Far from the Madding Crowd (Penguin Classics)
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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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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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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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 June, 2008
In high school I devoured Hardy's novels. Over fifteen years later, I'm reminded why I fell in love with Tess, Jude and Return of the Native. Hardy is a classic novelist in every sense. His attention to detail, his keen insight to characters and landscape are elastic. He is open to his own imagination and awake to the world around him. His characters, though over-wrought with passion and drama, breathe and dance off the page. He does not limit the possibilities of their actions, their dri...more
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Read in June, 2008
From the moment good-natured shepherd Gabriel Oak learns his dog has run his sheep off a cliff, I suspected "Far from the Madding Crowd" was the typical Hardy tragedy, in which good people exist largely to be punished for their goodness. But it isn't, quite.
The plot manages to be structured and pleasing without forcing the reader to see every turn well in advance. It centers on Bathsheba Everdene, a poor girl who inherits her uncle's large farm, and the three very different men who l...more
The plot manages to be structured and pleasing without forcing the reader to see every turn well in advance. It centers on Bathsheba Everdene, a poor girl who inherits her uncle's large farm, and the three very different men who l...more
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Read in July, 2008
This book is somehow both amazing and ridiculous at the same time. One of the main characters is called Farmer Boldwood. Towards the end of the book, Gabriel Oak threatens to run off to California. (California!) The ups and downs of Bathesheba Everdene's love life qualify her for a cameo on Sex and the City.
And yet, there are so many things that make this an atypical book, a book that was innovative and revelatory in its time. Bathsheba, while definitely a little on the feminine foolish side...more
And yet, there are so many things that make this an atypical book, a book that was innovative and revelatory in its time. Bathsheba, while definitely a little on the feminine foolish side...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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Synopsis
Gabriel Oak is only one of three suitors for the hand of the beautiful and spirited Bathsheba Everdene. He must compete with the dashing young soldier Sergeant Troy and the respectable, middle-aged Farmer Boldwood. And while their fates depend upon the choice Bathsheba makes, she discovers the terrible consequences of an inconstant heart.
Far from the Madding Crowd was the first of Hardy's novels to give the name Wessex to the landscape of south-west England, and the first to gain h...more
Gabriel Oak is only one of three suitors for the hand of the beautiful and spirited Bathsheba Everdene. He must compete with the dashing young soldier Sergeant Troy and the respectable, middle-aged Farmer Boldwood. And while their fates depend upon the choice Bathsheba makes, she discovers the terrible consequences of an inconstant heart.
Far from the Madding Crowd was the first of Hardy's novels to give the name Wessex to the landscape of south-west England, and the first to gain h...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 July, 2008
i am a serious hardy fan. i savor the descriptions of english countrysides and farmlands. the hardships and struggles of country life. the characters are real and earthy and human. they evolve amidst life's stream of experiences. might we hope for as much? love is introduced and developed with the appropriate weight and complexity it requires. in my mind, hardy is one of the greats. this love story thrusts the shepherd, gabriel, his good heart and sound character into our view. may every woman ...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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