You Should See: Return to Cranford

This may be the only time I ever, ever recommend a sequel.
Ever.

I adored Cranford when we netflixed it - I mentioned it here.  It captures beautifully the essence of  Elizabeth Gaskell's writing.  And her writing, by the way, is such a sublime blend of compassion and humor that I wish more authors chose her as their benchmark.

The sequel, however, made my heart absolutely sing with buoyancy.  It ended with such a perfectly loving and dignified moment that I pondered it for a solid week and cried more than once in related thought.  I utterly adore Miss Matty Jenkyns and her overfull mother heart.  I suppose her character is meant to be adored - but there is some absolute eternal truth about her character that can't help speaking to my soul.

I can't think of many better things a story (written or performed) could hope to accomplish.  So if your soul is in need of a song or two, I suggest you seek this one out.