My friend Kelly manages an independent book store, and she has a great grasp of ancient history, good stories, and fine writing. So when she told me her favorite series was Brideshead Revisited, I knew I had to check it out.

I know Hollywood has produced a new short version of Evelyn Waugh's 1945 classic novel, but I've not yet seen it. I opted to view first the long British version so when I do see the short one, I'll know what I've missed. (I liked the longer Pride and Prejudice better, for example. But I still enjoyed the shortener version.)

Brideshead Revisited is a poignant story of forbidden love and the loss of innocence set in England prior to the Second World War. And frankly, throughout the first half, I thought it was all right, but I wondered, What made Kelly love this? Fortunately, I trusted her. And ohmygoodness, what a payoff I got for that trust.

The cast includes Jeremy Irons and Laurence Olivier among other notables, and is set at Castle Howard in Yorkshire. Twenty years after its release, the British Film Institute voted it number ten in the top 100 greatest British TV programs (okay, programmes). If you love history, theology, and a plotline with complex characters, this one's for you, too.