Monday, August 30, 2010

sunny monday

I love book giveaways and wish I had a book for each one of you. Today's winner for Kaye Dacus's Ransome's Honor and Ransome's Crossing is...Ashley R.! Congratulations, Ashley! May they provide you some refreshing reading hours:) The other names will roll over to this Friday when I'll host new historical author and friend, Lorna Sielstad. Her debut historical, Making Waves, really is making waves right now. If you like history, humor, and characters who feel like friends, then Lorna is the author for you!

Another friend of mine, Carrie, is hosting a double giveaway of Courting Morrow Little and Surrender the Wind by Rita Gerlach. So please visit her site and enter for these books if you haven't read them. Thank you, Carrie!

It's Monday morning and my Washington sky is blue:) Much to do this week as the boys start school Wednesday. Prayers appreciated for both of them, especially Paul who, after being homeschooled, will begin 5th grade. He has a terrific male teacher and his class is very small - only 9 kids. And 7 of them are girls! I am a bit melancholy about it all for some reason. But it's the first time in my parenting life I'll have a quiet house from 8 to 3 every day. Think of all the writing to be done (or so I hope)!

My parents have been visiting and we've had a wonderful time. Right now they're up on Whidbey Island for a couple of days being tourists. I've actually had some time to watch a rare movie and am so smitten by it I wanted to add the trailer here. Some of you are new to the BBC drama North & South, just as I am, and have asked me about it. So take a deep breath and watch this beautiful trailer. I need not say another word:)

Happy Monday!

59 comments:

  1. Good gracious, Laura! Watching that clip from North and South almost made me swoon face-first onto my keyboard. Talk about passionate! This one is definitely going on my Netflix list!

    Praying for you and your boys as the new school year starts. I think an empty and quiet house will be a wonderful adventure for you and fifth grade will be an equally good adventure for Paul!

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  2. Oh Mary, I so appreciate your loving words this morning! Since we have boys the same age, you really understand a mother's heart. And I do think, like you said, it will be good for Paul. Love the word "adventure"!

    And if you don't do another thing today, PLEASE request this amazing film from your library or Netflix! It just oozes passion, romance, and history. I am not a movie lover but this just makes me nearly ill with longing. I wish I'd written it myself! I have one hour left to watch and already planning on rewatching. It's definitely a Mary movie!

    Bless you today.

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  3. I adore N&S! Just wonderful. Do these comments roll over for the giveaway on Friday or is it just those original comments on the previous giveaway?

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  4. Alas, I can't get a sneak peak of North & South until this evening as I am at work. :-( But it is something to anticipate.

    I'll be praying for you in your melancholy state as both your boys head off to school. I think 5th grade with only nine students sounds fantastic!!!! The 7 girls...not so much. Hope he gets along with the other boy! LOL.

    I wonder if you will get as much work done with a quiet house? Or will you spend all your time mooning around watching clips of North & South? LOL.

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  5. Oh Kav, There's the danger - spending time mooning around rewatching N&S! You are in for a treat tonight. I have a feeling this may be a late one for you:) Beware! Movies like this come along once in a century or so:) I kid you not! I'm going to request the book next.

    Thanks for your thoughts about the boys heading to school. I'm with you about all those girls! Maybe they'll pick up another boy or two when the year starts.

    Hope your writing retreat went very, very well this past weekend. Wish I could have joined you, but then it would have turned into a gabfest instead:)

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  6. Hi Sylvia, So good to see you here:) ALL the comments roll over so if you enter for any book at all, you're automatically rolled over to the next giveaway. I started with very few names when I starting doing this and now my hat is quite full! It's a joy to give books away only I wish I had truck loads of them! Bless you today.

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  7. Congrats to Ashley! I'm looking forward to learning more about Lorna's book on Friday. It's definitely on my wishlist.

    The trailer for North and South is just wonder. Ah, a little bit of Richard Armitage to brighten my work day. Very, very nice. It's truly a spectacular movie.

