter eventually becomes an angry, partying alcoholic.

* I simply don't enjoy stories when I don't like the characters. When Christine fell into irresponsible alcoholism, I appreciated her journey of recovery, but I was also just tapping my feet, impatient for the book to be over. Christine felt like a wasted life.

Definitely being re-donated!

[Ann Binnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

First half was good, beautiful Christine realising she’s beautiful and so all the men are after her (basically Don thinks he owns her). But by the second half it’s all too fast paced: falls in love, things happen, the war happens, and now it’s 10 years later! By the end I felt characters were left unfinished (like Mollie, or Christine’s dad, or Aunt Phillis!). Also, back to the first half, I didn’t feel Ronnie was as threatening as he was meant to be put across.

Not my favourite of Catherine Cookson’s but was still worth reading the once.

[Shirley Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book by a great author. This is surely one of Catherine's finest pieces of work and it's only set around two houses, two families and a handful of main characters. How she was able to produce such a fantastic story is awe-inspiring.

[Christine Jackman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Catherine Cookson's characters. This story was a little depressing because the main character, Christine, was unable or unwilling to defend herself against anyone, and her reputation and life were destroyed as a result. I guess it is a product of the era in which it was written, that women were expected to be meek and have the men around them defend them instead, but Christine wouldn't even tell her father, brother, or friend when she was being attacked. Almost the polar opposite personality as Mary Ann Shaughnessy, of the Mary Ann series.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the first half of the book. Christine was a likeable, lovely child but as the novel progressed I became more and more irritated by her. Her obsession of Martin seemed unreal to me. Possibly her small world and life in her times contributed to this, but for whatever reason, she seemed weak. This didn’t stop me from wanting to finish the book though. The characters were well done. My favourites were Sam and Christine’s Mom.

[Glenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book did not disappoint.

Written in true Cookson style. Another of her books hard to put down. Brothers Sam and Don and a mother who showed favoritism to the oldest. Then the sudden change in Christine. She must have been so lonely. Her parents were good people but I think they Christine too much responsibility.

[Cheryll · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've given this book 4 stars - because it was a real page turner but... so sad and depressing!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whats not to like about Catherine Cookson books.

[Terry Filkohazi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both Ronnie and Don are deceased so now Christine can marry Sam.

[Bridget Shubrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book different to her usual ones. Starts at the end & tells the character's story of her memories growing up, and to present day. Enjoyed it, but a little depressing.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books I just can't stop reading...one scene leads to another and it's hard to not impossible to find a stopping point, or a point to stop to deal with life!
Engrossing and thrilling writer!

[aconstellationoftomes · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story begins with an intriguing premise, but it ultimately didn't fully capture my attention.

The protagonist, Christine, is burdened with a beauty that drives men to obsession, a curse that profoundly disrupts her life. The exploration of "the ugly side of beauty" adds a thought-provoking layer to the narrative.

Initially, I found it difficult to immerse myself in the story or connect with the characters. Furthermore, this book is definitely a product of its time. However, my interest piqued in the latter half, particularly when Christine is grown up and going through it. The characters, flawed and messy, lend authenticity to the tale. Yet, Christine's intense connection with Martin feels implausible given her personality and the ending feels somewhat rushed.

In summary, the story has its compelling moments and offers an interesting exploration of its themes, but it fell short of fully engaging me.

[Barbra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the author's earlier books - although good I prefer her later books.

Back Cover Blurb:
A novel set in a mining town featuring a girl blessed - or cursed - with the indefinable appeal that drives men to the brink of obsession. Three men dominated her life, until one day a stranger came to the river bank near her home and she found herself changed beyond recall.

[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.

[Lilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favourite cookson book.
It all seemed a bit ''grimy'' rather than a girl overcoming battles, I think mostly because the theme was the same throughout.

[Lynn Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

First published in 1960.

[Lu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read years ago and liked it.