Little Dorrit (2009)

Many of you have probably already seen this miniseries but surprisingly I hadn't yet done a review on it.
My sister and I re-watched Little Dorrit (2009) last weekend, it was a special time because I hadn't seen it in a while and Miss Bea didn't remember most of the story so it was wonderful seeing the story through her eyes!

Amy sews for Mrs. Clenham

Story: The series tells the story of Amy Dorrit, who spends her days earning money for the family and looking after her proud father, who is a long term inmate of Marshalsea debtors' prison in London. Amy and her family's world is transformed when her boss's son, Arthur Clennam, returns from overseas to solve his family's mysterious legacy and discovers that their lives are interlinked.

Tom Courtenay as Mr. William Dorrit

Script: Written by Andrew Davies (Bleak House, Pride & Prejudice 1995 and many others). I've never read the book, which is extremely long, but judging from his other wonderful and extensive adaptations, I'm sure this miniseries is close to Charles Dickens' original work. The spirit, characters, story and ironic humor directed at social injustice is still true to Dickens' and the dialog sounds like it too comes directly from the book with few changes. The story is very charming and captures the viewer's attention with it's adventure, comedy and truth.

Arthur Clenham stops to question Amy Dorrit

Scenes: Amazingly crafted sets, country homes and high society interiors. Every detail of each scene is completely in keeping with the 1820's time period and is truly exquisite. The Marshalsea Prison is in particular an amazing construction,  as is the house of Clenham which was also built from scratch. Because of the poverty and darker themes most of the scenes echo that and are dark and gritty, not light and polished like an Austen adaptation.

Claire Foy as Amy Dorrit

Costumes: Styles are in keeping with the time period and characters. Amy Dorrit and her family as poorer folks wear mostly the same simple costumes but she does have some amazing gowns (like the purple one above) toward the end of the film. The richer characters have more elaborate costumes, some of the ladies have even more elaborate hairstyles! Arthur Clenham's hats were a source of fun to my sister and I as we watched, he has some charming ones!

Matthew Macfadyen as Arhtur Clenham

Music: Composed by John Lunn (Bleak House, Downton Abbey), the soundtrack is exquisite and I very much wish it would be released on CD! From the very first opening theme the music sweeps the viewer away into this charming world and adds so much to each scene.





My Music Video: Three recognizable themes from the miniseries accompanied by beautiful screencaps.

Characters from Little Dorrit

Actors In Their Roles: This star studded cast is absolutely amazing and well suited for their roles. There are so many likable characters portrayed with such talent!

Let's take a look at a few of the main characters:

• Claire Foy as Amy Dorrit - Amy is a true heroine who serves others selflessly but always stands up for what is right. Claire Foy captures Amy's youth, sweetness, kindness and strength to a tee! She is such a strong actress and I've enjoyed seeing her in other roles but this role will always be my favorite.
• Matthew Macfadyen as Arthur Clenham - Arthur is a very kind and gentlemanly character but he's not always as perceptive as he could be. Matthew Macfadyen does an excellent job of capturing his caring nature, earnestness and occasional melancholy. This is probably my favorite role of his as well, my sister and I really enjoyed him in this film.  
• Tom Courtenay as Mr. William Dorrit - Mr. Dorrit is Amy's elderly father, a man come down in the world who always tries to rise above his circumstances and continue to demand respect owed him as a gentleman. It takes a powerful actor to keep the balance of making the viewer feel sorry for him and respect him at the same time and this is what Mr. Courtneay does. His portrayal is so skillfully done that he just becomes the character.
• Judy Parfitt as Mrs. Clenham - Mrs. Clenham is a pious, clever, powerful woman with a cold heart and a load of secrets she pridefully keeps hidden. In this role Judy Parfitt was masterful with a strength and depth of emotions that resonates on screen. 
• Andy Serkis as Rigaud - The Frenchman Rigaud is a criminal of the first order, he is a thief, murderer, blackmailer and scoundrel. Andy Serkis' portrayal as the black hearted Rigaud is completely believable, he does all of his own stunts and skillfully portrays this villain with mystery and unwavering strength.  
• Russell Tovey as John Chivery - Miss Bea and I just adore John Chivery, although he isn't one of the main characters he is almost as much a favorite as Arthur Clenham. John's story is sad, he loves Amy Dorrit but unfortunately she only thinks of him as a brother. Even though he is poor he is a true gentleman to the point of caring for his rival. Russell Tovey's portrayal is heartbreaking, he made us cry almost every time he's on screen because his tears and emotions felt so real! My favorite scene in the whole miniseries is still the one toward the end where John reveals all, that scene always makes me cry no matter how many times I watch it! 

Russell Tovey as John Chivery

My Thoughts: I cannot say enough good things about Little Dorrit, it is one of my all time favorites! I adore so many of the characters and their fascinating stories just drew me in. I laughed and cried by turns and enjoyed every minute! My sister Miss Bea was also enthralled by the story, there are 14 half hour episodes and we watched all but 2 episodes in one Saturday afternoon! We could barely wait to play the next episode, it's that good!

The Dorrit Family

My Recommendations: I highly recommend this miniseries, it's definitely an essential view to anyone who enjoys Charles Dickens or period dramas. There are a few scenes that are a bit scary or have a slightly sensual theme but they are over quickly. Younger children may get scared during some scenes that have darker themes such as two scenes of tragic death and when the villain threatens or sneaks up on people.  I watched the entire miniseries with my 15-year-old sister and didn't really feel like I had to skip any scenes. This is definitely a must see!

