Beryl Matthews

In 1960, Kate Freeman, daughter of the inimitable Rose Webster, goes to London to follow her dream of becoming a photographer. But Kate has a long journey to take before she can realise her ambition. The era that was dubbed "a time of peace" proves to...

London, 1900. Hester Stanmore watches in disbelief as the jury declares her attacker 'not guilty', and the courtroom erupts into chaos. The man in the dock is being congratulated as if he were a hero, but she has seen the madness in his eyes when he...

The three Bentley children are used to fending for themselves. Their widowed mother has been forced to take a night job at Grant’s clothing factory and sees them only at breakfast and on Sundays. But at nearly 18, with a job of her own, Dora is well...

In the aftermath of war, Angie Westwood thinks the hard times are behind her. But when her cousin Jane dies at the tender age of 20 – leaving behind a three-year-old son and an unresolved mystery over his father’s identity – her life changes beyond...

London 1941. Sirens warn of danger as German bomber planes approach the city. Ever cautious, Kathy and her mother head immediately for the nearest public air raid shelter and when the building is destroyed in a direct hit, it is a miracle Kathy...

As if everyday life in London's slums wasn't hard enough for Jane Roberts and her three children, the day that ne'er-do-well husband Bert walks out on his family as rent day draws near is a particularly dark time. In the wake of his desertion, the...

London, 1940. The war is raging across Europe and twenty-three-year-old Grace is devastated by the loss of her husband, Brian, at Dunkirk after only a year of marriage. Her secretary job at a law firm keeps her mind from dwelling on her sorrow but...

Queenie Bonner is only two when she is taken from her large family in the slums to a big house in the country. Frightened and confused, she yearns for her nine brothers and sisters, especially her favourite brother, Harry. Albert and Mary Warrender...

All her short life, eleven-year old Rose Webster has encountered closed doors. Growing up in the slums of London with her siblings, trying to avoid their violent, drunken father, she develops an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and becomes convinced...

Poplar, London, 1920. Fourteen-year-old Victoria Keats is horrified when her father demands that she go to work for wealthy Mr Preston – everyone knows why he takes young girls into his house. But when she stands up for herself, he throws her out....

1856. Christine Banner is alone after her father's death. Determined to make her own way in the world, she stumbles onto an estate in the New Forest where she finds work that she loves. However, when the future looks uncertain, Christine's skill at...

London, 1912. Twins Lester and Lillia Holdsworth are destined for the stage. Lester is a brilliant pianist; Lillia a magnificent opera singer. But their father has other ideas. Lester is sent to a military academy, while Lillia must marry Lord Dalton...

When the Second World War breaks out, Annie Webster and her close-knit family find themselves – along with everyone else – thrust into a world of uncertainty, danger and despair. Her brothers join up, her sweetheart Paul becomes a fighter pilot, and...