The Obsession

Publisher Marketing: Beatrice Steel, eldest daughter of the formidable Simon Steel, has always been exceedingly possessive about her family home, Pine Hurst. She becomes intolerably domineering after her mother's untimely death, ruling over her three sisters and the servants with an iron hand. It is her youngest sister, Rosie, who most resents Beatrice's tyranny and the stifling austerity of her father, whose private life is as wretched and gloomy as his demeanor. Her father owns the house, and Beatrice fears that he might someday remarry, and another woman would supplant her as mistress of Pine Hurst. For Beatrice, no one could ever take the place of her prized possession, and her sisters are distressed that no man has so far shown any interest in marrying the indomitable Beatrice, thus distracting her from her unwholesome obsession. Then, unexpectedly, her father dies, and when the family meets for the reading of the will, nothing Beatrice hears matches her expectations. Revelations of indecent family history dismay the Steel daughters. Beatrice realizes that her security is threatened and that she must begin to plot to protect her position and her most precious possession. Publisher Marketing: Beatrice Steel, always over-possessive about her family home, Pine Hurst, has become insufferably dominating since the death of her mother, ruling her father, her sisters and the servants with an iron hand. Of course, she constantly has to remind herself, it is her father who actually owns the house, but it is the thought that he might remarry, thus making another woman mistress of Pine Hurst, that fills her with dread. Then, unexpectedly, her father dies and, when the family gather for the reading of the will, nothing she hears matches her expectations. It is then she realises that her security is threatened and that she must begin to lay plans to protect her position and allow her to enjoy her most prized possession. THE OBSESSION is one of Catherine Cookson's most unusual novels, powerfully portrays a woman so driven by the need to protect her inheritance that she will sacrifice almost anything or anyone to ensure she does not lose it. It is yet another triumph for this most popular of authors. Review Citations: Library Journal Prepub Alert 03/15/1997 pg. 50 (EAN 9780684842417, Hardcover) Publishers Weekly 06/02/1997 pg. 54 (EAN 9780684842417, Hardcover) Kirkus Reviews 05/01/1997 pg. 659 (EAN 9780684842417, Hardcover) Library Journal 06/15/1997 pg. 94 (EAN 9780684842417, Hardcover) Booklist 05/15/1997 pg. 1539 (EAN 9780684842417, Hardcover) Wilson Fiction Catalog 01/01/1997 pg. 18 (EAN 9780684842417, Hardcover) Wilson Fiction Catalog 01/01/2000 pg. 140 (EAN 9780684842417, Hardcover) Library Journal 03/15/1997 (EAN 9780684842417, Hardcover) Wilson Fiction Catalog 01/01/2006 pg. 198 (EAN 9780684842417, Hardcover) Contributor Bio:  Cookson, Catherine Catherine Cookson lived in Northumberland, England, the setting of many of her international bestsellers. Born in Tyne Dock, she was the illegitimate daughter of an impoverished woman, Kate, whom she was raised to believe was her older sister. She began to work in the civil service but eventually moved south to Hastings, where she met and married a local grammar school master. Although she was originally acclaimed as a regional writer, in 1968 her novel "The Round Tower" won the Winifred Holtby Award, her readership quickly spread worldwide, and her many bestselling novels established her as one of the most popular contemporary authors. After receiving an OBE in 1985, Catherine Cookson was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1993. She died shortly before her ninety-second birthday, in June 1998, having completed 104 works.