Meddling mother Madge + dutiful daughter Alice =

Madge, from a Dorset farming background, fancies herself as a lady, so she marries Geoff – meek, malleable and minted. All she needs now is a son, but when a daughter turns up instead, Madge is incensed. Alice grows up amid her mother’s clumsy attempts at social climbing, being largely ignored. In her teens, she meets Joe – who becomes the love of her life. Having decided he’s not good enough for ...