CATHERINE COOKSON

When fifteen-year-old Cissie Brodie loses her parents to cholera, she is forced out of the family cottage and left to raise her nine siblings alone. Although desperately poor, the strong-willed Cissie determines to build a new home for the Brodies. It is only a rough stone shelter, but to Cissie and her family it is enough to keep them from the workhouse. They have friends, but charity cannot always spare them the harsh reality of their struggle and the bitterness of those who wish them harm. But can love, when it arrives, teach Cissie not to fear the world beyond the dwelling place? Set in ...

Even the approach to Christmas fails to excite restless Agnes Conway, the twenty-two-year-old manager of the sweet and tobacconist shops owned by her feckless father. There are dark secrets in Arthur Conway's past, and these come tragically to light when Agnes' younger sister falls pregnant by one of the notorious Felton brothers. And Agnes herself has a secret, which she knows she must keep from her father: her relationship with Charles Farrier, son of a local landowner, who outrages his own wealthy, pious family by proposing marriage. However Charles is not the only man who could shape Agnes' furture, as his brother Reginald makes no secret of his admiration for her. But she could not have foreseen how significant a part he is to play in her destiny. "The Wingless Bird" is an absorbing story of love and the harsh realities of Britain's class system.

Even in the worst days of the recession, the McQueen family remains upbeat. They watch as their neighbours depart for the workhouse, their last pieces of furniture carted off by the bailiffs. But even though there might not be much on the table, the McQueen house constantly echoes with laughter. This is what keeps them strong - when all else fails, you can always laugh. Like many of the residents of the Fifteen Streets, the McQueens are as blunt as they are big-hearted. They are opinionated, and speak with no holds barred if anyone dare go against social convention. So imagine their shock when Bridget McQueen brings home her African husband. "Colour Blind" is an absorbing story of prejudice, racial tension and family feuding in the 1920s, from one of Britain's most skilled storytellers.

Set against backgrounds of the north-east, the south coast and London, and ranging in time from the 1920s to the present day, here are ten stories from the pen of the incomparable Catherine Cookson. In these compelling tales we discover once again the magical storytelling ability that has made Catherine Cookson one of the world's most popular writers. A husband is forced to re-examine his family relationships; life behind the scenes in a department store is revealed; friendship blossoms in the London Underground during the Blitz. And in an ambitious set of three stories, Cookson traces the changes she has witnessed during her life in the way we view marriage and pregnancy. The stories in this new collection have all the qualities that Catherine Cookson's admirers have enjoyed in her earlier books, and they will introduce her readers to a whole new gallery of true-to-life characters.

On the face of it, Hannah and Humphrey Drayton were happily married. But after years of tyranny and loneliness, Hannah could no longer bear the stuffy City broker. The only relief she had was every Thursday evening, when Humphrey played bridge, and at the weekends, which he told her he spent with elderly relatives. In despair Hannah took refuge in her writing, despite Humphrey's ridicule, and a visit to a publisher's office changed her life. There she met David Craventon, whom she began to think of as her Thursday friend. They would meet and talk and visit the theatre or the cinema. At first Humphrey knew nothing of Hannah's 'other life' but even when he became aware that she was seeing someone else, his thoughts of revenge were frustrated by a secret of his own. Then an event occurred that was to destroy all Humphrey's prospects, causing him to plan a bitter retaliation for what he regarded as his wife's betrayal. And before very long, Hannah's Thursday friend was also to become her saviour.

There were many who said that Riley appeared to be older than his years. He finished school at an early age, leaving a harsh childhood behind him, brimful of optimism and secure in the knowledge that his teacher, Fred Beardsley, had faith in him. Neither of them could have envisaged at the time how their lives would be intertwined. Fred encouraged Riley, a gifted mimic, when he was offered a position at The Little Palace Theatre in Fellburn. And then Riley surprised Fred by forming a close friendship with leading lady, Nyrene Forbes-Mason, who was nurturing his burgeoning talent as an actor. What Riley hadn't told him was that he had great hopes of the relationship developing into something more. Over the subsequent years, Fred observed with amazement Riley's rise to fame and fortune. As for his relationship with Nyrene, that did indeed change although not in the way that Riley had envisaged.

Matty is fifteen and is leaving school in a few weeks' time. He wants to work with animals, and would like to get a job on a farm. But his parents say he's too young to leave home - he must stay in the town and get a job in ship-building, like his father. They also say he can't go on a camping holiday with his friends. And they say he can't keep his dog, Nelson, because Nelson barks all day and eats his father's shoes. But it is because of Nelson that Matty finds a new life ...

As soon as she saw Shekinah Hall on the wild moorlands near Hexham, Constance Stapleton was attracted to it. With her marriage to Jim on the brink of collapse, Connie sensed that the move would initiate the separation from Jim she knew was inevitable. Connie was told she must negotiate with Vincent O'Connor if she wanted to buy the house, although his abrupt manner took her by surprise. She was to discover that mystery was a way of life for Vincent and began to rely on him increasingly as she settled into her new routine. However, when shocking revelations about her husband came to light, she realised that her life at Shekinah could be under threat…