    Will be praying for you and your boys on Wednesday as school starts. I'm certain it will be an adjustment for all of you, but I pray they have a wonderful year!

    You mentioned you will be requesting the book North and South next. I was so upset when I realized the library does not have it, but I ended up finding a free version for amazon kindle. So I got that. I've started reading it, but I'm not very far into it at all. I'm juggling three books right now, lol.

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  8. NOW I want to see NORTH AND SOUTH! It does look wonderful.

    What an exciting, and frightening time for your family! I know both your son AND you will be fine - and the other kids in his class will have to catch up to HIM! Enjoy your time to write. My problem usually is that if I have TIME to write, then there are so many OTHER things that want to take its place! Oy!

    Have a wonderful Monday, and thanks for sharing the clip!

    Two and a half weeks! Hugs!

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  9. Meant to say the trailer is just wonderful. ::sigh:: Sometimes my brain and my fingers don't communicate well. ;)

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  10. Michelle, Finally I'm doing a giveaway of a book you don't have:) YAY! Also will be doing a short interview with Lorna, too. I haven't read MW myself but am waiting for my copy. Then I'll devour it:)

    Oh yes, spectacular is the word. Why can't more movies be like this? I'm going to rewatch episode 3 later today. It had a great deal I think I missed as it was so dense and emotional. Thankfully Kindle had it for free! Wow ~ where is my Kindle when I need it:)!

    So appreciate your prayers for the boys and our adjustment. We sure need them! Praying for you, too.

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  11. No worries, Michelle, my fingers fly around before my head processes these comments, too. Notice my typos lately?! Hopefully NOT:)

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  12. Regina, Is conference REALLY 2-1/2 weeks away. Oh my! I am so looking forward to meeting you!! What a JOY that will be! And you'd better watch this wonderful movie and tell us what you think!

    Thanks for the school thoughts here:) Your words/prayers mean so much.

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  13. Okay, Laura, now that you've seen North & South, we need to get you onto Wives & Daughters. Sure, there's no Richard Armitage in it, but still, a fantastic romance story from the same author!

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  14. Kaye, You're always one step ahead of me:) I was wondering what to watch next ~ I'll put Wives & Daughters ahead of Cranford. But first I'm going to READ North & South though I'm sure it's quite different than the movie!

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  15. Oh, Laura, I'm thinking of you. Even though I'm sure it is a blessing to have the writing time, I know it must be a hard transition after having your boys with you all day. I can't believe my "baby" is kindergarten age and I imagine that doesn't change. That's a blessing that he has such a small class size after homeschooling though. :)

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  16. Laura,
    Oh, my!! I'm so excited about winning the books! Thank you, thank you!! I can hardly believe it. They were on my wish list (it's quite long)!

    I have just finished The Heretic's Wife by Brenda Rickman Vantrease... great book! And, I read CML at the beach... (very much enjoyed it). Thank you! I get so excited over knowing I have a good book to read in the evenings. I homeschool our three children, so I look forward to evening reads. I will pray for your new school arrangement!

    I have never seen North & South. I'm going to look for the book (and movie). Your website is fabulous! And, thank you again for the books!

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  17. Ashley, You're so very welcome! So happy you are a book lover like me:) And that these have been on your wish list! It's neat to know you are a homeschooler like me (though come Wednesday I'll be a former one). The neat thing about this giveaway is that you'll be reading this series (well, the 3rd book is out next summer) back to back so no lag time! And thanks so very much for reading CML at the beach!

    I forgot to ask if you'll email me your snail mail addy to lauran@tfon.com. Then I'll mail those right out with some bookmarks and all. Bless you for entering!

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  18. Julia, You're so right, it really doesn't change ~ they are still little to me though Wyatt is taller than I am! I sure appreciate your thoughts and prayers. I'm praying about my free time (free is not quite the right word!), and that I'll use it rightly. Mostly I'm concerned about how school will impact Paul's music. Guess we'll just take it one day at a time. He's very excited to go. I'll keep you posted! Hope your littles are off to a great school year, no matter how you do it:)

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  19. Laura, this is off the subject,but I was reading some of the archives and noticed you had a couple of pictures from your favorite film. I didn't recognise it and wondered what the title is.

