Tess of The D’ Urbervilles

By Thomas Hardy

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy is a powerful and tragic tale that explores themes of love, fate, and societal expectations. Immerse yourself in Hardy's richly drawn characters and atmospheric settings, as he crafts a story that resonates with readers even today.

• Experience the poignant journey of Tess, a young woman struggling against the injustices of her time.
• Engage with Hardy's evocative descriptions of rural England and the social dynamics of Victorian society.
• Reflect on the themes of morality, class, and the consequences of one's past.
• Delve into the complexities of human relationships and the weight of societal expectations.
• This edition presents Hardy's timeless novel with a beautifully designed cover, perfect for fans of classic literature and profound storytelling.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fingerprint Publishing
• Release date: Mar 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9789354409677

Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) was an English poet and author who grew up in the British countryside, a setting that was prominent in much of his work as the fictional region named Wessex. Abandoning hopes of an academic future, he began to compose poetry as a young man. After failed attempts of publication, he successfully turned to prose. His major works include Far from the Madding Crowd(1874), Tess of the D’Urbervilles(1891) and Jude the Obscure( 1895), after which he returned to exclusively writing poetry.

Book preview

Reviews for Tess of The D’ Urbervilles

[john257hopper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My third visit to the lovely town of Dorchester and surrounding parts of Dorset and as a consequence, my third Thomas Hardy novel. Tess is a simultaneously heroic and tragic figure, in her relationships with two men Alec D'urberville, who seduces and by implication rapes her, and Angel Clare, whom she marries, loses and then regains. I found the ending quite sudden and shocking. There is also humour, especially in the early parts with the Durbeyfield family, Tess's parents keen to show themselves the lost but superior branch to the aristocratic D'urbevilles. As with other Hardy novels, there is a very good feel for the ebb and flow of rural life, farming and the seasons. This is not plot-driven like Mayor of Casterbridge, but is more tragic than the more similar Far from the Madding Crowd, and Tess's travails make a powerful impression on the reader.

[tanya8dogearedcopy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This Classic is the tragedy of a young country girl/woman in Wessex during the 1870s who tries to make her way through the world with love and a sense of dignity, even as her world is corrupted by outside influences. There is plenty of fodder for literary criticism and discussion, but what cannot be rendered equivocal is the richness of the text and the vivid, painterly portrayals of the settings and characters. This edition contains endnotes that compare other MSS of the text (Hardy made revisions/redactions to accommodate himself and various publications, most notably Graphic in the latter case), as well as references to paintings that the author was influenced by; Biblical citations & notes and; song attributions... all of which are in equal measures tedious and/or enlightening.

[et.carole · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Thoroughly depressing. If this is Victorian literature, I'll pass.

[blnq-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Possibly my favorite book by my favorite writer. Hardy's ability to bring the people, the time and the place together is unparalleled. His sense of the countryside, the natural world and its inhabitants is a kind of spiritual vison. His sympathy and understanding for the lives and characters of everyday people and especially those who suffer the manifest social injustices of the time is really unequalled (well, maybe not unequalled but you get the idea). I just think he is a genius and one of the greatest English language writers we have. I feel like an idiot trying to write about him.

[yarb_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

My sixth trip to Wessex with T-Hard, and I think maybe my last. My problem with this one is summed up by the subtitle ("a pure woman, faithfully presented"). Tess is lovely, pure, and dull. Like the two men who wreck her life — the irredeemable cad Alec and the morally constipated Angel — she just isn't a proper character at all. Instead, all three are ciphers for Hardy to work through his issues with industrialisation, organised religion, and sexual repression. The landscape writing is at its dreamiest here: the novel luxuriates lengthily in pastoral mode with dew-decked fields and mellow mists superabundant. To its credit, the hardscrabble side of rural life isn't entirely overlooked as Tess is forced to take work hoeing turnips and feeding a hellish steam-thresher as her fortunes worsen. And Tess herself is drawn more like a landscape than a person, Hardy's pen lingering on the contours of her lovely, pure, and faithfully presented — but strangely characterless — face. Jude the Obscure is similarly focused on Issues at the expense of character; despite the quality of the prose in Jude and in Tess I prefer the earlier Wessex novels which contain actual real plausible impure human beings.

[islandmum84 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hardy’s books must be one of the reasons writers decide to write. You cannot call yourself a bookworm without reading on off his books. Tess made me cry, it made me angry but I was so enthralled by the story and the writing to see tears welling up in my eyes. I hated the ending but i can’t get everything I want in life.

[drfuriosa · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Thomas Hardy is some kind of demented genius. He depicts the hypocrisy of gender stereotypes in Victorian society so vividly that you feel the acutest dread and misery as you read. It's about as pleasant as an annual pap smear. Or a root canal. I do not ever feel the need to read this book again. Tess is a pathetic, sweet, naive little flower, and the men are horrible. This was a miserable reading experience, and it does.not.let.up.

