i suggest you try reading My Family and Other animals, which is a wonderfully funny book, not a bit like this programme.
Coincidentally, I've just read 3 books (one biography and 2 historical novels) with sections about Europe in the 1930's; a fascinating time, leading up to WWII; with actions and events in England, France, Germany, and Spain. I appreciate your comments and suggestion, and will try to get my hands on this book for future reading.
This series started airing in my community last night, and I was particularly interested because of the time period, but I doubt I will invest any additional time in this (lack of) effort. I think I would prefer to give the book a try.
Specifically, Keely Hawes (who I normally really appreciate) is BADLY miscast in this series! Normally, she best plays characters who are (a) intelligent, (b) dramatic, (c) patrician, (d) aloof, (e) even cold, (f) or arch, and (g) occasionally calculating. She just seems "foolish and frustrated" trying to portray this "warm and flamboyant" mother. [Keely Hawes is PROBABLY a very funny person (most intelligent people have droll senses of humor) but in this series she just seems ready to bite off her own fingers. She only seemed happy when she was SCREAMING at the old drunk.]
Her children are tiresome; stupid, selfish, brittle, and bickering! They don't act, look, or even sound like siblings who have lost their father, and depend on their mother, and have come to a foreign island to start again!
Shooting? They are broke but they have money for bullets as entertainment.
Writing? They are broke but they have money for typing paper for composing pages and pages of amateur attempts to finish a successful book; ridiculous!
Cigarettes? They are broke but they have money to buy cigarettes to give away.
Servants? They are broke but can afford a maid because she is "cheap."
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that any kind of paper, and especially TYPING PAPER was a rare commodity and VERY EXPENSIVE on the island of Corfu, in the 1930's. I have no idea about bullets; maybe he was making his own, but if he was buying, there was the question of size, availability, and cost. Cigarettes were probably cheap (the Greeks are famous for being very heavy smokers) but the girl bought them (and matches, which were charged for in those days, in Greece) to make a priest stop yelling at her is a ridiculous waste of money.
They can't afford furniture, or a taxi, but they can afford bullets, typing paper and cigarettes. Just not believable! In those days, as the world was recovering from the worst Depression in modern times, people knew how to save their pennies; the family would NOT be this reckless with their precious cash! As for being able to afford the maid, WHEN will the brats learn to sweep a floor or wash a dish? They do nothing but run their mouths, argue with each other, and back talk their mother. And she is concerned about being a bad mother? How much evidence does she need?
The scenery is lovely but not worth these ANNOYING humans.
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