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  20. Sylvia, So happy to have you in the archives:) I think the movie must be The Last of the Mohicans with Daniel Day Lewis and Madeline Stowe. That was my favorite movie till North & South of late. Another I love is The Young Victoria, released last year about the British Royals in the 19th-c. Hope that helps! Please ask any time:)

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  21. I'm glad to hear he's so excited and hope his first day went very well. Our year is going pretty well so far, but I'm looking for a new idea for reading. I'm not sure what that is, I'm just going to pray to know how to make it more clear for her. I hope you can find a great music program that will work with Paul's schedule.

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  22. Congratulations to Ashley!!!

    Laura, you are so very sweet to be having all these book giveaways!! Making Waves is high on my wish list, especially after Casey's great review of it on Goodreads! Looking forward to Friday :D

    Will definitely be praying for you and your boys as they had back to school this week! Protection for them and peace for their mommy :)

    And, I second Kaye's recommendation- you really do have to see Wives & Daughters!! And if you want more Richard, the BBC series Robin Hood was really great, too!! He plays Guy of Gisborne, and I must say, he plays "bad" really well ;) Your kids might even enjoy watching it, too? I have the first 2 seasons on dvd, but didn't get the 3rd as I thought that particular season had a lot of unnecessary "questionable" scenes- I hate when they have to ruin a family show :(

    Anyway, I hope you enjoy "reading" N&S!! And I'd love to know how you think it measures up to the movie when you're done ;)

    Blessings,
    Amanda Stanley

    PS- I've been having some problems with my email lately since the virus, and was wondering if you received my reply email the other day? I don't think I'll ever understand technology *sigh*

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  23. Oh, I almost forgot... a really cool fact that I think you'll enjoy about that BBC Robin Hood series, is that the actor who plays Will Scarlet (Harry Lloyd) is actually a descendant of Charles Dickens!!!! Isn't that awesome?! I think he's his great, great, great grandson- give or take a great or two, LOL! Just thought you'd like to know :D

    Blessings,
    Amanda Stanley

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  24. Hi Amanda, So glad you made it today:) It's not the same without you. And how neat about the Dickens link! That's interesting as I just read today that Elizabeth Gaskill was a personal friend of Dickens! And he published her work!

    I am so tempted to watch Robin Hood now, esp. after your words here and Ruth's stellar reviews. I appreciate the heads up on the questionable parts. I imagine RA plays a bad guy well as he has that slightly sinister look about him even when he's being good:) I like him gentlemanly much better!

    I'm almost ready for episode 4 but am going to rewatch 3 tonight as it was so emotionally dense and there were so many deaths I don't think I "got" it all. Though I'm dying to go to 4! Since I love trains, and I think there's a train scene coming up, I'm quite intrigued. I will have to post when I'm done about my thoughts. I think Michelle is going to do the same as she just watched it this weekend. And I broke down and ordered the book today after reading the first page on Amazon. But since it's a classic I feel it's justified:)

    Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers for the boys as we leap into the schoolyear Wednesday. Sigh. Always an interesting transition.

    Hoping your computer is much better soon and all your emails sail through! Yes, I did get your email and was answering it earlier today but was interrupted. Will try again tomorrow. Bless you so much, Amanda.

