What do you think?
Rate this book
Thomas Hardy: Tess of the D'Urbervilles; The Mayor of Casterbridge; Far from the Madding Crowd
The quintessential Victorian novelist of unforgettable characters caught in their inescapable with unfailing honesty and lyrical writing, Thomas Hardy captured his heroes' intimate relationship with the natural and social environment. Here are three of his finest works, presented in their entirety. Tess of the Durbervilles tells the tragic tale of a poor young girl's coming of age and her traumatic relationships with two the wealthy and cold Alec D'Urberville and the beautiful, but unforgiving Angel Clare. Michael Henchard, the title character of The Mayor of Casterbridge , reaches the pinnacles of power-only to lose everything through folly and bad luck. Set in Hardy's beloved Wessex, and always attentive to the struggles of everyday life in the farming community, Far From the Madding Crowd centers on Bathsheba Everdene and the men who love her.
728 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1975
17 people are currently reading
668 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Hardy
2,283 books6,752 followersThomas 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
February 5, 2016
Mayor of Casterbridge:-
A man can make a horrendous mistake in a bad moment with drink and temper, and however much he regrets it and does his best to change himself and aspire to be a better man, another moment of being less vigilent with one's faults can again bring him down and bring unhappiness to him and others around him. One may pity him, but one has to excuse those he harmed and are unable to love him again, or even forgive him, especially the young ones.
Thomas Hardy is a master in literature. And this is one of his best. Few books can be so heart wrenching about a man of such character.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
.............................................
Hardy belonged to an era when a few miles were a great separation, although people were traversing the Atlantic ocean regularly enough in search of livelihood and sometimes more than once in a lifetime. Perhaps it is that era or perhaps it is the author himself or it is a reflection of his times and his society, but invariably he makes his stance clear - unless there is subterfuge and trickery involved in saving a woman who made a mistake however small, pay she must and she does in his works for the mistake, often with her very life.
Tess was raped and she paid with loss of her marriage by her husband leaving her, insisting she was wife of the man who had raped her, and she eventually paid for it by being hanged for the murder of the rapist. Lucetta in this one is made to pay for having nursed a stranger to health and thus compromised her name, and if she marries another for love of the other or for fear of the one she nursed, no matter, society shall punish her so much she loses a baby prematurely and dies of shock.
Susan is sold by her husband to a stranger and she is over and over certified as innocent for having gone with him, no matter how wrong the husband was in the first place, and dies soon after attempt to correct her mistake. Her daughter is miserable for no fault of her own, is full of virtues and triumphs all her trials with the prescribed womanly virtues, except the unwillingness to forgive and inability to comprehend the actions of the man who made her miserable, and she is castigated without a word by the author towards the end for this.
The man who causes so much misery to various people is sketched best by the author with all his faults out in the open and his temper, his dark psyche and his violence not hidden, and his virtues clearly visible for all to see but not much dwelt on, with the theme being how he is respected and feared but never loved due to the complex mix of his nature. One cannot say one would be able to deal with him better if one met him, he might not allow that to happen to one any more than he did to Susan or her daughter or Farfrae, but the author nevertheless leaves one with a deep pity for the man whose mistakes and pride and temper and more caused so much misery to others - and to him. He gets the worst punishment after all in life, no one loves him, and few sympathise, fewer respect him past his loss of stature. He has attempted to rectify his mistakes by sacrificing much and achieved much, but his nature he could not change and so he lost all by steps, including the love of the daughter that could have been his.
Thursday, November 23, 2012
..........................................
Tess of The D'Urberville:-
Tess was normal, healthy, and innocent - and so was noticed by more than one good man, she was noticed by a not so good one as well. Unfortunately she was seduced or raped - boundaries are unclear when she is exausted and fatigued, cold and lost in forest on the way, and uanble to fight back the advances, except in feeble words - when a moment made her easy prey, before the good man came back in her life. and according to the preached morals she had to be shown suffering for the lapse, even though she was more sinned against - by not only losing her love but her life as well. The good man keeps being good, even though he rejects a good woman in spite of his loving her and her him.
What really went on in those days, is probably not so dire. People must have learned to adapt in order to survive any mishaps, and not report the truth if it would throw them out of society and perhaps take away those they love and deprive them of home and life itself. But if course that could not be shown in a book of literature, much less as a life of a heroine or her behaviour. Probably this is why the hold of that convention let go with a snap after the two wars of last century, perhaps even more than due to science opening minds and eyes.
.............................................
Far From The Madding Crowd:-
Thomas Hardy is not merely master storyteller, there is much more to the superb author than that. It is difficult to decide which facet of his excellence to go into first and which is the best and so on.
