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    <user id="84660">
    <name><![CDATA[Swankivy]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Tampa, FL]]></location>        
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/84660-swankivy]]></url>
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      <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Mon Nov 01 00:00:00 -0800 1993</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Apr 26 16:03:00 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Apr 26 16:06:14 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[I read this in high school and was able to follow and enjoy it for the most part, but I wasn't particularly sympathetic to the main character.  Henchard was always getting crushed by cruel acts of fate, though he did some really ridiculous things during fits of stupidity (er, selling his wife comes to mind. . . . ).  Overall, it seems like he was ruined by the combination of his competitiveness and his bad luck as he fought with rival Farfrae.  It's hard not to have some sympathy for people who pay for bad decisions made in poor circumstances more strongly than most people ever have to pay, but since he probably would have been able to have a more enjoyable life if he had kept his competitive nature under wraps, it's hard not to blame him for his situation at the same time.]]></body>
    <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/54052425]]></url>
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