EmmaLee's review
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
by Thomas Hardy
emm, i love hardy. i've only read tess and jude, and i read them while i was in the army, so i was older. no, they weren't required reading. but i do think that both books were very sad, but like i said, i loved the writing. also, i don't know if i will re-read either in the near future- my attention span is shot as is my time for reading.
EmmaLee's review
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
EmmaLee's review
rating:
recommended for: patient people
I first read this in high school and really didn't like Hardy as a writer or the plotline. I must say that in the several rereads since, it improved (or maybe I did). It asks some interesting philosophical questions about purity and innocence. It has a fairly dark plotline and becomes increasingly sad. It is a victim of its time with regards to the treatment of women. The last image of the sister of Tess walking away with the man Tess loved, assuming that they will now marry, was incredibly disturbing when I was younger, the thought of replaceable love. That one is as good as another, as long as the basics are present is more pragmatic than I would like to believe love is, but as I grow older/wiser?/realistic/sad It really does fit with the time and characters. It is more of an academic read than one that is easy to pick up again after you put it down, more likely you will have to force yourself to finish it. But I love the language and phrases and it is a surprise ending.
emm, i love hardy. i've only read tess and jude, and i read them while i was in the army, so i was older. no, they weren't required reading. but i do think that both books were very sad, but like i said, i loved the writing. also, i don't know if i will re-read either in the near future- my attention span is shot as is my time for reading.