Bingham, Charlotte

(British, 1942– )

Charlotte Bingham, who has also written for television, writes big novels; they are often historical romances like Debutantes (1995), in which three young ladies from different backgrounds discover what it is to be part of a London ‘season’ in the 1890s, in the atmosphere of snobbery and ambition surrounding the Prince of Wales and his circle. Details of the required etiquette, the concerns about clothing and manners which trouble the girls' near relations, especially mothers and aunts, and some well-drawn characters, stop this being just another period romance. Change of Heart (1994) is a modern-day romance with a twist, in which an American composer rents a big house in the English countryside and falls in love at first sight with the strangely old-fashioned young girl he meets in the grounds. With elements of mystery and detective work, it's another big, romantic book.

Georgette Heyer, Elizabeth Buchan, Daphne du Maurier  FS