Have been going through that rabbit hole called YouTube lately, where you go from one video to another and have stumbled upon a gem of a historical three-part Masterpiece miniseries named The Long Song, which is based on the novel of the same name by Andrea Levy. The book is loosely based on Levy's family history and also mentions true events.
The story is set in 19th century Jamaica on a sugarcane plantation called Amity and touches upon the turbulent years (10-day Baptist war in 1813) before and just after the abolition of slavery (1838). The story focusses on the three main characters:
- July; daughter of a plantation slave Kitty and an overseer as a father; who becomes an enslaved ladies maid. July is spirited and strong-willed and despite the hardships, she refuses to be a victim of circumstance.
- Caroline Mortimer; a shallow mean spirited young widow forced to go and live with her brother. Although she tries to be likeable at times, her actions show that she is the embodiment of her time.
- Robert Goodwin; a young idealistic overseer who wants to improve the plantation for both the slaves and the mistress.
Both women get intrigued by Robert, especially by his big dreams and positive outlook in how to achieve those. And yet, despite those big aspirations a dark side to Robert emerges, as it is way harder than expected to fulfill those dreams, as the changes he sets out are not without consequences. Furthermore, both women are being pitted against each other, vying for the respect and affection from Robert. All three characters are depicted in a way, in which you see that human beings are not one dimensional, but have different layers and sides to them, which makes you wonder who do you empathize with more. Do you love them, hate them, pity them or just love to hate them?
Does this story look intriguing to you and want to see or read more? Watch the trailer and decide for yourself 😉.
