Darling: A razor-sharp, gloriously funny retelling of Nancy Mitford’s The Pursuit of Love

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Even so, this is a gorgeously bittersweet portrait of growing up, where happiness is only ever fleeting. Purists greeted last year’s television adaptation much as cat-owners might welcome a partially eviscerated mouse. Trouble is, Linda’s lived a very sheltered life and tends to see the best in people, even when people aren’t being their best. Big love too for Nina Stibbe - the Lizzie Vogle trilogy are inspired works of comic fiction, full of well drawn observations of people's little quirks and foibles.

If the Radletts of the 21st century are perhaps a little less extraordinary than the Radletts of the 20th, they still leap off the page with warmth and chaos. Franny, the narrator, is even less inconsequential than in the original; but Knight has so, so much fun with Uncle Matthew, Davey and Jassy, who were always the best characters anyway.You have to hand it to the Scottish government: the deletion of WhatsApp messages is good preemptive news management, whether accidental, by default or deliberate. It's beautifully and meticulously done, echoing the detail of the original plot as far as feasible, but with contemporary twists . Log in Keep reading with a freetrial Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. As crazy as things get, there are poignant moments scattered throughout which remind us that love is sometimes not what we imagined, but it can also come when we least expect it.

But if you adore the source material, I think you are likely to find loads of pleasure in this loving homage.India Knight does a fantastic job of capturing the essence of Mitford's original story but brings overlays modernity that makes it more relatable for today.

Their parents are global rock icon Matthew and former private chef Sadie, who herself is the daughter of an Indian diplomat and an English debutante. Darling is a witty, homely and comforting novel all orbiting the life of Linda Radlett and her pursuit to find love wherever she can. I expect that most people who read it will know that this is a contemporary retelling of Nancy Mitford’s wonderful The Pursuit of Love. And it’s always a delight to find something new to carry you through winter; Knight rises to that challenge with aplomb.This is a book full of lovely things: clothes and curtains and old Apple Mac computers in “boiled-sweet pink”. Knight manages to be faithful to that beloved comfort read whilst updating the setting and characters to the present (albeit still in a bohemian-aristo thoroughly English way).