Far from the Madding Crowd

By Thomas Hardy

Set in his fictional Wessex countryside in southwest England, Far from the Madding Crowd was Thomas Hardy's breakthrough work. Though it was first published anonymously in 1874, the quick and tremendous success of Far from the Madding Crowd persuaded Hardy to give up his first profession, architecture, to concentrate on writing fiction. The story of the ill-fated passions of the beautiful Bathsheba Everdene and her three suitors offers a spectacle of country life brimming with an energy and charm not customarily associated with Hardy. ('When Farmer Oak smiled,' the novel begins, 'the corners of his mouth spread till they were within an unimportant distance of his ears. . . .')

The text is based on the authoritative Wessex Edition of 1912, revised and corrected by Hardy himself.

This edition is the companion volume to the Mobil Masterpiece Theatre WGBH television presentation broadcast on PBS. It stars Paloma Baeza as Bathsheba Everdene, Nathaniel Parker as Gabriel Oak, Nigel Terry as Mr. Boldwood, and Jonathan Firth as Frank Troy. Adapted by Philomena McDonagh, Far from the Madding Crowd is directed by Nick Renton.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Oct 31, 2000
• ISBN: 9780679641506

Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy was born in 1840 in Dorchester, Dorset. He enrolled as a student in King’s College, London, but never felt at ease there, seeing himself as socially inferior. This preoccupation with society, particularly the declining rural society, featured heavily in Hardy’s novels, with many of his stories set in the fictional county of Wessex. Since his death in 1928, Hardy has been recognised as a significant poet, influencing The Movement poets in the 1950s and 1960s.

Reviews for Far from the Madding Crowd

[jmoncton_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The main character of this 19th century British classic is Bathsheba Everdene, an independent woman who through an inheritance gains ownership of a farm. Bathsheba is feisty, smart and both willing and able to succeed in a man's world. That is until she falls in love with Sargeant Troy, a womanizer and overall scoundrel. This book could be a 19th century version of 'Why Women Choose the Wrong Men'. Although the language and the setting make this a classic, the personalities and the motivations were very much relevant to today's times.

I both listened and read this book - great narration by Nathaniel Parker (the Artemis Fowl narrator) who gives a stellar performance of the quirky rural characters in this book. This is only the 2nd Thomas Hardy that I've read, but I've enjoyed them both. Great author.

[breadhat · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was really not my cup of tea. I would likely have put it down early on, were it not for my drive to complete books (fostered in no small part by Goodreads). My main observation about it is that the most exciting scenes tended to be about sheep.

To be fair, Hardy has a certain stylistic audacity. But while his frequent digressions sometimes hit on a particularly beautiful or funny sentence, they usually come across as self-conscious and ineffective displays of literary wit. The ending of the book did charm me, despite all of my accumulated boredom and annoyance. On the whole, the story seems strong enough to carry a film adapation; I won't, however, be recommending the book to anyone I know.

[raschneid_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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 and bore me, because the rest of Hardy's characters just confounded me.

The funny thing is that my feelings about the book were summed up in a Henry James quote on the back of the book, saying that the only believable element were the sheep. (Henry James's pastime seemed to be saying offensive things about English novelists. He also made derogatory comments about Dickens.) The person writing the copy on the back of the book quoted him in order to say that he was wrong, but nearing the end I started to agree with him. Almost all of the conversations involving Bathsheba just sounded so strange and artificial, and all of her motivations were elliptical and contradictory. I just didn't know what to do with her after a while. If I'd had more time, I would have happily finished it properly, but I don't feel like I missed very much.

[aethercowboy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thomas Hardy makes his characters work for their rewards, as is apparent from my reading of his books. Far from the Madding Crowd is no exception.In Far from the Madding Crowd, we meet Gabriel Oak, a successful farmer, a knowledgeable shepherd, and an unrequited lover of his next door neighbor. Tragedy strikes his herd, and he finds himself destitute, until he gains employment under the owner of some large farm with sheep. This owner, turns out, is the woman he once loved.In this state, he watches the farmer next door and a handsome soldier vie for her attention, and nothing really goes well for anybody. Typical Hardy. In the end, some people get what they wanted, but perhaps not what they still want.While Hardy’s writing can, at times, be dismally depressing, his characters seem real, and there’s plenty of humor in the stories to give them an overall bittersweet flavor to a discerning reader. For that reason, as well as for the fact that his writing can stand the test of time, and be completely readable nowadays as it probably was when it was originally written, I recommend this to readers of classic literature, as well as fine literature.While it has no sparkly vampires, no wizarding teens, and no extraterrestrial visitors, it has real, honest people, and that gets the job done.

