Books like Fenwick Houses

This started off so beautiful and so dreamy. At first I wondered if it was a Cookson book, because in many ways it lacked a lot of her trademarks. And there was so much attention paid to the descriptors- it felt like she paid a lot of attention to the small details here. Turns out this is one of her earlier books. The first half of the book just swept me away. The second half I could have done without. I suppose the theme of this book is about the ugliness to beauty, of a woman oppressed by male attention, and how the male gaze can distort beauty into something that belongs outside of oneself.Spoilers below.* It was hard to believe badly about Ronnie. But I understand how Cookson was trying to relay the intense anxieties over subtle tensions in something as horribly dynamic and uncomfortable as incestuous abuse. Ronnie's demise was incredibly quick - I supposed he was just a stock character to express the domination of the male gaze in Christine's life.* I read this like a week ago and I've completely forgotten who she ended up with. The neighbours brother? Totally forgettable character. * As awfully pervasive and insidious as Don was described in the first half of the book, he fell considerably flat in the second half. * I really hate Cookson books where the story fast-forwards like fifteen years and the problems begin anew with the protagonists child. She's done this often and it's simply not something I enjoy.* I really feel bad for Christine's dad. His beautiful life falls apart when his wife dies, his son dies, his daughter gets pregnant twice in a time where reputations are ruined, and his daughter eventually becomes an angry, partying alcoholic. * I simply don't enjoy stories when I don't like the characters. When Christine fell into irresponsible alcoholism, I appreciated her journey of recovery, but I was also just tapping my feet, impatient for the book to be over. Christine felt like a wasted life. Definitely being re-donated!