The first child of a new century . . .
The first hours of the twentieth century, and Ben London is born in an East End cemetery, the illegitimate child of a Yorkshire housemaid. She leaves her baby - not to die, but to live - on the steps of the London Hospital where he's taken in by a childless nurse. After happy years she dies, and her lodger sells Ben to the Workhouse. From there, the only way Ben can go is up - and he makes his way up at any cost. But always he carries within him the memory of the happiness he knew as a child, and knows the enduring power of love. From Workhouse to slums to gangland to his love for the slum girl Ria that almost destroys him, to his marriage to the Vane the heiress, his heroism over the trenches in the First War and his ruthless acquisition of London's greatest store, this memory of love motivates and empowers Ben London and makes him the extraordinary man he is. This was the first book I wrote about London and it's as accurate and full of life as I can make it. Many of the families are real, taken from street directories, Workhouse rolls, newspaper reports. Researching the Workhouse scenes, which are authentic, even to the personality of the Workhouse Master (who in real life ended up in prison) opened my eyes to quite extraordinary aspects of London life. Equally extraordinary to me were the large numbers of children who volunteered to go and fight in the trenches - sometimes I hear from people who can't believe those scenes are true, but they are. My favourite scene is the birth scene in the cemetery as the fireworks are going off because it's so far-out, yet works so well. And I love the scene where Vic teaches Ben how to steal oranges.