Have you scene Little Dorrit (2009)?
If you have read the book, how does this miniseries compare to the original novel?
Which characters are your favorites?

Very Truly Your's,

See What I Just Discovered!

Jane Austen & Charles Dickens Devotional books!

These daily devotional books include short excerpts from one the author's novels, a passage of scripture and a devotional thought for each day. These volumes will be released in hardcover and for eBook in January 2012 and are published by Thomas Nelson publishers. 

~*~*~*~

A Jane Austen Devotional includes excerpts from Northanger Abbey, Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Persuasion, Mansfield Park, and Emma. Learn more, pre-order and take a look inside the book at Amazon.com and Christian Book Distributors.

A Charles Dickens Devotional includes excerpts from Great Expectations, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, and A Christmas Carol. Learn more, pre-order and take a look inside the book at Amazon.com and Christian Book Distributors.

~*~*~*~

Also take a look at this book trailer for both of the devotional books:

As a Christian and lover of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens I am so looking forward to these books! I only wish they were coming out in time for Christmas! :)



Very Truly Your's,

I've Been Interviewed!

Click to Read

I had the great privilege of being interviewed by fellow blogger and author Jen of Victorian's Dream.

It was so much fun answering the interesting questions she posed to me! 

The questions ranged in subject from how my blog began, what inspires me to blog and my favorite films, literary characters and actors.

So head on over to read:

Miss Laurie and her Old-Fashioned Charm

Thank you so much Jen for this great opportunity and for taking an interest in me and my blog! 

Very Truly Your's

Names & Nicknames in Jane Austen's Works

Next to my love of Jane Austen is my love of names - their origins, meanings, and histories. 
If you read Jane Austen's works long enough you'll discover that her carefully crafted characters also have names that suit them to a tee. If you look into the meanings, popularity and social associations of each name we can see that "The Authoress" has chosen her character's names very specifically. (For more on the meanings of their names check out Mel's posts at But when a young lady is to be a heroine about Austen Heroines Names and Austen Heroes Names.)


It was Melody's at Regency Delight ~Jane Austen, etc.~ post entitled: Sense and Sensibility: Nancy or Anne? which first inspired me to write on this subject. Her post asks a question common among readers of Jane Austen: 


Why is Miss Steele, sister of Lucy Steele in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility sometimes called Anne and sometimes called Nancy? 

The easy answer is that Miss Steele's Christian name is Anne and her nickname is Nancy. 
But this leads to the question why is Nancy a common nickname for Anne? And for that matter why is Catherine Bennet in Pride and Prejudice always called Kitty and why is Fanny Price of Mansfield Park named after her mother Frances but she's never called Frances in the book? 


Let's try to answer these questions!

Where did these these now "common" English nicknames actually come from? 
My research to led me to the terrific article Where Do Our Nicknames Come From? at NameNerds.com which was very enlightening. I highly recommend reading their article if you want more info but I'll quote from them and sum up what you need to know.


Nicknames and terms of endearment have been used in almost every culture world wide but common English nicknames we have today have their roots in the Middle Ages and the Norman Invasion. There were several ways in which nicknames were formed at these times:

1. A common way to make nicknames in the Middle Ages was "to add -kin, -in, or -cock to the end. Thus, John  became Jankin or Jenkin, which eventually became shortened to Jakin, which in turn became Jack." Using this rule Francis was turned into Frankin and Frank; Henry was turned into Hawkin, Henkin, Hankin, Hank, Henecok; and Robert was turned into Robin, Hobkin.
2. Another popular style of nicknames in the Middle Ages was Rhyming names. "For example, Robert spawned not only Rob, but Hob and Dob as well, which in turn became Hobkin and Dobkin." Another example would be William's nickname becoming not only Will but Bill and later Billy.
3. The Norman Invasion of England in 1066 changed the language and added many new sounds which "...the native populations had difficulty with. The "r" sound was one of these, which led to it being dropped or changed in many diminutive forms of names." For example Dorothy could be Dolly instead of Dorie; Mary could be Molly, Polly, or Maisie; Margaret could be Maggie instead of Margie or could Meg, Peg or Peggy; Sarah could be Sally or Sadie; and instead of Frannie, Frances could be called Fanny.
4. Also at the time of the Norman Invasion "-ch and -th sounds were pronounced like "k" and "t"... Surviving today are the pronunciations of Thomas, Theresa and Anthony (pronounced like Antony in Britain still). Richard was pronounced more like Rickard, thus giving rise to the pet forms Rick, Hick, and Dick." So Dorothy could be Dot or Dodie; Elizabeth could be called Bessie, Betty or Betsy; and Catherine could be called Kit, Kitty or Kate.
5. "Another pet name trend was to use "mine" in front of a name. This eventually contracted to add an "n" sound to the beginnings of some names." For example Ann's nickname became Nan, Nannie and eventually Nancy, while Edward's nickname became Ned instead of just Ed.

A Bit of Literary Fun!

Recently while browsing YouTube I found this delightful parody of three literary tales filmed by EricScottStudios which gave me a great giggle!

10 Second Romantic Classics!

Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Wuthering Heights

This might be the only retelling of Wuthering Heights that I've actually enjoyed! :)
Hope you enjoyed this video as much as I did!