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  25. Thanks, Julia. I'll keep you posted about how school goes if you keep me posted on your end. Mutual prayers are so beneficial:)

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  26. Hi Laura,

    I have been trying to keep up with comments on some of your posts to keep tabs on your N&S progress...so you have finished? Or do you still have a final hour to watch? I am so happy you're enjoying it! And yes, I second Kaye's recommendation to watch Wives & Daughters...and also Cranford, of course! Another worthwhile series is the latest Jane Eyre (2006 I think?) starring Toby Stephens as Rochester. *SWOON* :) And always happy to hear about Robin Hood (boy do I sometimes miss that show!). I agree with Amanda, seasons 1 & 2 are the best, but while I can't recall "questionable" scenes in season 3, for me that season fell apart on the basis of horribly weak(er) scripts. There were a few shining moments, though...and Richard had two really good episodes as Guy. :) Happy viewing & reading!

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  27. Ruth, I have one hour left ~ episode 4 ~ and am dreading ending it so am rewatching episodes 1,2,3. Rel and I are keeping up a lively discussion about North&South on the Ballantyne Legacy post below if you have time to check it out. Her insights and comments are so fun and enlightening! Fun that we are carrying on like we are at opposite ends of the earth! She has a knowledge and love of the film like you do (and I do!). It is the best movie I've ever watched ~ and I mean EVER!

    Will add the latest Jane Eyre to my list ~ thanks for that. I couldn't help thinking how RA would made a stunning Mr. Rochester. He is how I always imagined Rochester when reading the book. And I told Randy we have to watch Robin Hood. But like you said, there were some less than stellar reviews on Amazon for some episodes. And what on earth, RA kills Maid Marian!!

    Hope you're having a good day. You'll chuckle at some of the things Rel brought up if you have time to go below:) Bless you!

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  28. Well, I think I've found my reward! I'm going to watch North and South when I finish my novel. I have 16 days to complete it. Yikes!
    Thank you for sharing that mesmerizing video.

    I'm so glad you enjoyed a nice visit with your parents. How special that must have been. And now the boys are starting school. I remember sending my boys back to public school. Not so easy, but it was nice to have time again and it looks like you'll be needing it for your fantastic new book series.

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  29. Casey,
    I loved your review of Lorna's book! Thanks for stopping by and brightening my blog:)

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  30. Carla, I've been thinking about your deadline and will continue praying to that end. I know He will give you the words and time for the task. So glad to see you here. It's always a happier place when you're here:)

    I can't tell you what a reward this movie is to watch. Your historical loving heart will never be the same! Please let me know how you like it. Prepare to fall hard for the entire production:)

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  31. Laura, I got With Purpose and Promise on Monday. Thank you!

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  32. If any of you like North and South, classics, costume drama, etc., you probably will like C19 message forums. This forum started back in 2005 or so. When N&S first came out the BBC had message boards to discuss their films/series. The BBC board got so over-loaded by N&S fans that they finally shut it down. C19 started as a place to go since that one closed. This forum has since expanded to just about anything you want it to be. I don't use half of the message boards on there, but love the ones that I do use!

    http://c19.proboards.com/index.cgi?

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  33. Here's a website about costumes in films you authors would like. This webmistress finds all the films she can where one particular costume is used. She then posts screen captures of each time one particular costume has been spotted. It is very interesting! There's a drop-down menu on the left for one to choose which time period they want. Then click on the thumbnails at the left to view each costume. A thread on C19 about reused costumes appears in the forum called Corsets and Cravats.

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  34. Here's the link to the recycled costume website.

    http://www.recycledmoviecostumes.com/stuartgeorgian.html

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  35. Sally, Thanks for being so thoughtful and telling me:) Enjoy the reading and history of Kentucky, dear friend!

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  36. Sylvia,
    You are a fabulous resource!! Thanks so much for the links and for explaining how they work, the history behind them, etc. I don't doubt the BBC was overloaded with North&South! Personally I feel on overload with the film and can't quite understand its effect on me! I so look forward to checking out everything you mentioned here. Will go over to Kaye's site and let her know, too, as she loves this sort of thing. Bless you so much for taking time to share this!!

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  37. A certain thread on C19 called A Man a Month might give you all ideas for heroes. First you go to Celebrity Corner, then General Actors and Actresses, then A Man a Month. It's quite...uhm...enlightening! I don't think I have seen alot of these guys. Oh, by the way, Laura if your hero that you are using Richard Armitage for needs a brother or slightly look-a-like cousin you should use Tom Ward.