There is the genuineness of settings and descriptions of his time and place, which might seem trivial but really is not easy to achieve. There is the human nature and its vagaries, especially when it comes to interactions of people with one another and with ambient society. There is the series of events that are as genuine as in real life, with few major happenings and their ripples, reactions of various characters major and minor, and events caused by people as well as by fate.
But the best of all is his lyrical, poetic descriptions of the earth and heavens, of perfectly ordinary people and their reactions to it all, in a slow and deliberate tempo that gives one far more than if one were actually experiencing it all first hand.
........................................
This work perhaps is best in that respect in that it begins with rhythms of life of a shepherd who is prudent and competent at everything he does, which includes his ability to tell time by looking at skies and to know which sheep needs precisely what, to know that harvest needs action now before rains come pelting down and destroy all the work of the year of all the men. Then there is the funeral scene with its dense fog that he describes as unshed tears suspended in air and thick on the trees.
As to the characters and story that grows out of the people and their nature described so well, few could do it so well. The bewitching beauty who likes her independence and her very strength and nobility of character that - along with her innocence - makes her a prey to the vagaries of an unstable vain man who is not without feeling but is without much conscience or strength when it comes to responsibility, after she has not accepted a man she liked and could be friends with and work with, and after she has innocently been the cause of a noble character man of wealth falling in love with her deeply, is a facet of human interactions that most would not look twice at, except perhaps to comment that she deserved it. That she did not so deserve even though it was her faults and mistakes that caused it is made clear by this author even through his less noble characters.
That it all ends happily after deep tragic events muted and otherwise, is the final satisfaction of this work. With Hardy, that is not always the case.
....................................
A man can make a horrendous mistake in a bad moment with drink and temper, and however much he regrets it and does his best to change himself and aspire to be a better man, another moment of being less vigilent with one's faults can again bring him down and bring unhappiness to him and others around him. One may pity him, but one has to excuse those he harmed and are unable to love him again, or even forgive him, especially the young ones.
Thomas Hardy is a master in literature. And this is one of his best. Few books can be so heart wrenching about a man of such character.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
.............................................
Hardy belonged to an era when a few miles were a great separation, although people were traversing the Atlantic ocean regularly enough in search of livelihood and sometimes more than once in a lifetime. Perhaps it is that era or perhaps it is the author himself or it is a reflection of his times and his society, but invariably he makes his stance clear - unless there is subterfuge and trickery involved in saving a woman who made a mistake however small, pay she must and she does in his works for the mistake, often with her very life.
Tess was raped and she paid with loss of her marriage by her husband leaving her, insisting she was wife of the man who had raped her, and she eventually paid for it by being hanged for the murder of the rapist. Lucetta in this one is made to pay for having nursed a stranger to health and thus compromised her name, and if she marries another for love of the other or for fear of the one she nursed, no matter, society shall punish her so much she loses a baby prematurely and dies of shock.
Susan is sold by her husband to a stranger and she is over and over certified as innocent for having gone with him, no matter how wrong the husband was in the first place, and dies soon after attempt to correct her mistake. Her daughter is miserable for no fault of her own, is full of virtues and triumphs all her trials with the prescribed womanly virtues, except the unwillingness to forgive and inability to comprehend the actions of the man who made her miserable, and she is castigated without a word by the author towards the end for this.
The man who causes so much misery to various people is sketched best by the author with all his faults out in the open and his temper, his dark psyche and his violence not hidden, and his virtues clearly visible for all to see but not much dwelt on, with the theme being how he is respected and feared but never loved due to the complex mix of his nature. One cannot say one would be able to deal with him better if one met him, he might not allow that to happen to one any more than he did to Susan or her daughter or Farfrae, but the author nevertheless leaves one with a deep pity for the man whose mistakes and pride and temper and more caused so much misery to others - and to him. He gets the worst punishment after all in life, no one loves him, and few sympathise, fewer respect him past his loss of stature. He has attempted to rectify his mistakes by sacrificing much and achieved much, but his nature he could not change and so he lost all by steps, including the love of the daughter that could have been his.
Thursday, November 23, 2012
..........................................
Tess of The D'Urberville:-
Tess was normal, healthy, and innocent - and so was noticed by more than one good man, she was noticed by a not so good one as well. Unfortunately she was seduced or raped - boundaries are unclear when she is exausted and fatigued, cold and lost in forest on the way, and uanble to fight back the advances, except in feeble words - when a moment made her easy prey, before the good man came back in her life. and according to the preached morals she had to be shown suffering for the lapse, even though she was more sinned against - by not only losing her love but her life as well. The good man keeps being good, even though he rejects a good woman in spite of his loving her and her him.
