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    Under the Greenwood Tree
    Under the Greenwood Tree
    Under the Greenwood Tree
    Audiobook6 hours

    Under the Greenwood Tree

    Written by Thomas Hardy

    Narrated by Jamie Parker

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Under the Greenwood Tree is an affectionate and youthful portrait of a world Hardy knew well - village life in ‘Wessex’ - in which a romantic tale is set against changing circumstances. The traditional feature of local music-making performed by the village band and choir is challenged by the modern innovation of organ and organist providing music in the church. Fancy Day, the new, comely school mistress is also an accomplished organist, and these qualities create conflict in the village, especially when the unmarried young vicar and Dick Dewy, a member of the Mellstock parish choir vie for her attention. In this, only his second published novel, Hardy presents one of his most gentle and charming pictures.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNaxos Audiobooks
    Release dateAug 14, 2014
    ISBN9781843798385
    Author

    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.

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    Reviews for Under the Greenwood Tree

    3.5/5

    403 ratings15 reviews

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    • 5/5
      When I was a little kid I picked up my mother’s copy of Far From the Madding Crowd because I liked the word madding and the book’s red cover with silver letters. I read a bit of it; I don’t remember how much or what I thought about it, but whatever I saw and thought kept me from picking up anything by Hardy again until now.

      For the first twenty or so pages of Greenwood my lifelong hatred of Hardy was in full force, but then I was drawn in, not because of the story, which is fairly typical rustic life/love triangle froth (but handled unusually well and frequently funny) but because of Hardy’s skill. He draws characters with deft transparency, is economical in language, and writes with an overall grace that sounds like two complementary tones oscillating, which makes my whole head buzz. My younger self would be stunned that I look forward to reading his other work.
    • 4/5
      The reader with multiple West County characters did a brilliant job. A nice simple story of village life.
    • 3/5
      After devouring and loving "Jude the Obscure," I still didn't feel that I had had enough Thomas Hardy for last week. "Jude" was the last of Hardy's novels, so I decided to pick up this one, which is one of his earliest, and the book that first gained him popularity as a writer.It is the story of a merry church choir in a small English town, who have made their little group into a sort of exclusive gathering of the dearest, most inseparable friends. But when a newcomer in town, the young Miss Fancy Day, joins their choir as the lead vocalist, disorder follows. No one in church pays attention to the skillfully played instruments anymore, and Fancy is not accepted by the men of the choir. That is, except for a young man named Dick Dewy, who falls in love with her. But Dick is not the only man to pursue Miss Day, and two other men fall in love with her as well.Well, I could tell from the very first page that this was early Hardy. The atmosphere has a rosy feel to it, and his descriptions of the town and characters were quaint and merry. I kept waiting for him to introduce some dark, underlying shadow of tragedy, but he never did. The book was primarily a happy one, and even the disappointing or saddening scenes involved with the plot never quite descended into the despair that I know Hardy would later pen. Not only is this book cheerful, but it can also get comical at times. There were a few scenes where I was giggling to myself. (I find 19th Century humor SO funny, by the way). Examples would be the scene where Dick is visiting at Fancy's house, but because she has just moved there, she doesn't have all the tools for being a perfect hostess just yet. She offers him tea, but has no spoon to stir it with. So they are forced to stir with their fingers, which then requires that they wash their hands. However, there is no water readily available, so Dick must go to the trouble of getting it himself. Once their hands are finally washed, there are no towels to dry them. And so on...I also loved the scene where Dick and Mr. Shiner are both trying to dance with Fancy at the same time. Dick notifies Mr. Shiner that his time with his partner is up, according to the laws of dancing, but Mr. Shiner disagrees, and stays with Fancy. To this Dick protests, "'Tis in the dance; and a man has hardly any right to hack and mangle what was ordained by the regular dance-maker, who, I daresay, got his living by making 'em, and thought of nothing else all his life."Close to the beginning of the book, Dick's father imparts this knowledge to him: That even if a young lady is dying of love for you, she'll still glance at other men, seemingly just because. In the case of this book, Mr. Dewy's advice to his son proves to be aptly correct, because that is exactly what Fancy does.The question that Dick is constantly troubling himself with is which one he is - the one Fancy is "glancing at" or "dying for?"After agreeing to be courted by Dick, Fancy still has Mr. Shiner believing himself to be her sweetheart. She admits to flirting in Dick's absence, and though she appears sorry, she also gives the impression that she views it as not something she can help. Eventually, her attitude of leading men on gets to the point where three different men ask for her hand in marriage, and she is engaged to two of them at the same time.I know that I'm drawing parallels to "Jude the Obscure" because I just read it right before this one, but I kept seeing an early version of Sue in Fancy. Like the heroine of "Jude," Fancy seems to earnestly and truly care for Dick, but that doesn't stop her from entangling herself in all sorts of other romances. Oh and, Fancy quite a few times started to woefully beg Dick's forgiveness with much tears, over trifling things that didn't require such a dramatic performance - just like Sue did. Again, I found it annoying. I didn't like Fancy, but that wasn't unexpected. The only woman in Hardy's books that I have ever really loved was Tess, but most of the time the females in his books annoy me.Even though I liked this book, and am very glad I read it since it provides more insight into one of my favorite author's writing, it definitely didn't grab me like Hardy's other books have. It took me about the same time to get through as "Jude the Obscure," even though Jude is three times longer. Fancy doesn't become a real main character until about half-way through the book, and before that, the choir is focused upon more heavily. I liked them and their conversations, but it wasn't my favorite thing to read. I would recommend "Under the Greenwood Tree" to fans of the author, and to those who enjoy 19th Century literature. For others, it probably won't be of much interest.Well, I have now reviewed a Thomas Hardy novel and used describing words such as "cheerful," "merry," and "comical." Who knew?!
    • 5/5
      When I started reading this book I was somewhat annoyed at the plethora of similes. I thought that Hardy might have been a bit like Ruskin who I believed to be very pleased with himself to the detriment of his storytelling. But, the book turned into a delightful story of a year in the lives of English country folk. It is centered around two young people who end up married and partying with their friends and family "Under the Greenwood Tree".A most enjoyable story.
    • 4/5
      Under the Greenwood Tree" is the story of the romantic entanglement between church musician, Dick Dewey, and the attractive new school mistress, Fancy Day. A pleasant romantic tale set in the Victorian era, "Under the Greenwood Tree" is one of Thomas Hardy's most gentle and pastoral novels.