[luli81_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another great discovery ! I loved this classic, it's different from what I read before. A good portrait of the English Society, its stiff and untolerant rules against a patient soul but with a will unvincible. One of the best of the year!

[mermind · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have long admired Hardy's poems. So much that as a teenager I even committed one to memory. This year I began to read Hardy's novels for the first time. The 1968 film version of "Far from the Madding Crowd" made it quickly to my top ten favorite movies of all time after I saw it on DVD. I was excited to relive the story of Bathsheba Everdene and her suitors by reading the novel. Well, there are often good reasons books are considered classics. Psychological types easily recognized today perform in a vivid setting saturated with nostalgia for a pre-industrial pastoral world. The strings of a florid Victorian pianoforte style are plucked from inside the instrument with an originality, congruency and wit that delighted me when I read his poetry. I've read that Thomas Hardy is considered somber, but his karmic sense of justice corresponds to my own. He admires and rewards mature virtues, persistence, patience self-control, practicality, modesty and, oh yeah, mature love and he does that in a way that makes virtue romantic. The sensual earthy texture of the movie is true to the novel.

[fanip_12 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When my husband show me with the dictionary in one hand and the book in the other, asked me why I was bothering myself with that book, if it was so difficult to read. "Because, it's so good, it's worth it!" was my answer.I read it decades ago and I admit I didn't like it; I found it gloomy and depressing. But this time, I thoroughly enjoyed it: I loved Hardy's subtle humor and oh, so accute observations on human nature, the landscape descriptions, the twists of the tale and of course Gabriel Oak.The scene where Oak asks for employment from the woman that he had asked to marry not a few weeks ago, when they were equals, was heartbreaking. So few words, no more than 4 or five lines stripped of sentimental frillies, but you can feel Oak's feelings, loss of pride and despair as if you were him.But there were so many great scenes: Troy planting flowers in Fanny's grave at night, Boldwood's proof of obsession with Bathsheba coming to light, Gabriel and Bathsheba working together in the granary to save the corn from the rain while angry flashes rake the sky and many more. Through detailed descriptions of rural life in England during the late 1800s, the plot never loses its pace and there are enough twists and turns to keep the reader engrossed. The piquant remarks on human nature from Hardy, spice up the story and offer a touch of humor that saves it from being downright gloomy. Even when the greatest catastrophe occurs, Hardy's commendation on it, will usually have you ending the chapter with a slight smile on your face. I'm glad I gave this book another chance. Thanks BJ Rose for reminding me of it:)

[nabilah_50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel shows beauty in imperfection and mistakes like no other. Being independent means having the right to choose, and mistakes naturally will come with that right. The most important thing in life is learning how to deal with that errors. That is why i adore very much Thomas Hardy's Bathsheba and this story. The other characters are also uniquely humans. In the provincial setting that can bore certain people, i saw a great love that Thomas Hardy have inserted which is; the love of common life . That is my humble interpretation.

