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    Far From the Madding Crowd
    Far From the Madding Crowd
    Far From the Madding Crowd
    Audiobook (abridged)3 hours

    Far From the Madding Crowd

    Written by Thomas Hardy

    Narrated by Neville Jason

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Far from the Madding Crowd was Hardy’s fourth novel, gaining significant popularity and critical attention. It tells of Gabriel, an up-and-coming shepherd, who falls in love with a proud and vain young beauty Bathsheba, who refuses his offer of marriage as she values her independence too much. The novel can be described as an early piece of feminist literature and is regularly studied in schools. This is part of the ‘Young Adult Classics’ series launched by Naxos AudioBooks in 2009.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNaxos Audiobooks
    Release dateSep 1, 2009
    ISBN9789629548698
    Author

    Thomas Hardy

    Thomas Hardy was born in Dorset in 1840, the eldest of four children. At the age of sixteen he became an apprentice architect. With remarkable self discipline he developed his classical education by studying between the hours of four and eight in the morning. With encouragement from Horace Moule of Queens' College Cambridge, he began to write fiction. His first published novel was Desperate Remedies in 1871. Thus began a series of increasingly dark novels all set within the rural landscape of his native Dorset, called Wessex in the novels. Such was the success of his early novels, including A Pair of Blue Eyes (1873) and Far From the Madding Crowd (1874), that he gave up his work as an architect to concentrate on his writing. However he had difficulty in getting Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1889) published and was forced to make changes in order for it to be judged suitable for family readers. This coupled with the stormy reaction to the negative tone of Jude the Obscure (1894) prompted Hardy to abandon novel writing altogether. He concentrated mainly on poetry in his latter years. He died in January 1928 and was buried in Westminster Abbey; but his heart, in a separate casket, was buried in Stinsford, Dorset.

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    Reviews for Far From the Madding Crowd

