A marvellous beautiful series - a delight to the spirit.
344767
Elizabeth Goudge (together with CS Lewis) is my go-to author if I'm feeling down or overwhelmed with life's problems.

The writing itself is a joy, with the descriptive prose vividly evoking places and feelings.  These are books about people and places, their trials and tribulations and their eventual winning thought to peace.  There is little plot or action, but they are not needed.  The characters are old friends, and opening the book is like stepping into their home.

The Eliot family books are a rare delight to the spirit.  I haven't got a religious bone in my body, but these books give a glimpse of what it might be like to have a faith that sustains.

I have these books in hardback and paperback and am delighted to be able to get them in digital form.  They now come with me everywhere on my phone.
2916715
So few people I know are aware of this wonderful show's existence.  My hope is that collecting all three seasons in a single DVD box set could lead to a whole new group of viewers.  What impressed me about the series is the way it provided absolutely first-rate popular entertainment in a relatively highbrow context.  It is funny.  There are romantic another other kinds of relationships that we as viewers come to care deeply about.  And we are introduced to a host of fascinating characters.  But at the same time there is some remarkably insightful discussion of Shakespeare.

You don't have to love Shakespeare to love this series, but you'll love it all the more if you do.  If you don't own copies of HAMLET, MCBETH, and KING LEAR, I would strongly encourage you to order copies of each along with this box set.  I reread each play as a result of seeing SLINGS AND ARROWS.  I suspect that a substantial number of viewers of the show have done so as well.

The stories revolve around a moderately successful theater festival in a fictitious Canadian town.  When Oliver Welles, the revered head of the festival, dies unexpectedly Geoffrey Tennant, a formerly celebrated actor who made his mark there, is asked to return as director.  Paul Gross (perhaps best known to those in the United States as the Mounty assigned to Chicago in the fun series DUE SOUTH) absolutely steals the series as Tennant.  I've seen a great deal of his work and this is hands down the best thing he has done.  Although he steals the show, his real life wife Martha Burns costars as the resident lead actress of the troupe and the former lover of Tennant.  The most surprising performance on the show might be that of Mark McKinney, formerly of KIDS IN THE HALL, who does a great job as the festival's business director.  The cast is bolstered by a number of superb supporting characters as well as several excellent guest stars.  Rachel McAdams was great on the show until Hollywood beckoned and she left the series after Season One.  Geraint Wyn Davies, who many will remember from the vampire TV series FOREVER KNIGHT, excelled in Season Two as famous Shakespearean recruited to play McBeth.  Sarah Polley (whose father was a regular on the series) is Season Three's Cordelia.  Celebrated Canadian Shakespearean actor William Hutt turns in an astonishing performance as Season Three's Lear.  But the funniest guest role is hands down that by Colm Feore, who plays a charlatan PR firm director.

This is just great TV and if you haven't seen this, you must.  This is the best completely unknown television series of the past several years.  I've pushed other little watched series on friends, like FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, but that wonderful series has several times the audience that SLINGS AND ARROWS had.  All you need to do to love it is to watch it.
4708473
Anne's books are books that will form a very special collection for children I'm sure. They are so wonderfully entertaining, taking both the reader and the listener into a magical space.  The illustrations are beyond enchanting.  What a wonderful way to end a day. Congratulations to all concerned in producing this fantastic series.
4968417
Philip Pullman has written a number of accesible and satisfying books for pre-teens and other young people.  As a writer he is a skilled craftsman.
This series, however, is something else.  It is not targeted for young audiences nor, I suspect, for older ones.  Age is not determinent.  These are novels for those who are eager to think, to stretch their imagination in ways that makes the world which is present before us more real.  Pullman has written an integrated series which, when taken as a whole, is a remarkable evocation of a universe which seems wildly strange, but just beyond our sight.
The series achieves a fresh conception of the deity, a conception which is wholly intriguing.  We all are creations of this god, but through a series of circumstances and incidents, our relationship with the deity, and its relationship with its creation, is dramatically changed.
This is a complex and richly realized story of humanity's struggle to rise above its own limitations, and the importance of each individual's struggle to achieve responsibility for her or his own life.
As an adventure story this series is gripping, well-paced and multi-faceted.  But it is in the higher level of meaning that Pullman has achieved a transcendent work.
I highly recommend this series for those of all ages who seek intriguing, thought-provoking reading in an exciting format.
2725901
Fabulous series.  Visually it is something to behold ~ imaginative story that includes breathtaking Scottish highlands landscape, period costumes and skillful character development by the stars.  Highly recommend.
3850502
Oh, how good this series is for its love of life!  The characters are genuine and endearing; the stories rich and full of wisdom and insight; the setting  particularly beautiful and pleasing to one accustomed to suburban life.  You will be taken up the Land of Lark Rise and Candleford, made the richer for it, and gently return from one episode to the next with a bit more gentleness and understanding.  And perhaps that will become your one strength...and weakness.
1332392
Well written, fabulously acted - a wonderful series
161080
This series is quite something. A few are excellent and the rest are great. The distinction is that the excellent really viborate!
2075448
Absolutely beautiful, inspiring, glorious.  Need I say more?
4889994
I loved the whole series. The love between all of the persons are wonderful to observe. The characters have a very real concern for each other. I feel I am part of the family, by watching and following this series. I do not like to miss any of the shows. So I buy the seasons as they become available.
3684568
I cannot possibly describe how exceptional this series is.  People need to buy the series and view it for themselves.  INCREDIBLE! Well worth the money. I bought it for the Learning Libraries of my young grandchildren and Great Niece, as well as for us.
1928895
My wife and I were amazed with the quality and beauty of this BBC series. The photography, music, and narration by Benedict Cumberbatch are simply top notch and very relaxing to watch. This series defines what heights TV can climb to. If only US TV executives would choose to produce TV productions of this quality. We have grown tired of the negatvity and mindless trash that make up much of US TV programming. So programs like this one are a welcome alternative.
4437653
This is such a great series - another wonderful British production - beautiful stories, incredibly well produced, acted and directed.

So GLAD this type of programming is available.
2198779
You do not have to read the whole series to enjoy this book BUT, the whole series is quite magnificent!
2743434
One of the Most Amazing Series, I've ever seen: Smart, Entertaining, Well-Done and a Great Production!!!
4291957
This is a wonderful series, I love it. I can't even explain properly why I like it so much, but if you Google The Sci Fi Catholic Anime Review: 'Princess Tutu you will find THE BEST REIVEW IN THE WORLD. It is so funny, seriously check it out.
This series really deserves lots of love and attention.
The best way to describe it is that it's unexpected. It starts out as a typical, cute fantasy tale and morphs. The use of ballet and the music are both wonderful and interesting, the characters are complex, and while some of the mini stories at the beginning of each episode are slightly creepy, the show is perfectly acceptable for young children. There is almost no violence, or at least not the bloody sort. There is plenty of danger though, as the characters are sometimes threatened with what you might call "fates worse than death." But overall it is a charmingly uplifting and cheerful series and that's hard to come by now.
1680503
Without a doubt, this is a series that everyone should see. The photography is beautiful and amazing. The "behind the scenes" bits really lets you know how difficult it is to get some of this amazing footage. A series you will watch again and again. Probably one of the best ways to encourage conservation without preaching for anyone. Makes a wonderful gift.