What really went on in those days, is probably not so dire. People must have learned to adapt in order to survive any mishaps, and not report the truth if it would throw them out of society and perhaps take away those they love and deprive them of home and life itself. But if course that could not be shown in a book of literature, much less as a life of a heroine or her behaviour. Probably this is why the hold of that convention let go with a snap after the two wars of last century, perhaps even more than due to science opening minds and eyes.
.............................................
Far From The Madding Crowd:-
Thomas Hardy is not merely master storyteller, there is much more to the superb author than that. It is difficult to decide which facet of his excellence to go into first and which is the best and so on.
There is the genuineness of settings and descriptions of his time and place, which might seem trivial but really is not easy to achieve. There is the human nature and its vagaries, especially when it comes to interactions of people with one another and with ambient society. There is the series of events that are as genuine as in real life, with few major happenings and their ripples, reactions of various characters major and minor, and events caused by people as well as by fate.
But the best of all is his lyrical, poetic descriptions of the earth and heavens, of perfectly ordinary people and their reactions to it all, in a slow and deliberate tempo that gives one far more than if one were actually experiencing it all first hand.
........................................
This work perhaps is best in that respect in that it begins with rhythms of life of a shepherd who is prudent and competent at everything he does, which includes his ability to tell time by looking at skies and to know which sheep needs precisely what, to know that harvest needs action now before rains come pelting down and destroy all the work of the year of all the men. Then there is the funeral scene with its dense fog that he describes as unshed tears suspended in air and thick on the trees.
As to the characters and story that grows out of the people and their nature described so well, few could do it so well. The bewitching beauty who likes her independence and her very strength and nobility of character that - along with her innocence - makes her a prey to the vagaries of an unstable vain man who is not without feeling but is without much conscience or strength when it comes to responsibility, after she has not accepted a man she liked and could be friends with and work with, and after she has innocently been the cause of a noble character man of wealth falling in love with her deeply, is a facet of human interactions that most would not look twice at, except perhaps to comment that she deserved it. That she did not so deserve even though it was her faults and mistakes that caused it is made clear by this author even through his less noble characters.
That it all ends happily after deep tragic events muted and otherwise, is the final satisfaction of this work. With Hardy, that is not always the case.
....................................
April 4, 2013
“Penance for Past Sin “
Set in fictitious Casterbridge (Hardy’s beloved Dorchester), the story revolves around the web of deceit spun by pride and drink, with serious consequences 20 years later. Traveling by foot with his stoic wife and baby girl, hay-trusser Michael Henchard arrives in Weydon-Priors during its annual fair. Having drunk too much laced furmity he makes an astounding offer to those gathered in the tent: he will auction off the unvalued females to the highest bidder! Fate protects poor Susan and Elizabeth Jane for the only bidder is a decent sailor named Newsome. The simple-minded woman does not realize that such a contract is not binding, but remains with him-- even emigrating to Canada for 18 years--until his reported death at sea.
Somewhat sobered the next day Henchard feels deep remorse--to the extent that he enters an empty church and swears abstinence for 21 years in penance. Arriving in the major city of Casterbridge—site of ancient Roman ruins and some lugubrious customs—he works his way up in Society until he becomes a respected grain merchant and eventually the mayor. Though unwed he had a dalliance on the island of Jersey with a local girl named Lucetta, who nursed him through an illness--thus compromising her own reputation.
The Wheels of fate are grinding away when Susan and Elizabeth Jane—who is not his own daughter as it turns out—arrive in Casterbridge. The latter has been raised in ignorance of the auction and Henchard’s role in her life, but her mother is nervous and desires to appeal to him quietly before deciding her next course of action and residence. On the eve of a big feast in town another newcomer arrives: a young Scotsman named Donald Farfrae, en route to Canada himself. Taking an immediate liking to the smart young fellow, Henchard convinces him to stay on and serve as his manager. Thus Hardy sets in motion the wheels of a complicated plot: two men courting one woman; two women who are attracted to one man and eventually two men claiming to be Elizabeth Jane’s father.
There is a sense of fatalism in many of Hardy’s novels; his characters strive against their destiny (the result of poor choices, as well as untoward coincidences) but they seem compelled to play out their dismal roles. Tragedy perhaps; pathos definitely. Hardy highlights the often unfair role of women in his society, set against snobbery, poverty, a strict class system and a backdrop of ingrained superstition. The agrarian gods bestow little mercy upon some
of the central characters, despite their good intentions and sincere remorse; bitter lessons are learned too late. As in a Greek tragedy Hardy contrasts the private emotions and secret past of the main characters as observed by, commented on and even instigated by the common rabble of country folk and lower class city residents.
