Far from the Madding Crowd
by Thomas Hardy
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Read in September, 2006
A few months ago, in another life, I read a book called 'Far From The Madding Crowd', by Thomas Hardy. I bought it second hand in Invercargill in March, when I found myself on the road for two weeks with nothing to read. I got about four pages into it during that time, having discovered other and better ways to pass the time.
It sat on a table, neglected for six months, until musings in a...more
It sat on a table, neglected for six months, until musings in a...more
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Read in March, 2008
I don't quite know what to make of the character of Bathsheba Everdene. She vexes me as I have rarely been vexed by literary characters. She is independent, strong and fearless. The she meets Francis Troy and everything that we like about her is lost. She becomes this unappealing character that you root against. There are other mitigating factors that make her a bit more wretched, but it is how easily she is duped into loving Troy that makes the reader want to reject her. I had qualms with...more
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A cloud of doom is right! I won't give anything away, but corpses do appear in this tale! And not just one or two!
I think this book is about life and true love, but man alive, what a way to make a point. At the time this was written I imagine Hardy was proud of his progressive views towards women. Bathsheba is quite a strong woman. But I am disappointed that Hardy could not quite level the gender playing field, I mean Bathsheba really has some men trouble. Why not let her be an all-around st...more
I think this book is about life and true love, but man alive, what a way to make a point. At the time this was written I imagine Hardy was proud of his progressive views towards women. Bathsheba is quite a strong woman. But I am disappointed that Hardy could not quite level the gender playing field, I mean Bathsheba really has some men trouble. Why not let her be an all-around st...more
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33 comments
Read in November, 2007
I recently got on a kick to read the old classics, although it was a review of Tess of the D'Urbervilles I read on Amazon that led me to Far from the Madding Crowd. The poster suggested that readers start with "Crowd" before any other Hardy books, which I took to heart since I'm completely unfamiliar wit...more
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Read in January, 2008
I enjoyed this book. The funny thing is I got a little confused about when Hardy was writing (I thought he was earlier), and I was so impressed with his narrative style for the time period. Ends up I was between 50 to 100 years off on the time period.
I pretty much read the book for the plot, but after I finished it, I read a comment on the back of the book cover from Virginia Woolf “The subject was right; the method was right; the poet and the countryman, the sensual man, the sombre ref...more
I pretty much read the book for the plot, but after I finished it, I read a comment on the back of the book cover from Virginia Woolf “The subject was right; the method was right; the poet and the countryman, the sensual man, the sombre ref...more
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Read in January, 2008
Once again I have reached into the bookshelves and pulled out a canonical classic, and once again I find myself in the position of "reviewing" said classic. As if I'm going to turn 100 years of literary criticism on its ear.
So, Thomas Hardy, Far From the Madding Crowd. Reading this book reminded me of being back in high school English class. I didn't have much patience for "the classics" back then, the overly florid narration and stilted dialogue, the cultural mores ...more
So, Thomas Hardy, Far From the Madding Crowd. Reading this book reminded me of being back in high school English class. I didn't have much patience for "the classics" back then, the overly florid narration and stilted dialogue, the cultural mores ...more
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Read in January, 2007
Circa July 2006 at the end of an after work stroll though the late day peace of Central Park I found myself rammed into a crowd of strolling Tourists, rushing businesspeople, taxis, pedicabs, horse-drawn carriages (all with Tourists in them), street artists (all who were accosting the Tourists) and a few pigeons.
Seeking refuge I slunk over to The Strand Book Annex and found myself holding a paperback copy of "Far from the Madding Crowd," by Thomas Hardy. Given my frazzled state of...more
Seeking refuge I slunk over to The Strand Book Annex and found myself holding a paperback copy of "Far from the Madding Crowd," by Thomas Hardy. Given my frazzled state of...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommended to Becky by:
Victorian Novel class
Okay, so I didn't actually finish this novel, beyond skipping ahead to read the second to last chapter. Actually, I don't think I actually finished Tess of the D'Urbervilles either. I guess not finishing Thomas Hardy novels is becoming a habit.
Honestly, there was a lot to like about this novel. I liked Gabriel Oak. I love Hardy's use of crazy, creepy, mythic symbolism. I even liked the descriptions and the Shakespearian peasant characters. But halfway through it mostly just began to confuse ...more
Honestly, there was a lot to like about this novel. I liked Gabriel Oak. I love Hardy's use of crazy, creepy, mythic symbolism. I even liked the descriptions and the Shakespearian peasant characters. But halfway through it mostly just began to confuse ...more
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Read in April, 2008
"Far from the Madding Crowd" is a pastoral novel; the nature symbolism is applied with a liberal brush, and it's definitely reactionary to the Industrial Revolution in England. Nature = good, urban = bad.
