It is a shame to think that many people might skip this ambitious effort by Lifetime, thinking it will be one of their run-of-the-mill efforts, particularly their uneven adaptations of other books in the series. I first sampled it out of curiosity, thinking it could be some goofy, light summer fare. However, I was pleasantly surprised that this miniseries was shockingly good. I am as shocked as I would be had the Hallmark Channel has suddenly put something out that was of the same quality as THE THORN BIRDS. The acting, script, direction and design is excellent, and I believe this is worthy of Emmy nominations--this must have four times the budget of the typical Lifetime effort. This was a delicious, epic, fun ride through some gothic territory and well worth your time, particularly if you were a fan of the book series. If only they could give FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC and PETALS ON THE WIND (the two best books in the series) this much time and budget to tell their spellbinding stories.
