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Sadly Over-hyped

Disturbing yet enthralling

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

I know adaptations can be different from the original stories but this... I think it some of the "improvements" (or alterations) North and South suffered in this case were not only unnecessary, but they made it more difficult to understand the story and the characters. For example: when Margaret first sees Mr. Thornton, he is brutally beating a man, one of his "hands", who is already lying defenseless on the floor. How can she get to like him at all, when she knows he is capable of doing something like this? I think the way they originally meet in the book makes much more sense and it would have been better to keep it like that. Then, Margaret and Mr. Thornton barely speak to each other in the series!! It makes it very confusing (and almost ridiculous) when he suddenly decides to propose to her. As another reviewer already said, it makes you wonder "when did they fall in love??!!". It also looks like somehow Margaret started having feelings for him almost from that day on. Why? The ending felt quite weird for me (the scene in the train station), and not credible at all. I would have preferred it if they kept it a little bit more similar to the one in the book. I think the underdeveloped relationship between Margaret and Mr. Thornton is the worst part of this adaptation. Both characters change a lot throughout the story (in the book), not only because of each other, but because the people around them and they end up completely changing their minds about many things. Thus, in the book, the feelings they have for each other are perfectly understood. As for the rest, the actors were quite good and I really liked how they recreated this small industrial town and the rest of the characters. The relationships between Margaret and Bessy and Mr. and Mrs. Thornton were particularly good.

I watched this very skeptically. I was not familiar with the novel or the earlier productions, but this show was done very nicely. All actors were convincing as was the setting for the drama. The main actress did a phenomenal job, but Richard Armitage stole the show. I was completely bowled over after having seen his performance in the Hobbit series recently that this was the same actor. Overall this is a good watch especially if you are a fan of English period drama's. The music is also excellent and really sets the mood. Cinematography is always very important in period pieces and this show was great to show the early mills society in North England. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes history and good story.

From the title, "North & South," I thought this was about the American Civil War, but it is not. It is based on the novel by English author Elizabeth Gaskell, published in 1855. A minister and his wife and daughter, Margaret, leave rural southern England and move to the industrial north, to a mill town. The story is about their difficult adjustment, their friendship with cotton mill owner Mr Thorton, and Margaret's friendship with mill worker and union organizer Nicholas (played by Brendan Coyle, Mr Bates on "Downton Abbey") and his daughter Bessie, who is sick from "too much fluff in me lungs" (played by Anna Maxwell Martin, Esther in "Bleak House" and Elizabeth in "Death Comes to Pemberley"). The story is nuanced, and realistic, in that it shows the difficulties of running the mill as well as the hardships of the workers. The characters are three dimensional, not one side all good, one all bad. Richard Armitage is tremendous as Mr Thorton. Everyone in it is great. It is well done, but it is a very, very sad story until the very end. I haven't read the book, so I don't know how faithful the mini-series is. I watched it on Netflix, using closed captions most of the time, the regional accents can be difficult.

I've been wanting to watch this mini-series for a while now, but I never finished the book so long ago, so I felt bad. I really need to give the book a second chance and I will...thanks to this adaptation.Sooooooooo good. I loved the cast and I loved the story. I honestly watched all four episodes in one day, because I needed to know what would happen next. I especially loved Mr. Thornton...even though he was a butt sometimes - I may be biased because I adore Richard Armitage. I did want to punch Margaret though, because she was a pain and wouldn't be honest with Mr. Thornton. Just tell him the truth! GAH! It's so obvious he will believe you and not betray you, because not only does he love you, but he loves your father so that family secret matters not to him. Why can't people just be honest? I get not telling everyone your family secret, but I think the man you love and who loves you deserves the truth.Okay, I did feel bad for Margaret, because she had a nice simple life in southern England with the trees and the house in nature and her father decides to move them to the North for no real reason. The reason - once he tells - is stupid and not really worth the move. Perhaps, in the book they explain it more. We shall see. I am certainly glad that it took a while for the two to get together; it made the first kiss and acceptance of proposal worth the wait. There was a lot they had to work out and prove to each other, before they could get together. Honestly, I am glad they divided this into 4 parts, because they could add more story-line and explain more. Each character also got a good amount of spotlight. The revolt and the people involved got the spotlight it deserved and I'm glad they didn't cut out the dirty truth of the time period. People were being taken advantage of and not getting enough money. Even though they stood up and demanded more, Mr. Thornton was a man of his time period and refused to pay them. Like every romance-y story, he does have a change of heart, but it takes a big event...I will not say what happens, but it does change his heart and see Margaret's point of view. In the end, I am now super excited to give the book a second chance. This was a great adaptation and made me in love with the story. It is not a simple romance, but there are personal issues and society issues that keep them apart for a while. They do come together, but they earned it. They both had to change to be able to love each other fully. I am glad they showed the truth of the time period; there was good, but also people had to suffer and not get paid enough for their work. I recommend this to those that love historical fiction and romance. It is a good story. I stamp this with 5 stars. Favorite Character(s): Mr Thornton (even though he was butt at the beginning), Margaret (even though she deserved a slap for being dumb), Betsy, and Nicholas Not-so Favorite Character(s): Fanny and Hannah Re-watch?: Yes. It was good.