Helen Mcfarland

I watched the tv series first, loved it and then read the books. I still think the adaptation holds up well and there are inevitable losses from any source in order to fit a serial format but some of the changes are baffling. The congregation story line is brought to the foreground for no apparent reason; in the books a certain T.J Weston episode did not happen, Peter Knox was not killed by Sarah, while neither Satu nor Domenico are half as prominent. Further, New Orleans is only a background element in the books while New Haven is cut completely from the adaptation. Worse, characters like Corra and Philippe who are fundamental in the books - are rather diminished. Corra doesn't appear at all in season three despite being crucial to the location of the BoL and to Diana understanding her own identity. Philippe, who essentially bookends the narrative (plus engineering events through time and beyond the grave) in some ways....is also wholly absent in season three. I get that SFX budgets may be a factor here (for instance there's much more magic in book three than is visible on screen in season three) but certain changes do feel very arbitrary. Some of the casting is really spot on tho', particularly Ysabeau, Philippe, Sarah, Fernando, Father Hubbard, Miriam and Gallowglass. Stephen Cree IS Gallowglass and I sincerely hope he eventually gets his own series! The leads are lacking a bit of edge IMO, there's much more push and pull between their very different natures in the books - it's more heightened/problematic and less smooshy - but this is also down to writing. Overall a solid effort and most enjoyable (esp seasons one and two) but season three and book three are very different beasts and I think too much of the magic (ha!) is lost.

It's so altered from the Lucy Boston book that it's almost an entirely different story and loses many of the magical elements that make the former uniquely special. The 1986 BBC adaptation is absolutely wonderful and beats this hands down in every respect including production values which is astounding since it was made 23 years previously. However it's worth watching for Maggie Smith who is fantastic as usual - plus Pauline Collins as the sharp as a tack housekeeper. Dominic West also does a nice turn as a shifty butler. But when the original narrative is so good and so beloved why dilute it to this degree?

A brave attempt to do something new with one of the sacred texts of English literature and it absolutely captures the moors, the moodiness, the violence and brutishness which run though the novel. However the mysterious, intense passion which provides the light to so much thematic darkness is mostly absent, as is the dialogue which usually fizzes and is the beating heart of the book. It goes flat as a pancake in the second half and unfortunately there's zero chemistry between the adult actors - the death scene actually made me cringe through my fingers. Also, the scene with the dogs at the end is just gratuitously nasty. Beautiful cinematography throughout tho', worth watching for that and the child actors who are very good indeed.