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  38. YAY! Sylvia is back:) That's so interesting you mentioned a brother for RA as just yesterday I decided to write one into the script, so to speak! And Tom Ward, unknown to me till now, might fit the bill quite nicely:) Love your "ummmm....enlightening":)! You are a GEM!

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  39. Laura, is their father in this story? If he is he should be played by Jeremy Brett. He has that same dark hair, piercing eyes, straight nose, high cheekbones, firm mouth, etc. Either their father or one of them when they are an older age. Ahh...Jeremy Brett...sigh...the perfect Sherlock Holmes!

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  40. Laura, I actually like Wives & Daughters as much as or more than North & South. Cranford was... okay. Just didn't hook me like the other two did.

    Conference is rushing up on us fast. I can't wait to meet you in person!

    Oh, and I just loaned out my copies of your books to a friend who is on bed rest for the next several weeks. Can't wait to know what she thinks.

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  41. What a fun thread of comments. Thanks for the links, Sylvia!

    Laura, I second (or is it third?) Ruth's recommendation of the latest Jane Eyre. It was fabulous. I love the actress, who I found rather plain to begin with and thought was beautiful by the end. I love when a performance does that for me.

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  42. Sylvia, Mr. Ward is quite right for the role of brother:) Thanks so much for that! And I think Mr. Brett is perfect as Holmes (until I saw Robert Downey Jr, that is!). That was sort of a frenetic experience but quite good all in all! Alas, I don't have a dad in this one. But I'll keep him in mind:)

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  43. Lori, I was so hoping you'd show up! I've been rather distracted with my blog reading as my folks are here and I've fallen behind...

    It's so interesting to hear which BBC dramas are liked by whom. I think I will skip Cranford for now and go straight to Wives and Daughters once I finish this final episode of North & South. But I'm just dying to read the book by Gaskell now but it won't ship till Sept 22 after conference. Would be great reading on the plane (all 3 of them, in fact ~ can you believe it takes 3 for me to get out of the woods?!).

    I know just what you mean about starting with an actress and seeing her as plain. Margaret was like that for me ~ some unhappy reviewer called her pudding-faced ~ but I think she is lovely and getting prettier as the film unrolls. And Bessie began as plain and by the end of her short life, she seemed beautiful to me.

    I can't believe conference is right around the corner. I hope you're feeling more ready than I am!

    Yes, aren't Sylvia's links inspiring?!

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  44. I liked the Jane Eyre 2006 pretty well, but there are a few things that bothered me. Here they are in no particular order: a)The script isn't straight from the novel like the 1983 version; b)They make Jane allow things that the Christian, pure Jane of the book would not have allowed. When they remove Jane's moral willpower and obedience there's no point in her big exit from Thornfield; c) Adele is quite alot older in this film than she is in the book; it seems like she is too old to have a nurse and a governess; d) The guests play at a wigi board instead of charades (what is the point in changing that); SPOILER ALERT e)Bertha is extremely neat; no claw-like hands, no red, rolled-back eyes; f)Blanche Ingram is a blonde even though the book clearly states that she is dark haired, dark skinned Spanish looking woman. Anyway, the music, atmosphere, characters and cinemetography are great. Over all I still think I like the Dalton/Clark version best, even though I don't think the two leads are like the book people very much. It doesn't bother me that bad. Oh, a new JE is coming out in theaters next year. I don't know how in the world they will be able to cut it down to only two hours! The book is so long. Michael Fassbender is to play Rochester and Mia Wasikowska is to play Jane.

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  45. Sylvia, Interesting commentary! I agree with so many of your points. It is such a classic (one of the few books I read more than once) and no screen/theater production ever seems to measure up or stay true to the book. I never thought T Dalton was quite right for the role, either. I can't remember Jane, actually, as it's been so long since I watched. Great that they're coming out with a new version in theaters next year! The name "Mia" belongs in a book:)

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  46. Grr. I can never watch trailers. I don't know why.

