Period Dramas--Can't live without them.

Lately I've discovered Elizabeth Gaskell. And while yes, I should actually read her books, I like the BBC adaptions just as well. Because then I can see their dresses. Yes, I realize I am pathetic. But if you love Pride and Prejudice, try these.My favorite, North and South, reminds me of a mixture of a Charles Dickens and Wuthering Heights. The main guy is far less refined than Mr. Darcy, that's for sure, far more a Bronte-type of man. I absolutely loved it.

Can't you just feel the romantic tension while looking at this photo? Yeah, I can't believe I just wrote that sentence either.
Cranford, on the other hand, had me laughing out loud in places. More of a Anne of Green Gables feel to it. The old ladies are so funny in their absolute propriety. Hee. Hee.
And of course, I nice dash of romance thrown in.
Wives and Daughters was my least favorite, but still good nonetheless. It was just more predictable, a Cinderella tale really.
Okay, this isn't Gaskell, it's Dickens, but wow, Bleak House is so much better this way than slogging through the book. Trust me, I HAVE read the book. Dickens takes so long to say anything. So annoying. But the story is so good.
My friend Jenny--who's mother lent me Cranford before going back to England--says her husband calls Bleak House, "Freak House." My husband, without ever having laid eyes on the movie, agreed. Errr.... At least I have Jenny to discuss them with.