[pilgrimjess · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I imagine that I am somewhat fortunate that I did not have to read this book while at school because I cannot imagine it having too much appeal to spotty teenagers. I had hoped that my much more mature self would have enjoyed it more but alas no.Don't get me wrong the prose is beautifully written but the plot was plodding rather than racy and while I appreciate that the book was written before the age of TV and widespread travel, so it was incumbant on the author to describe the surroundings where the setting for the story but Hardy spends far too much time doing so for my taste. Every time that he described rural life around Weatherbury he placed a massive roadblock in the flow of the tale and I felt like shouting "will you shut up and just tell the tale".What about the characters? The three male suitors are all beautifuuly rounded, Gabriel (the farmer fallen on hardtimes) is selfless in his pursuit both in word and deed, Boldwood (the repressed farmer) is selfish and smothering believing that it is right to marry Bathsheba, Troy (the philanderer) is more interested in the sport of the chase rather than the actual capture. Personally I cannot see how Bathsheba can be viewed as an early feminist, for me she is far too vain, self-absorbed and quite frankly little more than 'a silly little girl' who knows nothing of love and I found that I had little regard for her at all . The minor characters were amusing but for me there was much more comic rustic dialogue than was really neccessary.The ending was predictable but whether or not it is a happy one is debatable. Gabriel obviously still loves Bathsheba but does she merely come to depend on rather than actually love him. When the staff are congratulating them on their marriage the phrase "Bathsheba smiled, for she never laughed readily now" made it seem little more than the business arrangement that Boldwood had suggested rather than anything else. But then maybe I'm just an gnarled old cynic.

[jayne_charles_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was made to read this in English Literature at school when I was 14. Absolutely hated it, so full of flowery language that I skipped whole sections and completely missed the story. I came back to it when attempting to read through the BBC Big Read top 200 at the age of 34. I really wasn't looking forward to it, but of course this time round I loved it. Yes, Hardy is quite verbose, but this is basically a very good story, with characters you can warm to. At the age of 14 I was made to write an essay on whether or not Gabriel Oak is a too-good-to-be-true caricature. Asked that question now, I would say yes of course he is... and I don't care a bit.

[bkmbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Mr Taylor's AP English class, 1981. Suburban northern Virginia. Alan Bates, Julie Christie in the movie. Sigh.

[mrbandings · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Although written in 1874 this is a very modern novel as a strong women runs a farm and her life surrounded by suitors.

[scriberpunk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the story of a shepherd who gets turned down by the love of his life, loses his livelihood in a tragic accident, becomes virtually destitute, finds himself working for the aforesaid love of his live where he watches in almost mute desperation as she first becomes entangled with the local top man before falling for and marrying a cad and bounder who deserts her (when one day the cad and bounder’s own true love reappears pregnant with his child only to die the same night) by faking his own death and leaving the shepherd’s true love once again entangled with the local top man, but then the cad and bounder reappears at an inappropriate moment and gets shot by the local top man who is then condemned to death but has the sentence transmuted to life imprisonment on account of insanity, and so the shepherd gets to marry the love of his life.The thing is the honest, hard working shepherd; the flighty, beautiful woman; the cad and the bounder; the mentalist top man – they are all sympathetically written and likeable. The supporting cast all have lives of their own and behave normally and both have, and behave in, character. And they have fun. Quite often. Their lives happen whilst the plot unfolds. Not because of the plot, or to make the plot move on. I like these people. And the place. Not that I’d want to live there: Too much cider.The three tragic episodes – the death of the girl, the accident that puts an end to the shepherds start in life and the murder of the cad and bounder - are all told in such a way as to make you feel the tragedy emotionally, to care, to connect. It is a nicely told tale.And it has a happy ending. The newly married couple send ‘a bit of something’ down to the pub so the locals can have a piss up. What more could you ask from life?

[lorraineh_18 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

WellIts a fable in my opinion that says the 'steady reliable' man will win a fair maidens hand in the long run.It reads and feels like a penguin classic novel. I can imagine all the 15 yrs old pawing over the language and clever pieces of prose.Me - well I thought it was ok but I must say that the latter third of the book I even enjoyed. Its perfect for those of you who like a clever use of language and lots of smart descriptions. If you like me who are so keen on such things then it can be hard work at times

[pgchuis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the story of farmer Bathsheba Everdene and the three men who love her. There were lots of things I liked about the book: the good humour of the conversations between the farm labourers, the character of Gabriel Oak and the strong sense of seasons/harvest/reliance on the weather.On the other hand, there was (and I think I always feel this with Thomas Hardy) a pervading sense of doom and gloom. Hardy has a very masculine narrative voice and often comments on things Bathsheba does as being typical for a woman (or not). Certain touches were excellent; the discovery of all the jewellery and clothes Boldwood had bought for Bathsheba, the fact that Boldwood's failure to secure his harvest from the rain is the surest evidence of his mental deterioration and the shocking revelation by Bathsheba that she married Troy because he told her he had seen a more beautiful woman than her and could not promise to be true.But... I struggled a bit with Troy's supposed irresistibility (although the description of their not terribly happy subsequent married life was well done). I did not understand why Fanny failed to meet with Troy when she followed him to his barracks. In looking back, Troy makes it clear that she stood him up - why? [I have since discovered the chapter which explains this as an appendix to my version - very annoying as it helps the story make sense and casts light on Troy's character]. I could have done without all the references to Greek mythology and the obsession with the stars in the (rather slow) opening chapters. The romance at the end felt very natural and provided a satisfactory conclusion.

