Pam Ferris

Intrigue in the Village
$26.85
In this installment of the Turham Malpas series, the villagers are invited to attend a lavish party celebrating the business success of a prominent towns person. Once they get there, however, it revealed that they are actually at the wedding reception of two villagers they would never expect. Meanwhile, the village is planning another celebration - the school's 150th anniversary. The problem? All the old head teachers and their families are being invited, and a former headmaster is now married to the birth mother of the rector's adopted twins (did you catch all that?).

Quote: "No one moved: they were too stunned. A strained silence fell, which no one dared break."

This novel continues the trend of the later Turham Malpas books towards focusing on all of the ramifications of our poor decisions coming back to cause us unforeseen problems years later. A potentially blech new couple ends up working really well together, even though none of the character flaws are erased. A very good installment of this series.

Our Mutual Friend (1998) (3pc) [VHS]
$39.98
I like Dicken's stories for his memorable characters. The good are so kind and innocent and the villains so dispicable and evil. This movie succeeds because it takes the time to develop the personalities and lives of these fascinating people. I taped it from PBS over three nights. Its six hours long and you won't want to miss a minute.

Dickens' rats and angels come from all manner of social strata in turn of the century England. No one is free from Dickens scathing critique. The plots are set amidst the backdrop of an aristocracy which is collapsing under its own weight. The middle class grows and the born-rich are forced to socialize with "new" money. How distasteful! Even the poor are not immune to the social structure of the time; a river boatman, who dredges the river for bodies, will not let his son go to school. He must carry on the family trade, like his father did!

The casting and the acting is just right. Oh, the faces of these actors and actresses say so much. You will fall in love with the hero and heroine as they try to figure out what they should do.

I must admit, I like the evil guys! They are simply awful to the core. My favorite scene is when Riderhood unexpectedly shows up in the school teachers classroom sitting among the young pupils sharing his wisdom. After his little speech, he ruffles a boys hair. I wanted to douse the poor lad's head in lice shampoo. But, there are a lot of neer-do-wells in this story who need their comeuppance and Dickens doesn't fail to deliver!

The movie is filmed in a rainy London. The scenery and locations are wonderful. The costumes perfect. I love period peices and this one ranks up there with the best of them.

The Muppet Movie / Matilda / Madeline [VHS]
$26.95

Oliver Twist (BBC Radio Collection)
$22.70
First broadcast in six episodes in Radio 4's "Classic Serial" slot in 1994, this is a dramatization of Dickens's tale of innocence and corruption in the slums of Victorian London.