    4/5

    109 ratings92 reviews

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    • 4/5
      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.
    • 3/5
      The first of Thomas Hardy’s great novels, Far From the Madding Crowd established the author as one of Britain’s foremost writers. It also introduced readers to Wessex, an imaginary county in southwestern England that served as the pastoral setting for many of the author’s later works.Far From the Madding Crowd tells the story of beautiful Bathsheba Everdene, a fiercely independent woman who inherits a farm and decides to run it herself. She rejects a marriage proposal from Gabriel Oak, a loyal man who takes a job on her farm after losing his own in an unfortunate accident. He is forced to watch as Bathsheba mischievously flirts with her neighbor, Mr. Boldwood, unleashing a passionate obsession deep within the reserved man. But both suitors are soon eclipsed by the arrival of the dashing soldier, Frank Troy, who falls in love with Bathsheba even though he’s still smitten with another woman. His reckless presence at the farm drives Boldwood mad with jealousy, and sets off a dramatic chain of events that leads to both murder and marriage. A delicately woven tale of unrequited love and regret, Far from the Madding Crowd is also an unforgettable portrait of a rural culture that, by Hardy’s lifetime, had become threatened with extinction at the hands of ruthless industrialization.I found it rather boring and very predictable, lots of description of the times and places though.
    • 5/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      This is the second Hardy novel I have read and is very much like the first, Tess of D'Urbervilles. This novel tells the story of Bathsheba Everdeen and her trials and tribulations trying to live her life as a headstrong and ambitious woman in a Victorian man's world. However, unlike Tess of D'Urbervilles, this book has a few smiles and a positive ending. This book has little action, but is mostly about relationships.
    • 4/5
      A surprisingly modern tale.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      I found this to be one of the least depressing Thomas Hardy books I've read. It is set in an idyllic pastoral setting in England, and follows Batsheba, a beautiful independent farmer that has 3 men completly in love with her. Of course, being a Hardy novel there are some dark melodramatic moments. I didn't like it as much as Jude the Obscure, but worth the read.
    • 4/5
      My second visit to beautiful Dorset over this glorious Easter holiday has been accompanied by reading my second Thomas Hardy novel. I didn't enjoy this quite as much as The Mayor of Casterbridge, but Far from the Madding Crowd is still a solid and enjoyable novel rooted in the rhythms and ways of life of 19th century Dorset, being the first of Hardy's Wessex novels. Bathsheba Everdene is an independent-minded young woman making her way in the male-dominated rural life of the time, after inheriting her uncle's farm on his death. Yet, as the object of three very different men's differing forms of love, she still shows a headstrong and even reckless side, for example when she sends a joke Valentine's card to middle-aged and confirmed bachelor farmer Boldwood, which ignites an obsession with him as he refuses to accept its light hearted motivation. She marries soldier Frank Troy, but their marriage is not a success and he disappears. It is shepherd Gabriel Oak whose loyal and steadfast devotion to her as his employer wins her love in the end, after a final explosive confrontation between Boldwood and a returned Troy. Other memorable characters include Fanny Robin, Troy's former sweetheart, who dies in the workhouse pregnant with his child. A very good read, though lacking the plot-driven narrative of Mayor of Casterbridge.
    • 4/5
      Always trying to catch up on those books being sourced for movies/TV (there are dozens on that list right now... that I WANT to read. sigh.) Such a contrast to Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Wouldn't Tess wish she were Bathsheba Everdene? Other than some undisclosed things that happened before the book started, it seems as though Bath has had a pretty easy life compared to the misery that Tess suffers at every turn. Having three guys vying for your attention doesn't seem like such a bad problem compared to Tess. And other than that, some corn possibly getting ruined from the rain. And sheep drama. I can appreciate Hardy's layered prose in this one, but I think I'm on Tess's team. Bathsheba is a great heroine but which of three suitors she ends up with isn't the best premise for a book that suits me. It's sad to lose the Bathsheba in the first few pages, seeing her improperly for the time she was in, lean back on her horse to avoid low branches (let alone not riding side saddle.) This Bathsheba turns into a suitor juggler and then wishes for the time when she didn't have to deal with all of it. I think reading about Bathsheba's backstory would have helped relate to her. Maybe I would have liked this one better if I read it before meeting Tess. You can't beat Thomas Hardy when it comes to great pastoral prose though.
    • 2/5
      Was surprised to find this book kind of trashy. Everything seemed simplistic and over the top, and the characters made such terrible, unrealistic decisions. Quick read, though.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      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?
