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The Fifteen Streets
Catherine Cookson Book Review

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Plot Summary of The Fifteen Streets
"

Simon & Schuster, Dec 2002, %25.00, 224 pp.
ISBN: 0743236785

THE FIFTEEN STREETS are slums filled with abject poverty that usually leads to its residents giving up on the future as the hard work destroys the dreams and hopes for something better if not for themselves at least for their offsprings. A drunk sired John O'Brien, yet the lad once believed that hard work was the avenue out. However, his toil on the docks has left him with deep doubts and the realization that the odds are he will end up just like his dad.

Upon meeting his younger sister's teacher Mary Llewellyn, John renews his belief he will make something of himself because now he has the impetus to become a better person. Mary comes from a higher class than John yet prefers working with the children of the FIFTEEN STREETS in the belief that education is the ticket out of destitution. As John and Mary fall in love, the pressure increases to end this forbidden relationship that binds two people from opposite sides of the tracks.

Although the class differences blocking a relationship seem antiquated, this reprint of a classic Catherine Cookson book stands the test of time due to the ageless themes that survival and intelligence is inadequate without love, passion, and hope. The descriptions of the FIFTEEN STREETS neighborhood are sadly realistically horrifying then and now yet brilliantly interwoven into a powerful plot. Fans will admire Mary and root for John to overcome the impossible, which is why the deceased Ms. Cookson remains a favorite.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of The Fifteen Streets
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of story - 19th century
Forbidden/mismatched love? Yes
How mismatched? - poor loving rich
Making a living subplot Yes
Making a living: - attempting to get higher position

Main Male Character
Profession/status: - laborer/blue collar
Age/status: - 20's-30's
How sexual is this person? - very picky
How romantic is this person? - somewhat romantic
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Female Character
Age/status: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - teacher
How sexual is this person? - very picky
How romantic is this person? - somewhat romantic
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
What % of story is romance related? - 70%
Focus of story - equally on him and her
How much dialog - significantly more dialog than descript
Most similar books to The Fifteen Streets
Lilies On The Lake by Katherine Kingsley
Forever and Ever by Patricia Gaffney
Cinderfella by Linda Jones
A Will of Her Own by Winnie Griggs
Untie My Heart by Judith Ivory


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