The Cultured Handmaiden — Catherine Cookson

At twenty-one, Jinny Brownlow was, to all intents and purposes, alone in the world, a typist at a large engineering firm in the Tyneside town of Fellbum, with her only outside interest the local theatre group, where the only role she seemed to play was that of general dogsbody.

Then, suddenly, her life changed. Called upon to stand in as secretary to Bob Henderson, the formidable head of the company, his blunt manner provided a stimulating challenge. Later that same day, she had an unexpected visit from Hal Campbell, leading light of the Fellburn players, who displayed a touching concern for her personal problems. Both were older men and each would, in his own way, be a catalyst to the re-shaping of Jinny Brownlow's pattern of life.

Set against a splendidly realised background of industrial Tyneside in the late 1970s , Catherine Cookson's new novel is as powerful as any she has written, one that will unquestionably enthrall her countless readers throughout the world.