    • 5/5
      Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy centers on young Bathsheba Everdene, a strong fiery independent woman who has come into the good fortune of inheriting a farm in Hardy’s Wessex. She will not allow herself to become dependent on a man and resolves to take care of her own farm and business. Bathsheba is also (of course) extremely beautiful and she knows this but is also very inexperienced in the ways of love and for the most part men. She is courted by three very different men, the first being Gabriel Oaks, who has the misfortune of losing his own farm in an accident, he contents himself by becoming the main shepherd on Bathsheba’s farm and helping her in any way that he can even though she has declared to him that she does not love him or can never marry him because of the position he is in. The second man is Mr. Boldwood an older man, who owns the farm next to Bathsheba, he allows himself to become completely enamored with her and she becomes his only reason for living. The last man is a Sergeant Troy, who is young and very like Bathsheba in temperament and personality. These three men set the pace for the rest of the novel that takes readers on an emotional roller-coaster of plot twists and sub plots. This is the first Thomas Hardy novel that I have read and I was not sure what to expect. I have read very mixed reviews of his work and I was not sure how I was going to like this book. I have to admit that I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I think the strongest aspect of this book is the fact that all of the main characters have faults that readers can identify with even to this day. Bathsheba is really a woman before her time, she just wants to make a mark on the world and she is very ambitious and her main fault is her vanity. She is really like almost every woman I know, she just wants to be told that she is beautiful but at the same time she wants to be independent. It is easy to imagine her and identify with her; she really is one of the most honest characters I have read in a long time. Similarly, the three main men who compete for Bathsheba’s attentions all have their faults. Gabriel Oaks is probably the most honest, hardworking, steadfast man in the novel but at the same time he is also a little boring and not super cultured. Mr. Boldwood takes his passion for Bathsheba to desperate levels, and is subject to dark and changing moods. As for Sergeant Troy, he is a rake, scoundrel and at times a cad. Overall, at times the story could move slowly but I thought that for the most part it flowed well and kept my attention. I will be looking forward to reading later novels by Thomas Hardy to compare with this one.
    • 5/5
      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
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      Far From the Madding Crowd tells the story of beautiful Bathsheba Everdene, a fiercely independent woman who inherits a farm and decides to run it herself. She rejects a marriage proposal from Gabriel Oak, a loyal man who takes a job on her farm after losing his own in an unfortunate accident. The book is beautifully written and shows the atmosphere of 19th century England. I loved watching the relationship between Bathsheba and Gabriel evolve. Hardy does an excellent job of character and plot development. This is a story not to be missed and teaches a good lesson about being careful when you turn down your first suitor!
    • 4/5
      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
    • 5/5
      Another classic I have finally got around to reading. I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Bathsheba Everdene and her trilogy of suitors Gabriel Oak, Sgt. Francis Troy and Boldwood. Bathsheba inherits her Uncle's farm near Weatherbury which is in the Casterbridge vicinity. Her first suitor is Gabriel, a shepherd who although rejected, becomes her mentor and friend. Boldwood is a wealthy neighbouring bachelor and land owner who becomes besotted with Bathsheba. She ends up marrying the dashing Sgt Troy who, unknown to her is a philanderer and dishonest. Of course within months she is disappointed in her decision and finds out about Troy's former lover Fanny. Troy chooses to "drown" for a period of time before returning to town at Christmas.Very good story with beautiful descriptions of the landscape, the characters, relationships and dialogue. Hardy inserts comic relief with a cast of town folk.
    • 4/5
      If I had known I'd enjoy this novel so much, I'd have read it sooner! It's a wonderful story of life in agricultural England, seemingly untouched by the Industrial Revolution. Bathsheba is young, alone, and very confident of her abilities. When she inherits her uncle's farm, her social position abruptly changes for the better. Over the next few months, three different men, each with unique combinations of virtues, enter into her life. Despite her earlier convictions to make it on her own, she chooses one to marry, with consequences for her little community. Hardy has developed a set of characters that, while maybe not entirely believable, are attractive and interesting. The novel moves right along, never bogging down. His descriptions of the farming community are charming and invite the reader into a world that was fast disappearing. His reflections on the social mores and their influence on people's choices are fun to read as well as thought-provoking.
