to think that Amy March is one of the most irritating literary characters ever.

[squoosh]

God she annoys me, throwing Jo's book in the fire, being a general brat and then sin of sins marrying Laurie when she had no business do any such thing.

I don't care what the subsequent books may say the Amy/Laurie union was a stupid idea.

They should have left her to drown in the icy river.

Lilly Paige was a right bitch. I was SO glad when Katy stole her bloke.

I was sad Katy didn't have children by the end of In The High Valley though.

wearing corsets must have been terrible

Oh yes, I love Uncle Alec in Eight Cousins and his sensible views on education. Though I wish Rose had studied for a career rather than just swanning round being rich and charming.

Though you do feel for poor Rose when she realises that she has no artistic gifts - she has to be content with spending her money to help others!

Tell me more about Elsie being the old word for seal!! Is that connected with the word 'selkie' - a sort of half person/half seal in mythology?

Mary Musgrove needed a good literary slap.

As did Elizabeth "Goody Two-Shoes" Wakefield from Sweet Valley High.

Was Katy infertile because of her swing accident, do you think?

Agreed that Amy March was v annoying. All the way through. Probably even worse as she got older.

Whenever I think about Amy I think about the pickled limes storyline!

Do you remember the scene in 'When Harry Met Sally' when they argue about the ending of Casablanca. I think Little Women is a bit the same, as a child/teenager you want Jo to love Laurie and can't understand what she sees in that boring old man and then when you grow up you suddenly realise what the attraction was.

As far as Wilkie Collins goes, absolutely the best female characters ever. They are all so wonderful and complex and interesting. Can't believe his books aren't more popular than they are.

I always wanted to be Amy driving her '2 spirited ponies' along the Italian esplanade.

Got off train, dealt with bed time, relaxing and now seeker has me in floods again.

Walter's death pretty affecting in Rilla. And Charlie's in the sequel to Rose.
Those death bed scenes...

Mind you. I never cry at Dickens's. Jo, Dora, even Little Nell, not a chance. Let alone Steerforth.

Funniky enough, I used Katie as a sort of model when I was bed bound for months. I brought the bed downstairs and made the room the centre of operations. V useful to have that inspiration.
And I knitted like Pollyanna.

In Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, dies she ever marry Alan Ladd?

Chaime, I've always assumed so. And that the author got bored with her and decided Clover was a more interesting person.

Oh she does, and he makes her give up teaching. But then so does Archie make Phoebe give up singing in Rose in Bloom.

I didn't like Rebecca and her 'Mr Aladdin'.

Even though Rebecca was written first I think it pales dramatically in comparison with Anne of Green Gables.

I don't think she ever married that Alan person.

i love the Katie books. What Katie did next is my favourite I think. The bit when the wee girl is sick in Rome is terrible.

Squoosh, you're right - she doesn't marry him, that subplot just fades away when Aunt Miranda dies and leaves Rebecca the house.

What about Daddy Long Legs? I longed to be an American College Girl.

King, where, where (desperate)?

And how can I get hold of cheap copies of the Antonia Forests? Gave mine away but never had all of them.

Was it

Germans on the rampage
Russians on the Spree
Sugar in the petrol
And up goes she?

And the cocoa, was it weak/strong/ navy or ordinary/ strong/ navy?

And is anyone else a Mrs Braddon fan ? Lady Audley's secret etc? All free on ebooks.

I love DLL but also its sequel, Dear Enemy.

Daddy Long Legs always creeped me out a bit. The rich, older, manipulative, anonymous benefactor who pays for her to go to college. She has to write him letters knowing he'll never respond.

Then she marries him.

Kitchen yes this It's so unfair that Amy gets everything Jo should have is exactly what I thought every time I reread. And the burning of Jo's novel! I never, ever got over that. I was so angry about the family's response to it. She burned Jo's book and everyone is like ohhhh Jo you should forgive her, she's sorry. I wanted awful punishments to ensue.

I didn't know Daddy Long Legs had a sequel! I loved that book. Off to find.

In the Daddy Long Legs sequel, she gets to buy the orphanage!

Antonia Forest books are a nightmare to get. One or two have been reprinted, but Puffin lost the rights somehow and then there was a massive probate row (I think).

Some small publishing house was trying to reprint. I've got Peter's Room in a weird Faber paperback edition, all the 'Term' books in the original Puffin, and Ready Made Family in a hardback copy bought in a library stock sale.

THEY HAVE IT AT MY LIBRARY!!!

I am SO EXCITED. I reread DDL so many times. I just remembered the illustrations!! Um, sorry for shouting.

Antonia Forest books are being reprinted by Girls Gone By these days. Some of the reprints are now out of print
www.ggbp.co.uk

They are fantastic books if you can get hold of them - they turn up on Ebay from time to time.

Agree, Amy shouldn't have ended up with Laurie, although I did like Professor Bhaer for Jo. Amy's daughter is even wetter though as a character, or should that be even more wet...I just reread Little Men, and she is sickeningly sweet and spoilt. Love all those books though.

A hilarious "review" of Clover and In The High Valley - the "What Katy Did" sequels that aren't about Katy.

I didn't know those two books existed until very recently. They are all free for Kindle... Anyone tempted?