It's a really good book. It's an unconventional love story between a strong-willed woman who values her independence (a daring characterization for the time period) and a solid, honest shepherd. The cast of characters are very well developed, and the story is never as predicta...more
It's a really good book. It's an unconventional love story between a strong-willed woman who values her independence (a daring characterization for the time period) and a solid, honest shepherd. The cast of characters are very well developed, and the story is never as predicta...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommended to Kell by:
1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die by Peter Boxallrecommends it for: Fans of classics and Thomas Hardy
Although I enjoyed this pleasant ramble through the countryside, I couldn't help feeling it dragged very slowly for much of the time, and I found that it was almost entirely predictable. I didn't find any of the characters particularly memorable; even the rakish Sergeant Troy and the wilful Bathsheba Everdene seemed very weak in places and it was only the steady Gabriel Oak that seemed to have any real weight to him.
The language, however, was beautiful and there's no denying that Hardy's writi...more
The language, however, was beautiful and there's no denying that Hardy's writi...more
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Read in December, 2007
Far From the Madding Crowd was a delightful surprise. 19th century lit often feels heavy to me but this never did. I found it hard to put down. The characters were dynamic, entertaining and aptly-named; their names often indicate the course their individual stories will take: Shepherd Gabriel Oak is steadfast and loyal to the aptly named Bathsheba, who is deceived by her naivete and youth into marrying the young and conniving Sergeant Troy. Through this all Bathsheba is also courted by Mr. Boldw...more
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Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
Stephanie Frerich
I hadn't read any Hardy for a very long time (in fact, the only other Hardy I read was Tess when i was in highschoool), so i thought i'd dust off Mara's copy of Far from the Madding Crowd. I'm fairly it was published as a serial at the time, and it has that kind of feel, where many of the chapters have suspenseful, cliff-hanger-ish endings. In any case, i really enjoyed it. It was difficult to see Bathsheba behaving so foolishly after she meets Sergeant Troy, who's a total loser. T...more
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Read in January, 2006
For about a month, in early 2007, I read nothing but late 19th-century English novels because those were the only books that were available and it was -20 degrees outside. I learned that I do not like this time period of literature. It's very formulaic, staged, annoying, and boring. These sorts of books are like updated renaissance fairs that you can read. All that said, it was well written, I mean the words sounded good and went together well. But nothing else did anything for me. If you...more
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Read in April, 2008
The only other book I've read by Harding is 'Tess of the D'urbervilles' and that one is very sad. This one is sad, but not as sad as Tess, so I enjoyed it more. It's a pretty good story, but a little frustrating to see your favorite character denied the love he so steadily desires, despite her weaknesses and mistakes. Also, just beware of the old-fashioned language being hard to wade through to understand the story. I often felt I needed a dictionary to understand some of the 'big' words. B...more
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I always recommend this book as the description of three ways a man can attract a woman > by loyal perseverence, by charm, or by distanced "untouchability". So if you're a man, just simulate one of them according to your resources. Just be warned that each of them might fail or succeed even on the same woman, given the circumstances; as the book beautifully shows. I hope I have half of Hardy's ability to describe characters and scenes in writing. The suspense on reading this book wa...more
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Read in April, 2008
Maybe it's just as compared to Cervantes but I found this very easy to read. It tells of a young woman in 19th century England who runs a farm, contrary to custom, and has mutliple suitors, makes some disastrous choices, but comes out ok in the end. Sadder but wiser I suppose. I enjoyed the writing style, thought the plot was engaging, and liked the characters. Kind of a dark Jane Austen I guess. My only Thomas Hardy book to date but I wouldn't object to reading another.
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Read in January, 2008
I read this a couple months ago, trying to prove to myself that I still read things that aren't Stephen King or comics. I hadn't read any Hardy since high school, and I was surprised by how little my reaction changed. I remember being sucked into, frustrated by, impatient with, and ultimately moved by Tess of the D', and this was about the same. Thoughtful, articulate melodrama. Much better if you skim visual descriptions and 'local color'.
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Read in January, 2007
I read this book for my Victorian book and tea club. Hardy is a good writer but his books are so sad and his characters lead incredibly hard lives. The main character in this novel is Gabriel Oak. He is a very hard working farmer but continually meets with adverse circumstances. He falls in love with a woman named Bathsheba in the beginning of the book and his love for her is a large part of the sadness of this book.
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
Everyone!
I absolutely loved this book and it is definitely at the top of my all-time favorite books. The first half seemed to drag a little at parts, but as soon as I hit the half-way point it flew. It was a lot more exciting than I was expecting it to be at the end. Tragic, but exciting. And the ending is very sweet. You really get the best and worst of human nature from this book. Amazing. Everyone should read it.
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Read in April, 2003
This is the first Thomas Hardy book I have read. I really enjoyed it, although it dragged in one or two spots. I really liked the different characters in the book and found the dialogue very rich. I also liked his vivid descriptions of the terrain and the buldings. You could really get absorbed into the physical surroundings and feel as if you were right there alongside Bathsheba.
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