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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Tess and Marian were the only loveable characters.
This is probably one of my favorite books I've had to read for school (it might even be my favorite so far). It was amazing and I found myself thinking throughout, how could Thomas Hardy have written such an incredible social/literary criticism that people living today might even have an issue with? Like it's so amazing that Hardy was able to write something like Tess that literally attacked the flawed way people thought at the time. So I appreciate the book for its criticism against how women were viewed in society and the double standard there, as well as religion and wealth, among other criticisms. I love a book that makes you think, and this book was full of metaphors, allusions, and symbolisms that made me think, but weren't so confusing that it was like reading in a different language. The characters were so well done; Tess as this kindhearted, innocent person we are rooting for the whole time; Alec as a hellish villain (yet a man we all have met in real life); and Angel as the other insufferable certified "nice-guy intellectual" man we've all met. Even though this was written a while ago, the themes and criticisms still stand today, which shows just how effective and well-written this book is. One of my favorite scenes was when Tess was portrayed as the Virgin Mary when baptizing her baby, like it was sooo good omg!! The book was very long and sometimes I had to read things over a couple times to understand it but I mean it was written a while ago, so I don't think it's Hardy's fault. The pacing was very slow, but the plot moved along reasonably and nicely. I think this is an important book that everyone should read at least once.
I quite liked this book, I love the era and Hardy's style. The story of Tess is touching and engaging.
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I could overlook the fact that this book is utterly depressing, but I had a difficult time caring about Tess for most of the story. The last 1/3 of the book was eventful and engaging but the first 2/3 was… not. Maybe it was a matter of pacing that just didn’t do it for me.
This book took me some time to get through, but once I really committed to reading it, I got into it. Tess is a great character, and that ending was crazy!
I don't even know where to begin. I think that I'll start with the ending and work backward. Shit went down in phase seven! It was as if Hardy was like, "let's throw in everything at once." The fact that Tess was unjustly executed right after having the possibility of a happy life, was too much for me. Also, frankly, I did not expect Tess to just straight-up murder Alec D'Urberville after Angel returned to her. It is definitely a drastic change in character from how she acted at the beginning of the novel.
Anyway, the manner in which Thomas Hardy constructs this book is wonderful. He effortlessly criticizes the absurdity of societal standards, the definition of masculinity, and religion. The way that he sets up Alec D'Urberville and Angel Clare as contrasts to one another is very interesting because it demonstrates how much vague area there is between the two major forms of masculinity, emphasizing how neither one is necessarily good. Instead, it becomes the question in the minds of the reader of who is the lesser of two evils. Meanwhile, Tess, the protagonist, is in some ways, the only fully complex character in the book since the prominent males are more like embodiments of ideologies. However, Hardy makes the choice at several points throughout the book to omit Tess telling an important sequence of events using her own words, purposefully silencing her to emphasize the point that her perception of things isn't the point of the story. Instead, it focuses on the events themselves and the consequences of them.
Moving on from my rambling, I read this book for school, but I would highly recommend it to people other than students. I believe that people who liked "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Brontë will enjoy this book.
_____________________________________________________________
Even on reread, this book holds up and remains one of my favorites.
Anyway, the manner in which Thomas Hardy constructs this book is wonderful. He effortlessly criticizes the absurdity of societal standards, the definition of masculinity, and religion. The way that he sets up Alec D'Urberville and Angel Clare as contrasts to one another is very interesting because it demonstrates how much vague area there is between the two major forms of masculinity, emphasizing how neither one is necessarily good. Instead, it becomes the question in the minds of the reader of who is the lesser of two evils. Meanwhile, Tess, the protagonist, is in some ways, the only fully complex character in the book since the prominent males are more like embodiments of ideologies. However, Hardy makes the choice at several points throughout the book to omit Tess telling an important sequence of events using her own words, purposefully silencing her to emphasize the point that her perception of things isn't the point of the story. Instead, it focuses on the events themselves and the consequences of them.
Moving on from my rambling, I read this book for school, but I would highly recommend it to people other than students. I believe that people who liked "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Brontë will enjoy this book.
_____________________________________________________________
Even on reread, this book holds up and remains one of my favorites.
Listened to this on Audible and was a long book and sometimes had to walk away as got frustrated with Tess and her naivety but then had to remember that this was written in a different time. Strong dislike for Alec and unfortunately there are men like that still around. Was cross with Angel for the way he treated Tess and just felt sorry for Tess. Solid 4 stars
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Incest, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting