Penelope Ruth Mortimer (née Fletcher, 19 September 1918 – 19 October 1999) was a British journalist, biographer, and novelist.Her marriage to John Mortimer was difficult. They both had frequent extramarital affairs. Penelope had six children by four different men. They divorced in 1971. She wrote a semi-autobiographic novel in 1962 titled The Pumpkin Eater which was turned into a 1964 film.