[priscillam_80 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After a cautious start, due mostly to language of the period, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The English countryside,the weather & the mood and feelings of the characters are described in such detail that I almost felt like I was there amongst the characters and involved in the events.Three very different suitors are vying for the affections of the beautiful, highspirited Bathsheba, who unwittingly manages to become entrapped to more than one of these men. Love proves to be quite fickle with some dire consequences.The further I progressed through the story,the more difficult it was to put down. A dictionary beside me helped with the occaisional bygone word and would recommend this novel to anyone who appreciates a tempestuous love story set in a bygone era where manners and propriety and honour are all important.

[lyzzybee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Bought 1980s, read for the Hardy Reading ProjectA truly amazing book: rich, beautiful writing and a page turner. A big step forward in his writing, I felt. Proud Bathsheba thinks she can outwit love but is floored bu it; her suitors have very different fates from one another and the landscape, the stars and the animals provide a wonderful backdrop. The local farmhands are done with a lighter touch; still comical but not so laboured, somehow, and there are some beautiful scenes, for example Gabriel's observation of the movement of the stars. My favourite quotation was another bird-related one: "No Christmas robin detained by a window-pane ever pulsed as did Bathsheba now" (p. 247).I studied this for O level but had forgotten the story, although certain rather random scenes and descriptions, such as Gabriel's face and the round hill he stands upon, were very familiar. Truly a privilege and a joy to re-read this book.

[la2bkk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was my third work by Thomas Hardy, following The Mayor of Casterbridge and Jude the Obscure, both of which I thought were outstanding.Far from the Madding Crowd is very much in the same style. If you are a fan of Hardy, you will enjoy this book. As always, Hardy's story telling ability is top notch. His writing is fluid, descriptive and flows easily. On the negative side, I thought this work started far too slowly, and could have been tighter. While there were sections that were true "page turners," other sections were simply too long and/or unnecessarily descriptive.Not Hardy's best work, but still enjoyable.

[nigeyb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's a classic innit? It really is though. I'd forgotten just how good this is. The best thing is the way it evokes rural life in the West Country in the late 18th century. Marvellous and, unusually for Hardy, with a feel good ending.

[ricday_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An extraordinary work for a 34-year-old writer. Bathsheba Everdene is at the center of things, only dimly aware of her effect on those around her in a compelling story of love and regret.

[hemlokgang · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love Thomas Hardy's writing, as long as I continually remind myself to remain in the period. Bathsheba, the "heroine", as the author refers to her, is not exactly a role model for women of any period in my opinion. Of course, the men are driven mad, literally, by her spirit and beauty, and she remains insensitive, flighty, and totally impulse driven until the climax when she miraculously sees the error of her ways. I really like Gabriel Oak, my hero.

[carmelitasita29 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love the way Thomas Hardy writes, so lush and evocative. This book is about a young woman with a very great sense of herself and loses it in a fit of emotion, and the man who loves her steadfastly and honestly with no strings attached. Wonderful book. I could read Hardy all day long.

[schmerguls · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dec 20, 1964: It is early Sunday morning. I haave been up since 4 A.M. and have finished this book. It was first published in 1874--90 years ago. SPOILERS Contrary to Tess and Jude the Obscure (which I have read this month) this has a happy ending, though even so there are undertones of tragedy--it is not the usual completely happy ending the hackneyed old-time novel presents. Gabriel Oak marries Bathsheba after Bathsheba's other men are removed by suitor Farmer Boldwood shooting Sgt. Troy, her husband, dead on Christmas Eve. Melodrama--Fanny Robin dragging herself to the workhouse. Bathsheba opening Fanny's coffin at midnight, the confrontation between the returned Troy and Bathsheba--it is here aplenty. The Hardy twist that got him into trouble with the conventionalist in his last two novels are mere undertones here. i have enjoyed the book greatly

[theboylatham_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

6/10.

