For anyone who has read the book, Part I is as true to it as can be. That said, I wonder if someone who has not read it will be able to follow it. Most of our party found the actors hard to understand at times, making following the plot line difficult for them. Damn accents: love and hate them!
This is just a build up for Part II and I can't thank the producers enough for the respect that they afforded the book by splitting it into two parts.