[jbarr5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tess of the d'Ubervilles by Thomas HardyStory of a woman who is raised in the 1800's and does manual labor for her parents as a milk maid.She had once gone with others but one man refused to dance with her and he meets her again and she never forgets him.Loved learning the process of doing the job of milk maid, so much more than i ever realized. Skimming and then the milking.She is tortured being married to the Aristotle and really treasures everything she sees in Angel.Drastic changes when Angel returns.... summaries of other works by the author are listed at the end.I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

[dinadansfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book is beautifully written, so much so, I took off a star because it is all so sad. Tess, is a woman betrayed, and the full millstones of the gods descend on her. Do read it, and then try a cheer up routine. At first a bowdlerized version was a magazine serial in 1891...but if you had the money, you could buy the whole thing in three hardcover volumes in 1892.

[foggidawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Young dairymaid Tess Durbeyfield goes to work for a supposed cousin when her father learns that their family roots go back to the noble D’Urberville family. The degenerate son of the upstart modern D’Urbervilles rapes her. Some time later, she finds both work and love elsewhere, but can she truly move on from her past trauma? I knew from the start that this was going to be a downer, and yes, it turned out to be just as depressing as expected. I kept hoping for a happy ending for Tess, and it so nearly could have been. I got pretty irritated at Angel Clare, let me tell you. I can see how this work gained its classic status; the writing is lovely in spots (strewn with classical allusions that I didn’t always take the time to grasp, though) and the plot fairly compelling. Not one I’ll read again, but I’m glad I finally got around to it.

[m.belljackson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Hardy's sense of place and development of character excel, but the plot and the recriminating of Tess simply drag on for too long.Deciding to tell Angel about her deceit after their marriage felt false and deciding to murder Alec after she willingly joined him was untrue to her character.

[jenniebooks · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Old language makes this hard to enjoy . Trying to appreciate English composition .

[lauren2013_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Depressing and morose.
The story has potential but the main character needs some backbone.

[philsyphe · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

With all the hype surrounding “Tess”, I had high hopes, though sadly my hopes weren’t realised.Somehow, it failed to hit the mark. I enjoyed parts rather than the novel as a whole. I prefer some of Hardy’s lesser-known tomes to this one. Can’t remember any specifics, unfortunately, as I’m reviewing this nearly six years after reading it, but as it’s Thomas Hardy, I’d like to give it a second read some time.

[brakketh-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The slow tragedy of pure-hearted Tess as life slowly and it feels like inevitably results in her tragic demise.

[kiwimrsmac · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Appalling ending. Brilliant book. But painful ending. Not a HEA thats for sure!

[nataliec7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So, This is the first Hardy that I have read. Unsure whether I should have picked this one as my first to read though. It was not a happy book. Very quickly I saw that Tess's young life became 'oh so complicated.'Throughout that though, I ploughed on through the book, realising very soon, that there was no happy ending. Not the happy ending that I wanted. Irrespectively though, I did really 'enjoy' this book. I found it very well written, descriptive and a book that had the ability to grab me and keep me intrigued.I would recommend this book.

[hmskip · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great, tragic story.

[heart77 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Bad things happening to a pristine waif. She was a true symbol of feminine modesty and virtue. This is why it was especially sad that so many bad things happened. It was a long time ago. Life was bad back then. Men were especially wicked, evil man-demons who existed only to exploit delicate women.

It's a classic, but not a good one.

[bibliothecarivs · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tess was my first. This depressing and enchanting story of a woman in rural England struggling against 'a sea of troubles' was my introduction to Hardy, now my favorite author of fiction, through the excellent 2008 miniseries.

[danaenicole-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

2014: ...What? (2 stars)2016 [SPOILERS]: I remember the first time I finished this book, in bed in my college dorm room with my mouth hanging open from the moment Tess declared "I have killed him!" A second reading really was necessary to process.I think I care more for Tess than I usually care about characters, somehow. My heart aches for her in all the ways her life goes wrong. And I cheer for her because she really is a strong and mature character. She's very well-written.Alec D'Urberville, on the other hand is sufficiently infuriating, as is Angel Clare. Alec makes me want to scream when he just won't leave Tess alone. I want to smack him. But that didn't do Tess any good... And Angel with his hypocrisy and self-righteousness... Ugh. Poor Tess. I should want Tess to find a better man than Angel, but she loves him so much, I tend to want him to come to his senses instead.In regards to Tess' experience with Alec, the writing of it frustrates me a bit. To me, up through that moment, it is very clear that Alec raped Tess. She never liked him, never showed him any affection. She blatantly wiped away his kiss. He made her very uncomfortable. Her behavior through that point gives me absolutely no reason to believe that Tess would willingly have sex with Alec. Afterward, however, the writing makes it seem more like they had been in a relationship and she had willingly slept with him, though she regretted it later. And those two interpretations just don't jive. After thinking about it, I've decided on my interpretation. I think it is kind of both of the above. I think Alec raped her. And then because of the society she lived in, after that happened, Tess felt like she belonged to Alec or was tied to him in a way. It's even said in the book that she's more married to Alec than she is to Angel. Of course, I don't believe that, but I think that would have been her thought process. So, I think that after Alec "claimed" her, she continued working at the D'Urberville estate, and probably allowed him to have sex with her again, though she still didn't want that kind of relationship with him. Until finally, she couldn't live with it anymore, and she left for home.Through all that, it really is a surprisingly feminist book for one written by a man in the 1800's. I should read more of his work (any suggestions?). I also think this book could inspire a really good modern film adaptation.I think my only complaint aside from maybe the ambiguity of the [rape/seduction is that it can be quite slow, especially during Tess' employment at the dairy. I almost only brought my rating up one star because of that, but I love Tess so much and the story itself is so beautifully tragic that I rated it 4 stars.I want to write a better review of this book. Maybe I'll edit this sometime.

