This is England in the late 50's, and Penny is in her last year at school. She works hard, her teachers like her, and they have hopes she will go to Cambridge. However, no one in her family has been to university before and her father thinks it will only give her unrealistic fantasies. He needn't have worried: Penny is not destined to go to Cambridge. She makes the mistake of falling in love. At first she thinks she and Richard can go together. That won't happen either. Every step of her way Penny is fighting to stay on course, and at every step her gentle nature suffers shattering blows. Love almost costs her her sanity. Throughout this book which opens up the world of the late fifties and early sixties, we see how society is changing, how the old certainties are giving way, and we see the sacrifices Penny makes to achieve her dream.
'Penny Black' is the second part of 'The Brighton Trilogy'.