    My new blog link is:

    http://brittmitchell.blogspot.com/

    Just an FYI :-)

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  47. LOL, Britt:) Probably because trailers are HUGE spoilers! Thanks so much for your new link. Will be right over...

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  48. Ok, here's my thoughts! Skip Wives & Daughters and go straight to Emma with Romola Garai - it is brilliant. W & D is good but I enjoyed Emma much more - better chemistry between Romola and Jonny Lee Miller :)

    I might have to go back and watch W & D again - it has been ages so not sure if I would put it before or after Cranford.

    Ah, the choices!

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  49. Rel, You and I have the same viewing tastes! I think I will go straight to Emma. Romola was so amazing in Amazing Grace (at least I think that was her and that was the movie title ~ sometimes my books and movies get mixed up)!

    As for N&S, I rewatched episode 3 today and also the deleted scenes and the interview with RA. NOW to watch episode 4 for the first time. Hopefully tomorrow night. Sigh. I won't get the book till after the ACFW conference. You've made me fall in love with it from that excerpt you pulled...

    Hope things are happy on your side of the world:) You sure brighten my days!

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  50. Good plan, Laura. Yes, it was Romola in Amazing Grace - she does a brilliant Emma :) Perfect mix of innocence and spunk.

    You will LOVE the last episode - every story thread is so ....perfect! Have tissues handy :)

    We are enjoying a lovely sunny Spring day here.

    Hugs

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  51. Yes, tissues. I'm already having trouble ending it. And that's so unlike me and movies. This has made such an impression on me. I don't quite understand. Simply listening to Northbound Train makes me want to cry:( Will be back with you here as soon as I watch...

    Glad you hear about your sunny spring day! Sunny fall day here:)

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  52. YES, Rel is right! You should watch Emma first!! Romola is magnificent in this role and captures Emma in a way that I think would make Jane Austen quite proud :D

    And, here's another fun fact: as Rel said, Jonny Lee Miller plays Mr. Knightley in this version of Emma, and he also played Edmund Bertram in the 1999 version of Mansfield Park. Now, here's where is gets funny: Blake Riston plays Mr. Elton in this version of Emma, and he ALSO played Edmund Bertram in the 2007 version of Mansfield Park (which I thought was far better than the 99)! Isn't that cool? Two Edmund's in the same movie, fighting over the same girl... I love it! Jane just has a way of pulling a person back, I suppose :D

    Speaking of Jane Austen, I LOVE that BBC remade all of her movies again!! Did you see the latest version (2008) of Sense and Sensibility?! I thought it was FABULOUS!!! And, another fun fact: (I just remembered this one, LOL!) the actor who plays Edward Ferrars (Dan Stevens) in this latest version of S&S, is actually the male cover model on the book, "The Glassblower" by: Laurie Alice Eakes! I wonder if she knows? I saw the cover of the book months ago and couldn't believe it! They must have digitally made his hair red for the cover, but that's definitely his face! LOL- I sound like such a nerd! But, they are fun facts to know ;)

    Hoping you have many wonderful period dramas ahead of you, my friend!

    Blessings,
    Amanda Stanley

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  53. YAY! Amanda:) You are a wealth of fascinating facts!! We are just BBC-holics, I guess! And sweetly so:) Now I have a bunch to watch based on your and Rel's reviews. Though I must admit, I don't know if any will replace my love of N&S. Kind of like reading a beloved book and nothing else quite measures up after:( Grrrrr.

    Now I'm off to see the Glassblower cover by Laurie Alice! I've pre-ordered her Midwife book and can't wait. The cover is so beautiful, even if I do have to wait till Feb '11!

    Bless you, Amanda ~ you are always a JOY!

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  54. Oh, Amanda - we are determined agreement on Emma and S&S - love both the girls in S&S too - mush more faithful to the book :)

    N&S is my absolute fav too, Laura, so don't worry!

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  55. I really enjoyed W&D and have seen it three or four times, but always want to throw something at the screen because we sit through five (I think) hours and don't get a single kiss between the hero and heroine!:(

    Someone mentioned that the BBC has re-done all the JA books on film recently. Actually, since P&P 1995 they've only done S&S 2007 and E 2009. Those other three monstrosities that are called JA films were put out by ITV, not BBC. I think Persuasion has the BBC films label on it, but it wasn't filmed by them; just sold under their line. The BBC has yet to do a remake of Mansfield Park, Persuasion, and Northanger Abbey. The last time they did MP was in 1983; NA in 1986, and P in 1960 (if you want to be technical). They bought the 1971 version from Granada films and packaged it with their other JA films from that time period. I think it's high time they re-do these three. They should use Richard Armitage as Captain Wentworth even though he is six or seven years older then the captain. Nobody will mind. He's Richard! :) He needs to be a JA hero imo.

    You definitely need to see Emma 2009! It's very good, but they purposely decided to modernize the manners of the characters. Romola does alot of moving about, hand motions, sits on the setee with one leg beneath her, etc. This would not have been acceptable, usual behavior in those days. The directors did in on purpose (even though they knew better)to bring it closer to this century. If you can look past that then you will love it! Oh, and the script is not lifted directly from the novel in alot of parts. Other than that it has wonderful music, actors, the majority of the book because of the length, and many little things to look for that go unnoticed if one isn't paying close attention. Oh, and I plan to get the soundtrack sometime. I love the way the theme music is incorporated all throughout the film, but in various pieces. Emma's last dance at the Crown Ball is.....sigh....swoon... What more can I say?

    Here's the way I look at it from being a devoted, die-hard Janeite. If I want straight, word for word, manners down to a T (even though it's verrrry slow and quiet) I watch E 1972. It's very much like seeing a play on stage. If I want pretty much straight from the novel, beautiful costumes, perfect manners, etc., I watche E 1996 with Kate Beckinsale and Mark Strong. It's only hindrance in my book is that it's so short that they had to leave alot of the book out. The Gwyneth Paltrow version can hardly be called JA's Emma. I watch it if I want beautiful, but almost hurts your eyes because of the perfection cinematography and music. It's kind of a fairy tale type Emma; very sugary, but still fun to watch. It does not leave me wanting to re-watch the ending over and over again like N&S!

    Whew! That was long! Sorry about that.

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  56. LOL, Sylvia! Sorry for the confusion- I plead Yankee ignorance ;) Goodness, I thought I knew some facts about these period dramas, but you're like Google, LOL! Now that you mention it, there were definite differences in quality between the BBC and ITV adaptations. I'm embarrassed to say that I thought BBC put out everything that comes out from across the pond *blushing furiously*- again, more of my Yi! Thanks for setting me straight :D

    And, I wholeheartedly agree, Richard would be wonderful in a JA film- especially as Captain Wentworth ;)

    Blessings,
    Amanda Stanley

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  57. Oh my, Sylvia and Amanda leave me in the dust! I can't speak intelligently about these productions at all, though I might have a few insights about North & South which I'll comment about here or on the previous post shortly:) Still scraping myself off the floor after episode 4...

    Bless you all for making this such a fun post!!

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  58. Amanda, don't feel embarrassed because you didn't know the BBC didn't put out all those JA films. I'm probably the odd one because I do know. Since I love the novels I keep up with all the adaptations and I'm very particular when they put out a new one.

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  59. Sylvia, I love your comments as they add so much and I don't find your knowledge odd at all! Just fascinating. You have a real love of these films and it shows:) Plus you're gracious enough to share all that here with the rest of us. Amanda, Rel, Kaye, Lori, and Ruth are light years ahead of me with these things. I can't believe I haven't heard about or seen N&S till now! Where on earth have I been? With my head in a book, I guess...

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