bbc1 9pm In pursuit of love.

Thanks. I’ll try to get hold of a copy.

No it's a very average size paperback and a lovely read.

I really want to see the Judi Dench version now but it isn’t on utube. Is it a long book? I’d quite like to read it which is a bit ambitious given that it’s taken me over two years to read H for Hawk.

The last line, uttered by the bolter 'they always are....' is sad and poignant in the book.
The 3 women bursting out laughing, as if they were Enid Blyton characters having a jolly picnic at the end of one of the adventures just seemed wrong.

I was disappointed with the final epsiode. My OH who was a fan of Lily James decided that she's a one trick pony and has gone off her. Rather like Keira Knightly. Neither of them change their facial expressions that much. Both lovely to look at but a bit one dimensional as actresses.

I felt it could have been done better. But, as I’ve never adapted a book for television I can’t pinpoint what seems to be wrong.

Well I loved it, pure fantasy and bonkers.

I enjoyed the series very much but it did feel a bit rushed at the end. Apart from Merlin walking off with the doggie, of course, that was amazing.

I think he’s a dog lover. He spent a lot of time getting to know the dogs prior to filming with them. I was very envious of the little dog at the end!

Loved it. It managed to be touching and funny at the same time. And the French Bulldog with Lord Merlin-brilliant! How does Andrew Scott manage to convey so much emotion, even when he has his back to the camera and is walking away?

I came round after initially hating it.
Loved Davey and Lord Merlin (well, who wouldn’t, it was Andrew Scott!) and I thought the final scene with the French bulldog was very touching.
Short, but perhaps better than “milking” it like sone adaptations I can think of...”Sanditon” for one.

Watched the final episode last night. I haven’t read the book.

I found Linda extremely irritating, and wondered why everybody else ran round after her, worrying and fussing over her welfare.

What did she live on in the months she was at Chelsea? Did she get an allowance from ex husbands or her family, as she never appeared to do a stroke of work her entire life.

If I had read the book, I expect it would have made more sense.

I love it and the music is brilliant.

I wish that they had made a longer series and included the Montdores, their daughter Polly and cousin Cedric from Canada. I guess it was because of the additional cost. Perhaps the BBC could put the earlier version on IPlayer.

MerylStreep

Could one tell me where I stand in the pecking order as I don’t have a fireplace or mantelpiece ?

Do you have a looking glass or a mirror? Do you wear scent or perfume? Do you have a lavatory or a toilet? Do you wear spectacles or glasses?

Only just watched the final part last night.

Having read and enjoyed the books more than once, I really enjoyed it, ditto dh, who’d had no idea what to expect.

IMO it was pretty faithful to the novel. I can see that anyone who hadn’t read it could easily think it overdone or exaggerated, but by today’s standards there was a lot of what would be considered outrageous now - and I dare say was when it was first published.

I still remember a particularly outrageous remark in one of NM’s other novels - a relative coming to visit someone who’d just had a baby that had died.
‘Oh, so the poor little baby died, did it? Still, probably just as well, children are such an expense nowadays.’ ?
NM did note appalled shock on the face of a nurse who was present, though.

I've gone from really liking it (episode 1) to loving it (episode 2). I haven't seen any evidence of overwhelmingly negative reviews anywhere, though it does seem to be poliarizing. The viewer reviews on IMDb give it 6.5, with lots of 1/10s and also lots of 10/10s.

On women’s education, my mother’s teachers recommended that she should go to university (in the early to mid Thirties). Her father’s response: certainly not, he had her three younger brothers to educate, and they had to take precedence. I don’t think any of them was recommended to try for university.

I suppose I feel short changed.

Well I dont hate it, I just feel disappointed.
I expected more from such a prestigious cast and script writer!

I can’t see much evidence of negative reaction exceeding positive reaction Beswitched, but we may not be looking at the same forums. As I said before, you either love it or hate it, it seems - both equally valid views.

trisher

^And I really wish Linda and Fanny would stop pawing each other.^
Just goes to show that no matter how many hints you drop (and some of them are very broad) some people just won't get it!!!

Are you speaking to me or about me Trisher?

Casdon

You only have to read this whole trail to get the picture I think Beswitched. It’s like Marmite, you either love it or hate it, views are in about equal measure!

On this forum yes. However across other forums it is getting a pretty negative reception.

She's playing her like an angry petulant child at the risk of repeating myself, Lily James is too botoxed to have facial expressions to carry the young Linda.
So the acting resorts to pouting or open mouth to express her emotions.

Andrew Scott is fine bit he is hardly in it. He just blows in cigarette in hand, bangs on about Linda's behaviour, and flounces out again.
There is no empathy with any of the characters.
They are supposed to be large than life characters, but these have no depth to enable the audience to really gain insight and begin to empathize with their position.
How anybody younger than 40 is supposed to get how truly exceptional it would be to travel to Spain, or to dump your child, I do t really know.

I'm all for pastiche, but I was bored with Linda running here there and everywhere and missed the last few minutes making a cup of tea!

I still like it a lot. It’s different and refreshing but in my view stays very true to the book.
Andrew Scott is fantastic.