Works of Thomas Hardy discussion

I'm starting this story which takes up 1/3 of this collection. It's a group of 20 passengers travelling together to the Wessex town of Longpuddle in a "carrier van" as they fill the time with descriptions of interesting Wessex based crusted characters. The first will be about a young deceiving womanizer.

The whole situation was reminiscent of A Group of Noble Dames as several travelers share tales of Longpuddle denizens, I enjoyed many of the short tales as they were often humorous and even both tragic and humorous. My favorites being the first two; Tony Kytes, a more humorous example of the Hardy 3 suitors to one, with 3 women to one man this time; and the fairly odd, humorous and macabre Hardcomes cousins exchange.