    • 4/5
      It's been a few days since I finished Far From The Madding Crowd but life has been crazy so I haven't had the time to write this review, which is unlike me because I usually make time. Oh well, here we go anyway...My first experience with Hardy came from Tess of the d'Urbervilles, which completely surprised me. I loved it. But it had been a while since then so I opened this one without a great deal of expectation despite the 'classic' status. After finding the first couple of chapters a little slow, general setting the scene type chapters, by the time we met Bathsheba again on her own farm I was really enjoying it.Bathsheba Everdene is spirited and independent and fiercely determined to be able to run her uncle's farm after firing the stealing bailiff (manager). This was the part of her I most admired. She cared about the farm and her employees, she was resourceful and clever - I hadn't realised that female characters like her popped up in literature from the 1800s. What let me down was her stupidity when it came to men (although I realise without this there may have been no story!)Gabriel Oak is our other main character in this story, and in him I can find few faults. His loyalty to Bathsheba may be considered a bit extreme but at least he wasn't crazy like Farmer Boldwood. No matter Gabriel's feelings, he put them aside to do his work and to build a friendship with Bathsheba that is perhaps one of my favourite literary friendships. He was the only one who would be completely honest with her and she respected his opinion even if she didn't always like it. What progressed seemed very natural, unlike her romances with Sergeant Troy and poor infatuated Farmer Boldwood, who I felt sorry for but really needed to just let go. He wanted her because he felt he deserved her, he loved her but without taking into account her feelings on the matter. There was no foundation for either of these romances like there was between her and Gabriel.Hardy writes a great story although some of his description can get a bit tedious, I guess he just liked to set his scene. I really enjoyed the supporting characters in this novel as well as Bathsheba and Gabriel and I think it is a great addition to anyone's library. 
    • 4/5
      Story of Bathesheba who inherits a sheep farm in the 1800's in England. Bathsheba is a willful and independent woman determined to remain on her own. With her first meeting of Farmer Gabriel Oak, he becomes infatuated by her beauty. At this time he is on his way to prosperity and she is not much more than a hired hand. Later after the inheritance, he has lost much and she has gained the sheep farm. Upon a whim, she writes a strange note to her neighbor, Boldwood, a man who keeps to himself and seems to have no pleasures in life. The note expresses the desire for marriage but was sent anonymously. Boldwood figures out who the note comes from and he too becomes infatuated with Bathsheba. The rest of the story follows Bathesheba as she deals with both men but eventually marries a young dashing, but unfaithful, soldier Sergeant Troy. Troy has been in love with Fanny, a poor girl once in the service at the farm that Bathsheba inherits. The language is beautiful with a Shakespearean sentence structure. Not particularly as easy read, but an enjoyable one. (Read due to upcoming movie staring Carey Mulligan)
    • 3/5
      A lovely rural tale where Gabriel Oak and the countryside compete for centre stage.Read June 2004
    • 5/5
      In nineteenth century England Gabriel Oak has worked himself up from a position as a shepherd to being a farmer in his own right. A solid, dependable, hard-working young man who is the master of his trade he seems likely to succeed in the world. And for such a solid young man Bathsheba Everdene, a headstrong and penniless girl of twenty or so who has recently come to live with her aunt nearby, is not the sort that he should be thinking of marrying. He admits to himself that a woman who can bring some money, or some stock for the farm, to the partnership would be much more sensible. But love is not always sensible, or indeed reciprocated, as Gabriel discovers when his attempts to woo Bathsheba with images of domestic bliss fall on deaf ears ('And at home by the fire, whenever you look up there I shall be -- and whenever I look up there will be you.') and his offer of marriage is refused.But then comes a time of great change for both. When the bulk of Gabriel's sheep are killed when his new dog drives them over the edge of a quarry at night 'under the impression that since he was kept for running after sheep, the more he ran after them the better', he is left owning nothing more than the clothes that he stands up in, and is forced to hire himself out as a mere shepherd once more. While meanwhile Bathsheba's fortune's rise when she inherits the farm of an uncle in another neighbourhood and suddenly becomes a woman of property. Unable to find work locally, Gabriel travels further afield and is hired as shepherd on the very farm belonging to Bathsheba. And then the stage is set for the love triangle that occupies the rest of the novel as three men compete for the love of Bathsheba: Gabriel Oak, who is now very much her inferior in social status; Mr Boldwood, a neighbouring farmer and man of property to whom Bathsheba has thoughtlessly sent a valentine; and Sergeant Troy, a somewhat dissolute but dashing soldier.In this novel the modern world ( well what constituted the modern world in nineteenth century England, anyway) does not intrude like it does it some of Hardy's other novels: the pattern of life in the village Weatherbury, where most of the novel is set, goes on as it has for centuries. I think this may perhaps be a reason why this is not my favourite of Hardy's novels. But still a great book. 