The mainspring of the book centres around Bathsheba Everdene and her three suitors. And, in portraying her caprice and wilfulness gradually crushed by bitter self-knowledge and rejection.

[lukes_171461 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In "Far from the Madding Crowd" we have Thomas Hardy's 1874 breakthrough publication. This was my introduction to Hardy, and I expected certain aspects of his work, and didn't expect others. For one, I didn't expect the humor that I encountered in early character descriptions, but I was not surprised by the power and depth of the story. Hardy's reputation had preceded him to that extent."Far from the Madding Crowd" recounts the tribulations of the young and beautiful - and tragically vain - Bathsheba Everdene, and the three men who love her. Or the two men who loved her, and the rake who married her, or perhaps most accurately, the rake who married her, the inexperienced man who loved her to distraction, and the one faithful stalwart who stood by her through all. For Bathsheba is the most beautiful of women, and men become entranced with her and offer marriage pretty regularly here. The force of the story flows from Bathsheba's initial vanity, her tragic and ill-advised coquetry and first marriage, and how her self-absorption leads to mental breakdown and manslaughter. Hardy presents the plot in a straightforward way, and handles Bathsheba's evolution very skilfully and realistically. The chief characters are fully-realized, memorable creatures. Oak, her constant and ultimate protector, middle-aged Boldwood, driven to distraction by latecoming first love, and the reprobate Sergeant Troy, the tragic first husband, all ring truly; we believe them and understand their motivations. I found the rabble of farm workers to bear no such distinction.I'm going to reserve judgment on whether this is where to start with Hardy. Plot-wise and resolution-wise, I was gratified by how this book ends. There is a tragic force in this narrative, and I understand it's something Hardy produced regularly. This book ends on a hopeful, life-affirming note, which by reputation, Hardy does not always employ. I'm glad I completed the exercise, but a little sorry that's what it felt like.

[donnab317 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lovely, simply lovely. I was enchanted by all the characters, and just amazed that this was one story where I really could not see the plot coming down the street waving flags and yelling "Here I come!" like most stories these days. The story floored me and kept me glued till the end. I loved it!

[nordie_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Reading as part of The Hardy reading group. It is about Bathesheba and the 3 men who love her - Gabriel Oak, Mr Boldwood and Sergeant Troy. each have their own qualities but it is Gabriel who loves her first and always. She rejects his initial marriage proposal because she does not love him. She comes to the attention of Boldwood, who has the farm next to her, after she sends him a Valentine's card partly in jest. Boldwood has difficulty accepting that she does not love him either, but gives her up when she becomes fascinated by Sergeant Troy, the educated soldier - fey in attachment, apart from drink, gambling and women as a whole - who is more in love with another woman but marries Bathsheba more for her money than anything. She soon learns her mistake and learns to hate him, especially when he keeps asking for money to go gambling. His possible death by drowning opens her up to be courted by Boldwood again, who continues to pressure her into committing to marry him, even when he knows she doesn't love him. A party at Christmas has a detrimental effect on all concerned. Finally, Gabriel, her one true love, gets his girl.This is the fourth of his books and the one I've enjoyed the most so far. It has a more consistent narrative, with fewer breaks, even though I believe this was also released in serial form.The descriptions of nature get better with this book. I believe the description of salvaging the crops during the storm is considered to be a classic scene of the genre. Boldwood is a disconcerting and not very nice character, poor of social graces, who falls in love with a woman he's never talked to and virtually bullies her into committing to an engagement that she doesnt want. (Everyone agrees in the end that he's more than a little mad).Troy is a glittering distraction, who can also manipulate women (but in a different way), playing on Bathesheba's insecurities in order to make her marry him immediately (she goes to Bath to talk to him and he "suggests" that he'll have to give in to chasing after some other pretty girl if she doesnt marry him immediately, so she does). Gabriel is solid and steady, watching her make mistakes but never letting her down, even though he still loves her. As for Bathesheba? I dont know about her. I think she grows up during this book, finally marrying the man we all know she should have in the first place. She manages to take care of her uncle's farm, even though some people think she wont and does realise her mistake in marrying Troy, especially the way she did it.

