It is very short and episodic. There's a quote in chapter 2 that basically sums up the atmosphere of the novel:
"There had been neither births, deaths, nor marriages since I was there last. Everybody lived in the same house, and wore pretty nearly the same well-preserved, old-fashioned clothes. The greatest event was, that Miss Jenkyns had purchased a new carpet for the drawing-room."
This makes for a good comfort read (although there are some deaths later on, but they are not upsetting). But I can see why filmmakers would be leery about adapting it without bolstering the story with something a little more plotty. But giving Cranford more plot undermines one of the more interesting parts of the book, which is that it's a nineteenth century novel about women to which marriage and romance are incidental.
no subject
"There had been neither births, deaths, nor marriages since I was there last. Everybody lived in the same house, and wore pretty nearly the same well-preserved, old-fashioned clothes. The greatest event was, that Miss Jenkyns had purchased a new carpet for the drawing-room."
This makes for a good comfort read (although there are some deaths later on, but they are not upsetting). But I can see why filmmakers would be leery about adapting it without bolstering the story with something a little more plotty. But giving Cranford more plot undermines one of the more interesting parts of the book, which is that it's a nineteenth century novel about women to which marriage and romance are incidental.