    • 4/5
      Sometime last year I saw the 2015 film adaptation of Far From the Madding Crowd. It’s very picturesqueness and told an interesting story - a young single woman managing her own property - but it felt rushed, like it was too abridged. Reading the book made sense of my reactions to the film. The film is framed as Bathsheba’s story, opening with a voiceover from her. However, the book is only sometimes from Bathsheba’s point of view. Certain things occur off-screen - and the reader is left, along with other main characters, to fill in the gaps ourselves as to exactly what happened. I found this approach made Bathsheba’s choices seem much more convincing.The book is also very clear about the passage of time. That helps to provide needed context - and I was interested by the colourful portrayal of life for this farming community.I particularly enjoyed Hardy’s descriptions and the amusing way with words some of his characters have. Even though I knew where the story was heading, the way the story was told kept me interested. I didn’t always enjoy the story of Bathsheba’s multiple suitors, but I appreciated that they’re not thrown in to create artificial tension. Far From the Madding Crowd offers thoughtful, and at times surprising, commentary on courtship, male expectations of women, healthy relationship dynamics, and the consequences of mistakes.And I found a certain romance even more shippable than I did in the film.Another one of the best books I’ve read this year. The audiobook, read by Nicholas Guy Smith, is excellent.[...] said Oak; and turning upon Poorgrass, “as for you, Joseph, who do your wicked deeds in such confoundedly holy ways, you are as drunk as you can stand.”“No, Shepherd Oak, no! Listen to reason, shepherd. All that's the matter with me is the affliction called a multiplying eye, and that's how it is I look double to you—I mean, you look double to me.”“A multiplying eye is a very bad thing,” said Mark Clark.“It always comes on when I have been in a public-house a little time,” said Joseph Poorgrass, meekly. “Yes; I see two of every sort, as if I were some holy man living in the times of King Noah and entering into the ark [...]”
    • 5/5
      The afterword of my 1960 copyright book begins with this, "To read the word of any famous author is in itself something of an art. A reader must develop the poise of courage in order to stay the judgement of his elders until he can read the work for himself." I have many friends who had to read this book for their 10th grade honors English class. They hate this book. As a 21 year old, I struggled with parts of this book, so I can only imagine being 15 and required to read it. The book follows the central character of Bathsheba Everdene. Bathsheba is a dark haired-dark eyed beauty who looks nothing like Julie Christie and who tempts several men around her. She has three main suitors. The first we meet being Gabriel Oak, who remains loyal to her throughout the book even though he is a poor shepard. We see Bathsheba grow and mature throughout the book. I know I questioned the experience of women during this time-period in England, and how constraining it must have been to be at the whim of men.Hardy has a way of describing the scenery so you feel as though it would appear right out your own window. This book was not exactly a fast read, but it was certainly something to be savored and it comes highly recommended to anyone who wants to escape to Casterbridge, England with a nice cup of tea.
    • 3/5
      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.
    • 5/5
      Why did I enjoy this story so much? Among other reasons, I could visualize easily the settings and the costumes of characters. Another reason I liked this story is that it kept me conjecturing how the human relationships--intense and serious--would resolve, even though from the start the end was quite predictable. It was the how that kept my interest. Loved this book.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this! It was much lighter than "Tess" -- at least for me! And even had some bits of humor in it, which surprised & pleased me :)
    • 4/5
      I and the others in my Book Group enjoyed Far From the Madding Crowd. It's a story of a young woman who inherits a prosperous farm in the mid-19th century in England and who isn't particularly interested in marriage, though she has three suitors. Eventually she does marry one of them, but it is a disaster because she falls for the one who is a sweet talker but doesn't have much else of value to add to the union.We were impressed with how much of a feminist theme was in this since it was first published in 1874. Not only did she eschew marriage, but the men admired her independence (and her great beauty).
    • 3/5
      My classic read for the summer, begun in early June and finally finished here at the end of August. My thoughts? A yes. A strong yes, really. A compelling heroine. A strong hero. Lots of difficulties. And a trip through nineteenth century rural England. What more could you want?