Catherine Cookson - The Cinder Path (DVD)

I only ended up watching this as I had to borrow a few DVDs from school while I've been ill with the flu, and this was the only one brought home for me that I hadn't already seen. It was either that or Spanish TV! But it didn't bode well that it had come free with one of the UK's most beloved tabloids. The story is an adaptation of the book by Catherine Cookson, none of whose books I've ever read, and was produced by Tyne Tees Television. The running time is a staggering 145 minutes (that's almost two and a half hours!), although that seems slightly more acceptable when you realise that this was originally a three-part series of one-hour-long episodes- ...  Read the complete review

If I read a book, then you can pretty much guarantee that the last choice I'd make would be Catherine Cookson. No offence to the author, but her subject (i.e. romance) just ain't me! Perhaps the mother of period romance in many ways, it's just not something that has ever interested me. I like a good thriller. So, why did I watch the TV adaptation of her novel The Cinder Path? Well, I have a whole pile of DVDs that came free with Sunday newspapers, so I thought I'd set myself a challenge to watch them all. After easing myself in with a couple of better known films, I settled in to watch this last night, not realising that it was 2 and a half hours long! But I ...  Read the complete review