The Black Velvet Gown (Soundings/12 Audio Cassettes)

Rating:
Summary: pleasantly surprising
Review: I picked this book up for 50 cents at a library used book sale. I read it on a whim and was so enchanted with it, i couldn't put it down until finished. I found myself at work, wondering about what would happend to Riah when I got home and started to read it again.
The story: Recently widowed Riah picks up her four children in search of work in the 1830's. She finds herself housekeeper and caretaker to an eccentric single master. He teaches her four children, not only to read, but all the classical learning well above their class level. It brings more trouble..... i don't want to give away the story, but i didn't think all that happened in the 1830's. Catherine Cookson made me believe.
Definately a good read.... a little sappy because i guess eveything kind of ends for the most part happily.

Rating:
Summary: pleasantly surprising
Review: I picked this book up for 50 cents at a library used book sale. I read it on a whim and was so enchanted with it, i couldn't put it down until finished. I found myself at work, wondering about what would happend to Riah when I got home and started to read it again.
The story: Recently widowed Riah picks up her four children in search of work in the 1830's. She finds herself housekeeper and caretaker to an eccentric single master. He teaches her four children, not only to read, but all the classical learning well above their class level. It brings more trouble..... i don't want to give away the story, but i didn't think all that happened in the 1830's. Catherine Cookson made me believe.
Definately a good read.... a little sappy because i guess eveything kind of ends for the most part happily.

Rating:
Summary: Never judge a Cookson story by its cover!
Review: I suppose that dear reader could stereotype this novel and question why a man would read it. Considering the title and all, I guess that's a classic case of judging the book by its cover, isn't it? Because the title doesn't contain, the words "Kill," "Maim," "Suspect," "Massacre," etc., it's likely that this story would be easily missed. I'm glad that I don't fall for all of that stereotypical hype.

A young woman with four children finds herself widowed in a small mining town in England. She and her children are somewhat literate, being that they can read some and write their names. This particular talent seems threatening to her peers and she is treated as somewhat of an outcast. Finding little compassion for her loss, she is forced to uproot and go into the next town in search of a means to support herself and her family. She takes up residence as a housekeeper in the country manor of a reclusive gentleman who eventually teaches her children to read and write and introduces them to the finer things in life. But always at a price, we quickly observe.

Being the second Cookson book that I've been lucky enough to read, I can admit that she remains consistent. She chooses England in the early 1800's as her setting. Her characters speak (through her words) in that Queen's English that seems to be adopted by people of what was considered a low position on the social ladder. Reading this book was like learning a foreign language, but in an enjoyable way.

The best part about Cookson's writing is that she doesn't place all of her efforts in making the reader second guess what is going to happen. She doesn't present a mystery, murder, or crisis of some kind that would be clearly considered point "A" and spend the entire story leading the characters and the reader in the direction of point "B." If these points do exist in her efforts, the reader isn't aware of it. We just follow along with the story and read about someone's life. Life for most of us is not just a matter of getting from "A" to "B," where someone on the outside (such as dear reader) knows how we'll get from one place to the other.

I'm still trying to reconcile the title of the story, since the actual "black velvet gown" seemed like such an insignificant role in the story. But then again, I couldn't think of a better title that didn't sound like a cliché. Maybe it's this sort of literary obscurity that makes me want to read the rest of Cookson's work. I assure you that I'll read more and recommend that dear reader do the same.

Rating:
Summary: Never judge a Cookson story by its cover!
Review: I suppose that dear reader could stereotype this novel and question why a man would read it. Considering the title and all, I guess that's a classic case of judging the book by its cover, isn't it? Because the title doesn't contain, the words "Kill," "Maim," "Suspect," "Massacre," etc., it's likely that this story would be easily missed. I'm glad that I don't fall for all of that stereotypical hype.

A young woman with four children finds herself widowed in a small mining town in England. She and her children are somewhat literate, being that they can read some and write their names. This particular talent seems threatening to her peers and she is treated as somewhat of an outcast. Finding little compassion for her loss, she is forced to uproot and go into the next town in search of a means to support herself and her family. She takes up residence as a housekeeper in the country manor of a reclusive gentleman who eventually teaches her children to read and write and introduces them to the finer things in life. But always at a price, we quickly observe.

Being the second Cookson book that I've been lucky enough to read, I can admit that she remains consistent. She chooses England in the early 1800's as her setting. Her characters speak (through her words) in that Queen's English that seems to be adopted by people of what was considered a low position on the social ladder. Reading this book was like learning a foreign language, but in an enjoyable way.

The best part about Cookson's writing is that she doesn't place all of her efforts in making the reader second guess what is going to happen. She doesn't present a mystery, murder, or crisis of some kind that would be clearly considered point "A" and spend the entire story leading the characters and the reader in the direction of point "B." If these points do exist in her efforts, the reader isn't aware of it. We just follow along with the story and read about someone's life. Life for most of us is not just a matter of getting from "A" to "B," where someone on the outside (such as dear reader) knows how we'll get from one place to the other.

I'm still trying to reconcile the title of the story, since the actual "black velvet gown" seemed like such an insignificant role in the story. But then again, I couldn't think of a better title that didn't sound like a cliché. Maybe it's this sort of literary obscurity that makes me want to read the rest of Cookson's work. I assure you that I'll read more and recommend that dear reader do the same.