Lena Kennedy: 17 books

The evocative, illuminating autobiography of one of Britain's best-loved novelists. Lena Kennedy was sixty-four before her first novel, MAGGIE, was accepted, and it was among the shackdwelling community of the woods that she began to realise her growing need to express her feelings through...

She thought she'd escaped her past . . . Susan is a London slum child. Constricted by the rigid rules of the East End orphanage she is brought up in, she escapes to dazzling streets of Soho where she is adopted by a group of prostitutes. Soon enough, she too is earning her living 'on the game'. When...

Encounter a wealth of lively characters and true-to-life situation in this collection of vivid and compelling stories. Ivy of the Angel reveals why an elderly bag lady becomes the centre of attention in an Oxford Street store. Dive into a tale of thwarted love in London's East End in...

Just one cruel twist of fate will bring his world crashing down . . . Perfect for fans of EastEnders Falling asleep on the bus after a hard day's work, Joe finds himself stranded in the East End, disorientated in the heavy fog and innocently embroiled in a violent encounter. The incident...

Life never turns out the way you plan . . . In the turmoil and confusion of London's East End between the wars, young Nelly Kelly soon learns that life may never match her expectations. Forced to keep house for her charming yet autocratic, father, Nelly toils in a sweatshop to keep her family...

Like a dandelion seed adrift on the wayward winds, Marcelle de la Strange is an innocent in the decadent and dangerous London of James I. When her mother's violent death leaves Marcelle at the mercy of her lecherous stepfather, she can't help but be drawn to the dashing Thomas Mayhew, King's...

No matter what life throws at her, she refuses to give up . . . Tiny, warm-hearted, and totally devoted to her charming rogue of a husband, Lizzie mothers her brood of nephews and nieces through the perils of the war-torn capital. As she struggles to make a home for them in the busy bomb shelters...

Four decades. Four generations. One World War. Raised in Stepney, the heart of London's East End, Maggie Riley is the only child of an Irish widower. When she becomes pregnant at the age of fifteen she is delighted, for it means she has captured her beloved Jim Burns. But life is a constant...

A gripping story of romance, lovers and a life filled with intrigue . . . Warm-hearted and wilful, her temper as fiery as her beautiful auburn hair, Lady Penelope is a romantic heroine whose impulsive nature makes her as many enemies as her vivacious, flame-haired beauty wins her admirers. Caught...

Even half a world apart, they are destined to be together . . . When 12-year-old Daisy Smith steals a carrot for Jackie Murphy, an Irish barrow-boy, a love affair begins which will last for both their lives. Even when Jackie's family leave for Australia, Daisy cannot forget her childhood sweetheart. She...

Time alone would heal the sorrows of Hollinbury, bright dreams banish the old unhappy ghosts . . . The Malted Shovel, exuberant heart and soul of Hollinbury Hamlet, buzzed with talk while the ale flowed. Talk of Dumb Lukey's crazed acts and the romance between Lucinda and Joe Lee, the Thames...

War doesn't only bring suffering . . . Born in Canning Town, in the heart of London's teeming dockland, red-headed Lily is a true Cockney in her zest for life, her natural humour and her instinct for survival. With the outbreak of World War II, husband George goes off to fight for King...

Be careful what you wish for . . . Living in poverty in the Kentish marshes, young Kate dreams of a life of abundance and riches in the castle that towers over her village. So when the beautiful Lady Evelyn descends, requesting Kate to be her personal maidservant at the castle, it looks like...

Autumn Alley: where the East End's most fascinating call their home . . . Here you'll find Maud, the formidable Irish-American suffragette; sulky Patricia, whose unhappy childhood leads her to a dangerous love affair; vivacious, flame-haired Colleen; Mary, who struggles alongside her wayward...