      Second book to be read in the local "Hardy Readers" bookgroup after Desperate Remedies.

      This is a shorter, lighter book that is also easier to read that Desperate Remedies. It is about a small local community, and the story starts with description of the "choir" (singers and musicians) who are going round the houses (often isolated) one Christmas night. They briefly glimpse sight of the new school teacher - Miss Day - who becomes the centre of attention.

      She and Dick Dewy fall in love, but their engagement faces obstacles from both her father and the fact that other men are vying for her hand. As a subplot the choir, who also accompany the mass, find that they will be ousted, to be replaced by a new organ, which the vicar has decided will be played by Miss Day, even though she has stated that she doesnt want to..

      It is a much happier book than DR, has a more continuous flow in the narrative (although being split into 4 "seasons"). As I was not struggling with the narrative on this one, I was able to pay better attention to Hardy's descriptions of nature, and it was much more pleasing.
    • 3/5
      Under the Greenwood Tree was the first of Hardy's Wessex novels, and his first commercially successful novel after his first novel Desperate Remedies flopped. First published in 1872, in the 20 years subsequent he updated the book several times when it was republished by different houses, mainly to bring it more in keeping with the topography and social networks of his subsequent and more popular Wessex novels. This Penguin edition was the original text (save for corrections of spelling and punctuation), and I appreciated reading it in its original intended form without the later polishing.It's easy to spot this as an early Hardy novel; it bears none of his later hallmarks of tragedy or the country descriptions that envelop you so completely in novels such as Tess of the d'Urbervilles or The Return of the Native. I missed the prickle of the furze and the squelch of the turf which transport you back to a bygone era in his other novels. Moreover, I heartily missed the usual Hardy tragedy that cuts you like a knife.Under the Greenwood Tree is a gentle pastoral novel that focuses on the day-to-day lives of regular country inhabitants. The plot typifies the inconsequential happenings in a rural parish - a new, attractive schoolmistress puts the noses of the men of the church quire out of joint as the entranced vicar allows the equally enchanted church warden to persuade him that the new schoolmistress should now lead the church music on the organ. Meanwhile, the tranter's son has also fallen head over heels for her charms, but can he win his heart given his lowly social position in comparison with the wealth of the churchwarden or vicar?It's the shortest of Hardy's Wessex novels, and gratifyingly so as it meanders and weaves with no real plot surprises. Compared to his other Wessex novels it disappoints, but there's enough there to while away a few enjoyable hours on a rainy day.3 stars - interesting enough, but I'm afraid Hardy has set the bar too high in his later novels for this to warrant much attention.
    • 4/5
      Who knew Hardy could write romcoms? As expected, the setting is rural England, the local dialect is thick, and the performance of this audio title is perfectly delightful as delivered by actor, Robert Hardy of All Creatures Great and Small TV fame, no relation.But because of the thickness of the characters' dialectical speech, listening to the novel for long periods was difficult for me. Intense attention is needed to tune to the farmers' and tradesmens' speech. Then it has to be "translated" into modern American English in order to understand dialogues and the jokes of the humorous personalities as they deliver their lines, as it were.Fortunately, this is a simple tale of a village boy and a maiden schoolmarm that has the usual tropes of wholesome love stories set in the 19th C. Everyone in the book is likeable, even the hero's rival is a bit of all right, to use the vernacular. Hardy portrays male and female characters with sympathy and affection. And his descritions of the countryside are drawn from true love. While he creates laughable personalities, he does not laugh at them himself. He writes with true warmth and delight about the lives, tribulations, and quirks of villagers with whom we get to spend a year in their community that revolves around their church and choir, which, to the all-male singers, is about to be replaced by a pretty organist, if our rival's intentions come to fruition. Counter operations are plotted by well-lubricated minds.Oh, the conflict, the spats, and the headaches from too much drinking!If you find other Hardy novels heavy going, don't dismiss him as unreadable until you give yourself the joyful experience of reading this charming rural romance.