Ultimately there is no privacy from the follies of one’s youth, with
little hope of social redemption from the pawns of fate.
(April 4, 2012. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
Set in fictitious Casterbridge (Hardy’s beloved Dorchester), the story revolves around the web of deceit spun by pride and drink, with serious consequences 20 years later. Traveling by foot with his stoic wife and baby girl, hay-trusser Michael Henchard arrives in Weydon-Priors during its annual fair. Having drunk too much laced furmity he makes an astounding offer to those gathered in the tent: he will auction off the unvalued females to the highest bidder! Fate protects poor Susan and Elizabeth Jane for the only bidder is a decent sailor named Newsome. The simple-minded woman does not realize that such a contract is not binding, but remains with him-- even emigrating to Canada for 18 years--until his reported death at sea.
Somewhat sobered the next day Henchard feels deep remorse--to the extent that he enters an empty church and swears abstinence for 21 years in penance. Arriving in the major city of Casterbridge—site of ancient Roman ruins and some lugubrious customs—he works his way up in Society until he becomes a respected grain merchant and eventually the mayor. Though unwed he had a dalliance on the island of Jersey with a local girl named Lucetta, who nursed him through an illness--thus compromising her own reputation.
The Wheels of fate are grinding away when Susan and Elizabeth Jane—who is not his own daughter as it turns out—arrive in Casterbridge. The latter has been raised in ignorance of the auction and Henchard’s role in her life, but her mother is nervous and desires to appeal to him quietly before deciding her next course of action and residence. On the eve of a big feast in town another newcomer arrives: a young Scotsman named Donald Farfrae, en route to Canada himself. Taking an immediate liking to the smart young fellow, Henchard convinces him to stay on and serve as his manager. Thus Hardy sets in motion the wheels of a complicated plot: two men courting one woman; two women who are attracted to one man and eventually two men claiming to be Elizabeth Jane’s father.
There is a sense of fatalism in many of Hardy’s novels; his characters strive against their destiny (the result of poor choices, as well as untoward coincidences) but they seem compelled to play out their dismal roles. Tragedy perhaps; pathos definitely. Hardy highlights the often unfair role of women in his society, set against snobbery, poverty, a strict class system and a backdrop of ingrained superstition. The agrarian gods bestow little mercy upon some
of the central characters, despite their good intentions and sincere remorse; bitter lessons are learned too late. As in a Greek tragedy Hardy contrasts the private emotions and secret past of the main characters as observed by, commented on and even instigated by the common rabble of country folk and lower class city residents.
Ultimately there is no privacy from the follies of one’s youth, with
little hope of social redemption from the pawns of fate.
(April 4, 2012. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
February 26, 2008
One that I could have read in high school English class and I'm glad I didn't. I think I appreciated it much more as an adult, reading this of my own volition.
Thomas Hardy is one of favorite authors. I feel many of his themes are as relevant today as they were when he was writing.
Thomas Hardy is one of favorite authors. I feel many of his themes are as relevant today as they were when he was writing.
February 9, 2016
One would have to be difficult to not love this book
July 1, 2024
Definitely a pastoral story. You can understand how Hardy became a poet. Lots of descriptions of all kinds of things. Centered in west England. Didn’t like any of the characters the only minus to the story. Hardy is way to honest and rough describing people and motives. Bathsheba the main character is hounded by the men in the story though she makes mistakes the male characters would drive any woman demented and she mostly trusts her gut but had to live in societal norms. It’s got it’s tragedies and I would say Gallbadon read this book. The main male character reminds me of her outlander series. If you had a chance to look at a Gabriel Oak Rose it would surprise you. Rather the most feminine flower in the most feminine color. Would love to know the story. That’s it for Hardy for me for a while.
June 6, 2024
I first read Far from the Madding Crowd when I was 17, for my English Literature A-Level. Rereading it 34 years later I find it has lost none of it's charm. I really must read some more of Hardy's novels...
January 23, 2020
I give this book a 5 stars because is well written however miserable Tess’s life is and how I had to endured every aspect of it.
December 19, 2020
So sad...so I thought I’d read Far from the Madding Crowd next... ways to get even more depressed during COVID
March 3, 2022
I love thomas hardy
January 19, 2025
Tragic
October 27, 2008
I took a class in undergrad entirely devoted to the works of Hardy. It was an awesome class. Hats off to the professor, Shiela Burger, at UAlbany. I took that class 10 years ago, and I still think about it. I love how the landscape plays its own role in all of Hardy's works.