[wisewoman_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thomas Hardy is one of those authors whose works I do enjoy — but grudgingly. His strong descriptive powers, well-written characters, and interesting plots are all points in his favor. But there is something dark running in the vein below, a grimness that I find disturbing. As the back of this audiobook copy of Far From The Madding Crowd would have it, Hardy's sense of inevitable human tragedy was already manifesting itself in this tale. Far From The Madding Crowd tells the story of Bathsheba Everdene, a beautiful and independent young woman who is sought by three very different suitors. Gabriel Oak is the first man to fall in love with her, and after her rejection he falls upon hard times and is forced to seek work as a shepherd. Of course it is Bathsheba who eventually hires him. Her second suitor is one Farmer Boldwood, a moody and passionate man who is awakened to Bathsheba's charms by a foolish Valentine's Day card she sends him, quite in jest. And the third is a dashing officer, Sergeant Francis Troy, who is as captivating and handsome as he is selfish.Hardy really takes the time to set up his characters, and they are all very well written. Bathsheba in particular is a fascinating creation. In some ways she is quite a little feminist, having no inducement to the marriage state in the abstract that would tempt her to seize the chance when it is offered her. And after she catches her bailiff stealing, Bathsheba is determined to run her inherited farm herself — an unprecedented act for a woman in that time. But Hardy was something of a misogynist, and often peppers his narrative with derogatory comments about the female sex. One such example is this:"'It was not exactly the fault of the hut,' she observed in a tone which showed her to be that novelty among women — one who finished a thought before beginning the sentence which was to convey it."Or this:"When women are in a freakish mood, their usual intuition, either from carelessness or inherent defect, seemingly fails to teach them this, and hence it was that Bathsheba was fated to be astonished today."Everything sensible and strong and intelligent about Bathsheba — and she is all of these things, despite her many faults — is presented as an aberration in her sex. I don't like to judge works by the standards of a different time, but I certainly was occasionally annoyed with this misogyny. Other times, once I understood Hardy was like that, it amused more than offended me. Hardy's deep cynicism is not just directed toward women. God comes in for a fair share of the blame; Boldwood's disastrous encounters with Troy are called "Heaven's persistent irony" toward him. It is the gargoyles on the church, monstrosities sanctioned by religion, that are responsible for the horrific accident that disfigures Fanny's grave. Because of this mutilation, Troy's half-formed good resolutions produced by Fanny's death are instantly dashed, and the fault laid at Heaven's door:"To turn about would have been hard enough under the greatest providential encouragement; but to find that Providence, far from helping him into a new course, or showing any wish that he might adopt one, actually jeered his first trembling and critical attempt in that kind, was more than nature could bear."Apparently it is God's fault for not preventing this accident from occurring, for not helping this near-penitent on his new road. Indeed, it is almost as if God wants Troy to be damned and takes active steps to ensure that it is so. This is classic Hardy. And yet religion is not portrayed in a uniformly bad light; Gabriel is observed by Bathsheba in the very act of kneeling in prayer, in direct contrast to her agitated and rebellious frame of mind. The reader is left with the idea that this bedtime prayer is a ritual of Gabriel's, and that it has a not inconsiderable share in helping him face his troubles calmly and with dignity. The focus here is on the man, however, and not the God to whom he is praying.From the first Hardy sets up his characters on a large stage, not so much in their provincial surroundings but by the literary references he uses to describe them. When Gabriel Oak first sees Bathsheba from a distance, he is pictured as "Milton's Satan" watching Eve from a bird's-eye view. When Bathsheba arouses Boldwood's interest, he is compared to Adam awakening from his sleep to behold Eve. Frank Troy is called a "juggler of Satan" by Boldwood, who is then described as "an unhappy Shade in the Mournful Fields by Acheron." Other literary references abound, especially when Hardy describes Gabriel's slow intellectual development and the titles he studies (among them Paradise Lost, Pilgrim's Progress, and Robinson Crusoe). The reader is given to understand that these few titles have a profound effect on Oak and change him from the morally pliable man of the opening chapters to something of a solid rock, dependable and upright in all he does.Despite the darker themes, Hardy is not all doom and gloom. His sense of humor is most often displayed in the rustic country folk of Wessex, whose mannerisms and foibles are treated with fond indulgence. One character, Joseph Poorgrass, suffers from what he calls "the multiplying eye" — a condition that only assails him in taverns when he's had a bit too much to drink. The relationships among these country folk are also portrayed in a comical light; one instance is the way the worthies of the village try to calm the affronted maltster by agreeing he is the oldest man they know. Young Cainy Ball's breathless recital of what he had seen in Bath is a small masterpiece of comedy, as he chokes and sprays his listeners with crumbs, and is remonstrated for his careless breathing and eating habits. Hilarious!"'Now, Cainy!' said Gabriel, sternly. 'How many more times must I tell you to keep from running so fast when you be eating? You'll choke yourself some day, that's what you'll do, Cain Ball.''Hok-hok-hok!' replied Cain. 'A crumb of my victuals went the wrong way — hok-hok!, That's what 'tis, Mister Oak! And I've been visiting to Bath because I had a felon on my thumb; yes, and I've seen — ahok-hok!'"In addition to the funny parts, there are some insightful and deftly written passages, like these:"The suddenness was probably more apparent than real. A coral reef which just comes short of the ocean surface is no more to the horizon than if it had never been begun, and the mere finishing stroke is what often appears to create an event which has long been potentially an accomplished thing.""A man's body is as the shell; or the tablet, of his soul, as he is reserved or ingenuous, overflowing or self-contained. There was a change in Boldwood's exterior from its former impassibleness; and his faceshowed that he was now living outside his defences for the first time, and with a fearful sense of exposure. It is the usual experience of strong natures when they love."I listened to this on audiobook published by Tantor Media and read by John Lee. I very much enjoyed his narration, though I did find the lengthy descriptions of nature to drag a bit. Lee's character voices are excellent, with the exception of the female characters; a deep-voiced man just can't create a believably feminine voice.I don't think I will ever enthusiastically recommend Hardy; he isn't an author whose works can really be loved, at least not by me. But they do have a quality about them that invites contemplation, mainly of the flaws of humankind and the apparently indifferent God reigning over the chaos we make of our lives. It's a different perspective for me, and one that I find deeply unattractive — and yet fascinating, in a grim sort of way. Hardy will never be a comfort read for me, but he does provoke thought, if not exactly admiration.

[jpporter · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Move over, Dickens. Thomas Hardy has replaced Charles Dickens as my favorite Classical English author. The tone of "Far From the Madding Crowd" is pleasant, moving from descriptive narrative to humor to tragedy seamlessly. Unlike Hardy's later writing (such as "The Mayor of Casterbridge" and "Jude the Obscure"), FFTMC is light, entertaining, and structured with a pleasant ending. The later works mentioned are substantially darker, more pessimistic in nature; FFTMC is Hardy the optimist. As a general summary, the book follows the lives of Gabriel Oak (ostensibly the main character), Bathsheba Everdene, a young woman of stolid character coming of age; Mr. Blackwood, a farmer who becomes insanely in love with Bathsheba; and Sergeant Troy, a young soldier who woos, and wins, Bathsheba's hand in marriage. That is where the action kicks in. What impresses me most is Hardy's ability to instill dry wit into his description of an event, construct characters who come across as real, and create for us a world one can believe in. Clearly written, coherently structured, well paced, we can clearly see in Hardy the transition from "old, classical, English literature" to a more modern English classic. At 400+ pages, and a formal command of English (with surprising hints of modernity), this is a book that takes almost no effort to read - Hardy grabs the reader in the first chapter, and doesn't let go until the end.Well worth the reading - one would be the better for having read it.

[uhhlanna · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic read! A really challenging and rewarding book--a perfect example of advanced, proficient use of archaic language. Hardy's mastery of the English vocabulary is inspiring, but it took a lot of concentration to read.