quite what the producer of this appalling adaptation be try to do be impossible to fathom . a group of top quality actor and in the main well cast ( with a couple of notable exception ) and who give pretty good performance . penelope keith be perfect a aunt louise and equally good be joanna lumley a diana . all do well with the script they be give . so much for the good . the average would include the set . nancherrow be nothing like the house describe in the book and although bizarrely the house they use for the dower house look remarkably like it . it be clear then that the dower house be far too big . in the late part and the writer decide to bring the entire story back to the uk and presumably to save money and although with a little imagination i have no doubt they could have recreate ceylon . now to the bad . the screenplay . this be such an appallingly bad adaptation be hard to find word to condemn it . edward do not die in the battle of britain but survives and blind . he make a brief appearance then commit suicide why . loveday have change from the young woman totally in love with gu to a sensible farmer wife who can give up the love her life with barely a tear ( less emotional than brief encounter ) . gu and a man besotted and passionately in love and be prepare to give up his love without complaint . walter ( mudge in the book ) turn from a shallow unfaithful husband to a devote family man . jess be make into a psychologically disturbed young woman who would not speak . aunt biddy still have a drink problem but now without any justification . the dower house be occupy by the army for no obvious reason other than a very short scene with jess who have a fear of armed soldier . whilst miss mortimer breast be utterly delightful and i could not see how their display on several occasion move the plot forward . the delightfully name nettlebed become the mundane dobson . the word limit prevents me from continue the list . there be a sequel ( which i lose all interest in watch after this nonsense ) and i wonder if the change be make to create the follow on story . it be difficult to image that rosamunde pilcher would have approve this grotesque perversion of her book while presumably she lose her control when the right be purchase .