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YMMV / Adrian Mole

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  • Adaptation Displacement: Adrian has his origins in a BBC radio play called The Diary of Nigel Mole, Aged 13 1/4. Notably, Nicholas Barnes, who voiced Nigel, went on to play Adrian in the BBC's Audio Adaptations of the books.
  • Hilarious in Hindsight: Barry Kent's novel, Dork's Diary, is similarly titled to Dork Diaries
  • Jerkass Woobie: George Mole, whose wife has multiple affairs, and ends up in a wheelchair in The Weapons of Mass Destruction, due to a back injury. One of said affairs also results in the birth of Rosie, who he believes is his child for twenty five years... Until it's revealed (on national television, no less) that Mr. Lucas is her real father. However, he is also a massive chauvinist, and (like most characters in this universe) quite unpleasant.
  • The Problem with Licensed Games: Yes, really. The earlier books were adapted into text adventure games and pretty boring ones at that.
  • Unintentionally Unsympathetic: Arguably, Adrian in the later books. In the earlier books, many of his problems are not of his own making, brought about by bad luck, being unable to escape from his parents, and is still learning his way in the world. However, in Weapons of Mass Destruction when he is in his thirties, he appears to have learned little, and many of his problems are of his own making, such as being manipulated by Marigold Flowers, and getting into terrible debt by spending carelessly, having previously been tight-fisted.
  • Unintentional Period Piece: Though they were not intentionally political, the early books feel like a comment on Britain under Margaret Thatcher's rule. The political angle is more deliberately played up in later books.

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