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Description

Tyneside, 1923: Catherine McMullen, or Kitty as she is known, is seventeen, restless and rebellious. After grudgingly attending her mother Kate s marriage to Davie McDermott, she refuses to accept the quiet stoker, and badgers Kate for stories of the father she never knew. Defying her mother, who has always insisted her daughter would never go into service, Catherine takes a job as a lady's companion in a grand house. But her desire to better herself won t be dampened by domestic chores, and, much to the amusement of her fellow staff, Catherine embarks on a programme of self-education. With her new-found knowledge, soon the ill-educated, illegitimate and streetwise Kitty McMullen is a ghost from the past, and Catherine leaves the North-East to make a fresh start. But there will be many hardships and heartaches before the child of Jarrow finally comes home

Reviews

'If anyone can claim to be the new Catherine Cookson then it must surely be Janet MacLeod Trotter...her writing, like Cookson's, can inspire laughter and bring a tear...a story to burn itself into your mind' Northern Echo - Northern Echo

Janet MacLeod Trotter's 'dramatised biography of Catherine Cookson is a triumph... This is a story of warmth and despair, with excellent characterisation...delicate yet strongly woven... Rich in narrative with twists and turns on every page. It touches many raw nerves of human experience. It should satisfy the Cookson addict and those lovers of a good story' Newcastle Journal - Newcastle Journal

'Powerfully and skillfully written and keeps you interested until the end' Sunderland Echo - Sunderland Echo

Author Bio

Janet MacLeod Trotter was born in Newcastle and grew up in Durham. She has been editor of the Clan MacLeod magazine, a columnist on the Newcastle Journal and has had numerous short stories published in women s magazines, as well as a novel for teenagers. She has recently received an award from the Arts Council towards writing a novel for young adults. Her first novel, THE HUNGRY HILLS, gained her a place on the shortlist of The Sunday Times Young Writers Award. She lives in Northumberland with her husband and their two children. Find out more about Janet and her other popular novels at: www.janetmacleodtrotter.com