Author published a number of books including ‘The Rector’s Wife’ and ‘A Village Affair’

The writer was famous for her stories about romance and intrigue in rural middle England.

Author published a number of books including ‘The Rector’s Wife’ and ‘A Village Affair’

Her novels, including A Village Affair and Other People’s Children, drew on what Fay Weldon called a ‘gift for putting her finger on the problem of the times’

Despite several bestsellers earning her the adoration of millions of fans, the beloved author and acute observer of ordinary life long faced scorn from the literary elite