To not merrily give away my Christmas lunch to a German family I've never even met?

[HarrietKettleWasHere]

Ok not me but Jo March.

I'n watching the travesty BBC adaption of Little Women.

The mum comes home and makes them feel awful just as they are about to tuck in to all the lovely food, because of the poor immigrant family, who are, by all accounts, having a really horrible time. Even though Marmee has already given them all her firewood. And they skip out the door so jolly, with all their bacon, sausages and maple syrup, and cream that they get only at Christmas to bestow upon the family. Even selfish Amy!

I was just wondering if I'd have been quite so joyful about doing that at a similar age

Beth then gets scarlet fever from the baby, which goes to show no good deed goes unpunished.

It looks like it'll be a clementine for dinner, 1 segment apiece, but luckily the rich family from down the road then take pity on them and send a lovely ham.

This is lighthearted by the way. It can't be serious really because the adaption is quite awful.

I don't know is where they filmed it but it can't be Massachusetts as I keep hearing a Great Tit call and they don't have those there pedantic

Also Amy is supposed to be 12 and she looks 27.

What other classics has television managed to ruin for you with their adaptions?

I think most TV Miss Marples have failed to capture her snobbery (as written by Agatha Christie) because it wouldn't be popular.

You are probably right Liney's. Other writers I used to love, and tried to re-read recently also shocked me with sexist, racist, snobby attitudes were John Buchan and - especially - Dennis Wheatley. (I used to love DW's books, but was horrified by viewpoints that I'd never even noticed as a 14 year-old.).

But we are all products of our era and upbringing.

(The John Buchan I was reading was, IIRC, Greenmantle - I just couldn't get past the opinions)

Dennis Wheatley was just beyond vile.

Oo, I remember The Swish of the Curtain - I read it several times as a child.

I was convinced there had been a recent TV adaptation of I Capture the Castle. Having googled it, what I remember must have been the film with Romola Garai - I was amazed to find it was made in 2003.

I didn't really like the film of A Little Princess, due to the way they really messed around with the plot; it seemed too saccharine to have Sara's father come back to life.