Marriage and Mary Ann — Catherine Cookson

It hardly seems possible, but Mary Ann Shaughnessy, the irrepressible child of Tyneside whose tempestuous journey through life thousands of readers have followed in the five books previous to this, is engaged to be married. The wedding is set to be in five weeks' time. Everything in the garden is expected to be lovely, but few things go all together smoothly in this life -- particularly when associated with the Shaughnessy family -- and once again Mary Ann finds herself involved in sorting out the problems of those she loves.

Mary Ann's father, Mike, reluctant to accept that his romantic days are on the wane, has a ‘last fling' during a visit to a holiday camp. Was it really just a fling, was it just the dangerous age, or was it just an over-anxious Mary Ann seeing something that wasn't there? And Mr. Lord wants to help finance the newly-weds in the purchase of a garage, which Corny, that sturdily independent young man, will have nothing to do with. A number of family storms have to blow themselves out before all can be happily resolved.