Far from the Madding Crowd, by Thomas Hardy

[Tracey]

I read this for week 15 challenge; a book set more than a 100 years ago.
This is a re-read for me. As with all books of quality I always get so much more out of them on subsequent reads. I love Hardy's symbolic and poetical way of writing. Written at a time when literature was the thinking man's television, then descriptive narrative and scenes were essential to the entertainment and educational value of the book. Hardy excelled at this.
This book is a precursor to Tess of the D'Urbervilles which is apparent on reading both. No surprise then that this book and Tess are my two favourite books by Hardy out the of the ones I have read.

5 stars for this book and a quality hardback sits on my shelves

[Michelle]

I read this for the same week and gave it 5 stars too. Tess is one of my all time favorites though this came close. I just love the way Thomas Hardy writes and I love the descriptions of the English countryside from that time. I know there's a movie about this book that's quite recent, but I haven't seen it.

[Tracey]

Michelle wrote: "I read this for the same week and gave it 5 stars too. Tess is one of my all time favorites though this came close. I just love the way Thomas Hardy writes and I love the descriptions of the Englis..."

I watched the movie and I liked it but it's not as good as the book.

[Michelle]

It's never as good as the book. :)

Since you liked it, I'll watch it. I just didn't want it to be bad.

[Jody]

I read Jude the Obscure earlier this year and it broke me ... as in, it ripped out my heart and showed it to me. I'd never read Thomas Hardy before, but his other works have quickly moved up my priority list. It was incredible. Glad to hear this one is also amazing.

[Tracey]

Jody wrote: "I read Jude the Obscure earlier this year and it broke me ... as in, it ripped out my heart and showed it to me. I'd never read Thomas Hardy before, but his other works have quickly mo..."

I love Thomas Hardy and one of the things I love about him is he had a different style in some of his books to others. You get so much out of reading him not just the same story retold. He also was a poet at heart and saw things with the heart of a poet. If you just let his writing sink into you get a wonderful experience and lose yourself.

[Tracey]

Michelle wrote: "It's never as good as the book. :)

Since you liked it, I'll watch it. I just didn't want it to be bad."

I dislike movies that totally slaughter the original words but this movie was not bad in general and I think especially portrayed Gabriel Oak (love him and love the name).

[Stacey]

A classic tale of "he chased her until she caught him", with so many great twists and turns along the way. Or is it? All of the characters are captivating and timeless, as are Hardy's novels; at once refreshing and standing the test of time. I still have a few of his novels left to read. From Jody's comment, Jude the Obscure is next.

I read this one for 2019's ATY: Week 16: a book told from multiple perspectives.

[Jody]

I hope you love it, Stacey. 3.5 years on and I think I'm just about ready to try something else by him - my trauma has faded enough ... I think.