The Hamiltons by Catherine Cookson
Catherine Cookson's Hamilton novels have taken their place among the most widely acclaimed and enjoyed of her books. In this omnibus edition of Hamilton and Goodbye Hamilton, she shows her exceptional ability to tell a story in which good humor and a sense of compassion are finely blended, with characters so vividly alive they leap off the page. Maisie could never be quite sure when she first met Hamilton, but most likely it was when she started talking to herself as a lonely seven-year-old. She didn't know his name until much later, when she was fourteen and Dr. Kane had to pay her a visit. Let us use our horse sense, he said, and at that moment Maisie saw a great horse galloping past him and all the time looking at her, its eyes full of knowledge and its lips drawn back as if in laughter. Soon after, Maisie adopted the name Hamilton for her new and secret companion. Of course, she couldn't talk about Hamilton to anyone -- but she could write about him. And write she did, with results that would eventually broaden her horizons far beyond the confines of the small town where she had spent her lonely girlhood. Hamilton would continue to be a pillar of Maisie's life for years, as she deals with the adult problems of work, love, and marriage and builds a life for herself. Goodbye Hamilton picks up where Hamilton leaves off. By the time Maisie reaches her early thirties, she's escaped a disastrous marriage and become a bestselling author with her very first book: all about Hamilton, the remarkable horse who exists only in her imagination but had nonetheless proved a real guide, philosopher, and friend since her childhood. Now she's about to be married again, this time to a man whose deep and abiding love for her knows no bounds. And Hamilton, in turn, marks the occasion by taking a wife himself, an elegant (and equally imaginary) mare named Begonia. So the outlook was fair, but it seems Maisie was destined never to know happiness untouched by sorrow, and the next few years would bring their share of fresh troubles -- some a legacy from the past -- to face and fight. But Hamilton and Begonia are there to back her up, and at a time when things are looking especially black, a very real flesh and blood boy (with a surprisingly deplorable vocabulary) comes tumbling into her life, providing the greatest support and joy of all.
Cookson, Catherine: - Catherine Cookson was born in East Jarrow near the mouth of the River Tyne, one of the poorest areas in Britain. Her childhood was deeply scarred by violence, fear, alcoholism, shame and guilt, and her books were inspired by her upbringing. She fought hard for a better life and was determined to be a writer. Her readership quickly spread throughout the world, and her many bestselling novels established her as one of the most popular of contemporary women novelists. After receiving an OBE in 1985, Catherine Cookson was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1993, and was appointed an Honorary Fellow of St Hilda's College, Oxford, in 1997. She died shortly before her ninety-second birthday, in June 1998. By the time of her death, she had written over one hundred books and was the UK's most widely read novelist, with over 100 million of her books sold, and remained the most-borrowed author in UK public libraries for twenty years. The Cookson Estate recently discovered two unpublished manuscripts - a memoir and a novel - in the attic of Cookson's home. Amazon Publishing will be releasing these two unseen works and the author's backlist will be available through Kindle Direct Publishing, ensuring Catherine Cookson's legacy is available to readers across the globe.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780684808017 |
| ISBN 10 | 0684808013 |
| Title | The Hamiltons |
| Author | Catherine Cookson |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year published | 2006-12-01 |
| Number of pages | 400 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |