I cannot believe I've never watched this before! I mean, it is like the perfect bbc-kind of period drama.

This was such a powerful and beautiful period drama! It delivers all aspects of its genre in all the best ways. We are truly immersed into the time and see the harsh conditions people live in, yet it’s not all sadness and anger. The point of the story is that even those who seem different, whether it’s by opinion or by station, can often find a middle ground, and by learning from each other and working together they can become even better or stronger. I love that we got fleshed-out, well-developed characters from each side, whether it was the Hales, the Thorntons or the Higgins, as it made it possible for us to understand and feel all the different sides to the argument. We also truly got to see the meaningful relationships they all built with each other, despite the major gaps that might normally separate them all, which felt really important. Not to mention, of course, this story was, first and foremost, utterly romantic. The two leads have fantastic chemistry and you can truly see the longing in their faces at all times. I was swooning left and right! It was just such a stunning adaptation, I personally liked it more than the book!