[brokentune · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Gee, what a bleak, bleak, bleak read. Did I mention the book was bleak?I had 14 hours to kill between trains and airports on the way back from Christmas and this was the book I picked. Unfortunately. Or maybe fortunately as otherwise I probably would not have finished it.Having been through the ups and downs of social injustice, sexism and double standards with the heroines of Jane Austen and Bronte sisters, I expected a similar story from Tess, just in a different style. But, oh no... no wit, no aspirations, no sappy ending.And yet, I don't begrudge that the story is dark and depressing. I just find it difficult to read about such infuriating characters and utterly hopeless circumstances. And, strangely, this for me is also the story's one redeeming feature.It is easy to forget that the civil liberties, social mobility, equality and independence - debated as they still are - that we take for granted today have not been available to Tess.

[cemagoc · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is one of the driest, most depressing, and most uninteresting books I've ever given up on. Not worth the time of digging for truths.

[benuathanasia · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm not sure how I feel about this. Each character is exceptionally well fleshed out - none are held above all as perfect, no character is so flawed as to be irredeemable. Yet, I never felt particularly compelled or biased for or against any character. I never felt invested. I couldn't revel in one character's comeuppance, or celebrate another's successors. If I were to re-read this book, it would only be for the plot, never for the characters.

[memccauley6 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is easy to see why this book is considered a classic. To the modern reader, this tale of love and morality may seem like kid stuff at first glance (they talk about more serious situations in my niece’s junior high sex education class).

Hardy’s genius is his incisive character portrayals and the depictions of the social and moral structure of 19th century England. Tess and her feelings and decisions stay with you long after the last page is finished. I kept wishing we had read this in college so that I could have argued with someone about the moral themes.

[jnmwheels · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Ditching the book because it is too sad. Left off on part three chapter ten.

[mamashepp · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful--Hardy doesn't write a story, he paints one. But so, so sad!

[alisony-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thomas Hardy is fast becoming one of my favourite authors; that man knew how to spin a seriously good yarn, and I am going to have serious book hangover now after finishing Tess. Emotion wrenching characterisation? Tick. Amazing imagery? Tick. Page-turning plot? Tick. 500 pages felt like 50. Tess is an amazing protagonist - beautiful and pure at heart, she stalwartly endures the major change in circumstances thrown at her throughout the book, tearing our hearts apart with her readiness to carry the can for the men who have wronged her. Alec d'Urberville is a superb and complex villain of conflicting layers, and Angel Clare... well, let's just say Hardy played with his character so cleverly at one point I shouted aloud "what a complete s**t!" much to the surprise and consternation of my husband.These trials and tribulations were all played out with the backdrop of Wessex painted as if with an artist's delicate brushstrokes. I watched the mist clear across lush green valleys as I walked side-by-side with Tess along the lanes and byways, felt the dew on the hems of my skirts, and felt the warmth of the sun on my face as I looked out across the dairy courtyard to the views beyond.My only criticism with this book is with this particular Penguin Popular Classic edition, which felt a need to give away most of the plot on the book jacket. This spoilt a number of plot points which Hardy had done a great job of concealing, and seemed very unnecessary.5 stars and then some for the literary equivalent of John Constable.

[mrsdanaalbasha · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's one of the best, most capturing books I've read in a while.Tess touched my heart in everyway. I couldn't stop crying during the story. How could anyone be born so unfortunate, so weak yet so beautiful, so cursed by society, her family and most importantly her husbend Angel. I didn't know how could she have forgiven him so easily after he abandoned her. I know how she felt but I couldn't stand how her life has ended, she just doesn't deserve such an ending. Tess will always stay in mind forever.

[bagpuss-3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm loathe to give my first read of 2013 a 5/5 but this one definitely comes close! Proper review to follow but for now I must just say that I loved it! 4½/5, maybe! :)