Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy 2 stars

[ShazM]

I was also reading this for another challenge - a book I should have read in school but didn't. I had to read The Mayor of Casterbridge and we were supposed to read Far from the Madding Crowd as well but I don't think I did, and I can see why!

This is supposed to be the story of Bathsheba and her three suitors but actually I think it's the story of Gabriel Oak, shepherd and, sometimes, one of the aforementioned suitors. It's interesting because there's lots of description of the characters of Bathsheba and the other two suitors but Gabriel is sort of a background constant. And when I say lots of description I mean a huge amount of description! Thomas Hardy could spend three pages on describing a haystack! One minor character has a whole chapter devoted to her walking to the village, six miles admittedly but still.

Anyway, I've read it now so I'll never have to do it again.

[Joy D]

Thomas Hardy is one of my favorite authors, but I can see how he is not everyone's taste. As you say....lots of descriptive passages.

[Karin]

I have only ever read his book about Tess, and didn't like it, although back then I ploughed through to the end of every book I started.

[Nicole R]

Oh no! Hardy is one of those authors that is perpetually on my TBR, though I think Tess of the D'Urbervilles is the one that is lodged on there permanently.

I think that this was narrated on Audible by someone who I thought would do a good job...

[Nicole R]

Oh yeah! Tess is narrated by Davina Porter who does the Outlander books! That is who I was thinking of.

[Anita]

I think Hardy is polarizing. I happen to love his writing, description and all, but it definitely slows the pace of the storytelling. You have to be "into" the descriptive pieces for their own sake, otherwise it just feels like it is dragging . . .