The Family

The Family is the first book in the saga of the same name which commences when a group of young people meet in London in 1967. They gather friends, make a lot of music and start to redefine their sexuality.

The saga follows them through the dawn of the 1970s. Friendships are formed, careers begun, traditions challenged and demolished in exchange for lives lived on their own terms—lives filled with music, with laughter, with sadness, with affection and, most importantly, with love.

The 1960s were years of great social change and excitement in England. The Stones, Quant, Bailey, Rampling, Rigg, Joplin, Greer, Twiggy, Hendrix . . . the list goes on. New music, new fashions, existentialism, sexual liberation, feminism, and changing attitudes to relationships all fuelled a sense of great optimism amongst the younger generation.

Charles Stenning writes much of this history in the early books, though later on others contribute to what becomes a group autobiography.

The majority of the characters are women and it is the independence and equality of women which is important to them.

Much of the action takes place in Central London, but there are visits to the USA, Scotland, Cornwall and Europe.

The Family is followed by Our Friends, Coffee and Cake and Park Life. Another title—Bel, Bits and Bobs—will publish in 2023.

Many of the themes in these books are extremely sexual in nature and delve into areas not normally talked or written about. Readers who persevere and read beyond The Family will find sexual activity becomes more and more in the spotlight.

All books are available in paperback (828 pages) or ebook format through Amazon sites. You can also get your copies at charlotteplacebooks.com