Far from the Madding Crowd

by Thomas Hardy

This award-winning collection of adapted classic literature and original stories develops reading skills for low-beginning through advanced students.

Accessible language and carefully controlled vocabulary build students' reading confidence.

Introductions at the beginning of each story, illustrations throughout, and glossaries help build comprehension.

Before, during, and after reading activities included in the back of each book strengthen student comprehension.

Audio versions of selected titles provide great models of intonation and pronunciation of difficult words.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, British Literature

Unknown Binding

About the author

Thomas Hardy, OM, was an English author of the naturalist movement, although in several poems he displays elements of the previous romantic and enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural. He regarded himself primarily as a poet and composed novels mainly for financial gain.

The bulk of his work, set mainly in the semi-fictional land of Wessex, delineates characters struggling against their passions and circumstances. Hardy's poetry, first published in his 50s, has come to be as well regarded as his novels, especially after The Movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

The term cliffhanger is considered to have originated with Thomas Hardy's serial novel A Pair of Blue Eyes in 1873. In the novel, Hardy chose to leave one of his protagonists, Knight, literally hanging off a cliff staring into the stony eyes of a trilobite embedded in the rock that has been dead for millions of years. This became the archetypal — and literal — cliff-hanger of Victorian prose.

Excerpted from Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Shaimaa شيماء]

الاسم بيحسسك إنك هتفتح الرواية تلاقي عصافير بتغرد وخرفان بترعى في هدوء (زي جابرييل أوك في أول صفحة)، بس فجأة بتلاقي نفسك في وسط "إعصار" من الشخصيات المستفزة والقرارات الغلط والناس اللي بتموت والناس اللي بتدخل السجن.

هاردي كان عاوز يقول إن "الهدوء الخارجي مش معناه سلام داخلي". ممكن تكون قاعد في أجمل وأهدى مكان في العالم (بعيداً عن الزحام)، بس عقلك وقلبك فيهم دوشة وصراع أكبر من اللي في وسط القاهرة!

يعني يا جماعة مفيش فايدة حتى لو هربتوا لأبعد قرية في الدنيا، مش هتعرفوا تهربوا من صراعاتكم النفسية، وغيرتكم، وأخطائكم.

شخصيات القصة كلهم مستفزين

البطلة اللي الكل بيحبها مش عارفة ليه الحقيقة وهي محبتش غير المتلاعب..

جابرييل اللي فضل جنبها عايش في دور الناصح الأمين وحتى بعد ما دمرت الكل.. وراحتله عشان معدش فيه غيره سامحها عادي وافتكر إنه كده وصل للي نفسه فيه..

بولدوود الراجل العاقل الرزين اللي حياته انقلبت عشان واحدة مش عاوزاه وضيع حياته في سبيل اللاشيء.

[Tara]

This isn't the exact version I have (I have the movie tie-in edition from the 60's). I love watching a movie and then going back and reading the book again. It always gives such resonance to the movie and reminds me of motives that aren't always apparent when watching the movie. Fabulous book!

[Sara]

Finally got a chance to read this classic, and so glad that I did. The central characters experience multiple changes in fortune, but keep moving forward. It is heartbreaking, sweet, and funny all in one. The movie released this year portrays the characters well.

[afsun :) :)]

“I have felt lately, more and more, that my
present way of living is bad in every respect.”
This book has been in my bookshelf for 3 years now and I never thought of reading it
But this month I told myself to give it a try. I’m pretty sure this is my first classic.

[shaki]

i accidentally read an early literacy version and i wondered the whole time why it was so plain and brief—will have to read the original version 🤡

[gio]

ganhei esse livro de presente da minha amiga que o comprou em um sebo. a edição que eu tenho é da Oxford Bookworms, ou seja, adaptada para pessoas iniciantes em ler inglês. com isso, creio que o texto foi modificado e simplificado, o que atrapalhou um pouco no meu processo de leitura, mas me diverti mesmo assim - só sinto que teria aproveitado mais com a edição original, com o clássico completo em minhas mãos. não foi possível, então esse quebra bem o galho. gostei da história.

[Laman Abbasova]

Far from the Madding Crowd is truly a fascinating novel. Thomas Hardy masterfully weaves a story of love, fate, and independence, set against the backdrop of rural England. The characters are deeply complex, and the emotional tension keeps you engaged throughout. A must-read for classic literature lovers!

[Maud Lecluyse]

Ik wil eig zowa NU de uitgebreide verhaal lezen (niet de reader) en de film zieeeen!! Verhaal heeft me geraakt, zo mooiii xxx

[Azize N.]

C

[Stefanie]

I made it 1/3rd of the way through this book, which I chose from the Classics bookshelf online because it sounded vaguely familiar, and I thought to myself, "Man, this is really bad. The characters suck, the writing is overwrought, the plot is stupid and predictable, and the one female character is portrayed as being a minx because she has opinions and independence. It reminds me of that terrible Tess of the D'urbervilles book I refused to finish reading in high school."

I guess I thought Thomas Hardy sounded familiar because of the actor and shut out my reading of Tess, since I refused to internalise that book.

Anyway, fuck Thomas Hardy. I cannot for the life of me figure out why his writing has been preserved as "classic."

hashtag feminism mofos.

[arcobaleno]

Non riesco a giudicare questo libro perché
1. è una riduzione a scopo didattico,
2. sono stata poco diligente e l'ho letto con poca attenzione,
3. non ho gustato la lettura perché la mia traduzione è molto lenta,
4. facevo una gran confusione tra tutti gli spasimanti di Bathsheba...

Credo non ci sia niente di più freddo, scostante e antiletterario di questo tipo di sintesi!

[Margaret.s]

I just watched the movie and it made me want to read this book now :D The style reminds me of Jane Austen's books

[Trung Nguyễn]

Beautiful Love Story, really deep!!!

[Leah]

I listened to the audio book. I loved it. It's so much easier to listen than read the classics.

[Alžběta]

idk :/

[Market:)]

It was easy to read, quite an entertaining story, some character development, Gab was hands down a dream man

[Laura]

The final part was a bit shocking but i actually enjoyed her women power.