Dickens, Monica

(British, 1915–1992)

A great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens, Monica Dickens wrote her first novel at the age of 22 based on her experience as a cook: One Pair of Hands (1939) became a best-seller and was the first of more than thirty compellingly readable novels. Many of her novels deal with uncomfortable issues such as abuse in Kate and Emma (1964), adoption and identity in Joy and Josephine (1948), and love and violence in The Angel in the Corner (1956). Her novels can feel a little dated now, but they are still excellent reads, and given weight by the fact that they are all well researched: The Listeners (1970), for example, was based on her experience of working for the Samaritans. She has also written teenage children's books, and is best known for Follyfoot (1971).

Lynne Reid Banks, Margaret Forster, Daphne du Maurier  SB