Rosie of the River

When Fred Carpenter suggests to his wife Sally that they take a boating holiday on the Norfolk Broads, she is filled with trepidation. Nevertheless she summons her courage and the couple and their bull-terrier Bill set off in their boat, the Dogfish Three. Sally’s misgivings are soon justified, as a series of disasters, human, nautical and canine, threaten to ruin their holiday. Then everything changes as they are befriended by the boating fraternity and encounter the remarkable fifteen-year-old Rosie, whose family history stirs their curiosity and sympathy.

Fred and Sally decide to support Rosie’s efforts to better herself – and are rewarded when she finds love and happiness. This delightful story is something of a departure for Catherine Cookson with centre stage being claimed by the boating couple and later, Rosie. This time, the suffering that her heroines are usually forced to endure is underplayed in favour of a gentle narrative that keeps us inexorably turning the pages.