    • 3/5
      This is considered Hardy's most gentle novel. The story of a poor boy and the school mistress he loves, Hardy does weave in questions about the conventional wisdom of honesty and the nature of romantic love. While the book ends (you knew it would) with a happy wedding, the questions about how well courting couples really know each other linger in the reader's mind, as Hardy is careful not to resolve every question raised.
    • 3/5
      This is much softer than his other more well known novels.
    • 5/5
      I really loved this slim book. Hardy is a fantastic writer. Considering this was only his second published novel and his big hits are yet to come it might have been expected that this book would be lightweight. But it's not.The story is classic. Boy sees lovely girl and immediately falls in love. Girl pretends she doesn't see him but he persists and she admits she loves him. Father refuses the match because boy isn't rich or well-educated. Girl goes into a decline and father relents. A wedding date is set. Then a well-educated man proposes to girl and she is tempted but she realizes she can't do that to boy and she refuses him. Boy and girl get married but girl keeps secret of the proposal. They ride off into the sunset together.I could see this as a western or a modern romance; that's how classic this story is. What makes it unique is Hardy's descriptive prose. His portrayal of the windy, rainy day when Fancy is walking home from her fathers leapt off the page and I could see the tree boughs whipping around every which way. He also has great characters although the main characters aren't as interesting as the secondary ones like the tranter and the "witch".
    • 4/5
      Kindle. Read for Ali's Hardy Reading Project.I enjoyed his second novel greatly, in which sly Fancy sets the men of various levels of village society against each other; an improvement on his last melodramatic outing, although I felt it was a bit slight and quick to read (hard to tell on a Kindle, though!). Lovely countryside descriptions, although not as intimately woven into the plot as they will be. I'm really enjoying seeing the development and progress of his writing, reading them in order like this!
    • 2/5
      C- Hardy's done better.
    • 4/5
      A charming novel set in the Yorkshire countryside, devoid of the usual darkness typical of other Hardy novels, such as Jude the Obscure, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Far from the Madding Crowd, and others. As always, his characters are well rounded, displaying very human flaws that make them all the more endearing. Fancy Day, despite her love for Dick Dewey, can't resist flattery and a chance to show herself off; Dick himself has a bit of a jealous streak. But overall, Hardy creates that wonderful sense of community and slower-paced days that we seem to long for in our times.
    • 3/5
      I wouldn't say it was a bad book; it was wonderfully written. However, I've seen Hardy do much better. So do not read this as your first taste of Hardy, but rather as a book that shows his novel-writing development.
    • 5/5
      I have read this book twice. It's easy reading and goes along smoothly. The second time was just a return visit and it was much more enjoyable. It's a charming portrait of country life with undemanding characters and a lighthearted approach...rather different from other Hardy novels. It's not serious. You can just sit back and relax as you get acquainted with the folk and learn to love each of them for their own special appeal. It's refreshing, charming, good for a lazy afternoon indulgence, and just could become one of your favorite Hardy novels.