Far from the Madding Crowd
Not my fav of Hardy's works, but good to have read in the context of his other pieces.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles
I read this one while I was training around Europe in 1995. It's a heavy work. Sad and ultimately frustrating as hell, but pitch perfect. Compelling. Engrossing. I think this is an important book.
The Mayor of Casterbridge
For me, Hardy is the master of the flawed -- often fatally flawed -- protagonist, and Michael Henchard in TMoC takes the fucking cake. I love this book. It's my favorite of Hardy's works.
Hardy's not uplifting stuff. Never. He's definitely a glass-is-half-empty kind of guy, but it feels good to indulge that kind of moroseness once in a while. This is all worthwhile reading.
Far from the Madding Crowd
Not my fav of Hardy's works, but good to have read in the context of his other pieces.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles
I read this one while I was training around Europe in 1995. It's a heavy work. Sad and ultimately frustrating as hell, but pitch perfect. Compelling. Engrossing. I think this is an important book.
The Mayor of Casterbridge
For me, Hardy is the master of the flawed -- often fatally flawed -- protagonist, and Michael Henchard in TMoC takes the fucking cake. I love this book. It's my favorite of Hardy's works.
Hardy's not uplifting stuff. Never. He's definitely a glass-is-half-empty kind of guy, but it feels good to indulge that kind of moroseness once in a while. This is all worthwhile reading.
Read
July 18, 2009I really enjoyed this series. I read all three books. I had to re-check Tess out separately a couple more times because it's such a slow read. I was surprised with the ending which for me, not to figure a book out before it ends, is a good thing! I really liked Maddening Crowd... I think it is a good example of well written and thought out literature for those seeking a positive and strong heroine.
September 4, 2008
This was frustrating book for me. It captures the social and moral aspects of the Victorian era, and it a good example of realism, but it drives me bonkers that Tess doesn't have any control over anything that happens to her. I reached the climax and literally threw the book at my wall and started screaming. Do people really behave the way they treat Tess in this book?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2011
So did you know a man in the 1800's could write a story that could inspire soap operas? Ok, maybe he didn't, but the story has some really nice juicy scandals. Yes, it is placed in rural England in the 1800's, but don't let that stop you from a really good story. & if you like scandalous stories, check out some of his other work too.
February 27, 2008
Right. I found this one in the school library. It's an American literary "classic". Victorian era love story ends, big surprise, tragically. I was impressed by neither the writing nor the plot. I figured it might be a Jeopardy category one day so I finished it.
November 24, 2010
Gearing up to teach a brit lit novels class in 2011 and I'm reminded why I love Hardy---real characters, often tragically undone by their human frailties and Tess of the D'Urbervilles is still one of the greatest characters ever betrayed by the social class.
June 22, 2011
Tess is the heroine of tragedy for all times. As long as we celebrate God in His Heaven, we can overcome anything. This book stands out in my memory for the poignancy and dignity of suffering of the heroine. A classic to treasure for all times.
October 1, 2011
My favourite novel author whose style I want to take; characters always related to natural or rural things, paying every wrongdoing with equal deeds as a rule of fate. Thomas Hardy used poetic diction, his word sounding like bells clattering in harmonious beauty to the ears.
August 20, 2015
spoiler alert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!gave it 3 stars because it was a long book and it went really slow. tess suffered a lot and at the end she ended up killing herself . sad story
January 30, 2008
A classic, yet tragic story. I love Tess, however I wish she'd grow a backbone! Love this story, though.
March 17, 2008
Complete tragedy, amazing story that keeps you sucked in. I really enjoyed this book.
April 8, 2008
Glad to say I enjoyed the Mayor of Casterbridge and plan on reading Tess after the semester is over.
April 23, 2008
Only read "Mayor of Casterbridge." It has one of the most impressive and intricate plots I've read. I need to read more of his work.
May 13, 2008
This is the worst book ever created.
Read
May 17, 2008never give up on who you are, don't be intimidated or forced into being anything other than your best.
August 28, 2008
Hmmm...I'm feeling a little unappreciative of the classics. :o) Somewhat depressing, but I still feel improved for having read it.
October 29, 2008
Loved it.
February 1, 2009
I do like Thomas Hardy, of these I like the Mayor of Casterbridge-Tess is just so hard at the end, Far from the Madding is very good too-movie very good
October 21, 2011
Another of Hardy's best. Catches your attention and keeps it. I've read it several times and am never bored!
August 2, 2012
Story is a bit depressing to me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews