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3.48k reviews for:
Tessa d'Urberville: Historia kobiety czystej
Róża Czekańska-Heymanowa, Thomas Hardy
3.68 AVERAGE
3.48k reviews for:
Tessa d'Urberville: Historia kobiety czystej
Róża Czekańska-Heymanowa, Thomas Hardy
3.68 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book has had a reputation in my life for being the most depressing book in classic literature. What is interesting is that I was listening to an audiobook of another book while I was reading this one; the other book was also incredibly depressing and ladled copious amount of nihilism upon its characters. Comparing this book and that book to each other, they are both equally heavy with intense subject matter, themes, and deplorable characters. Both, also, have bleak endings that leave you stunned.
So why did the other book get a 2.5 and this one got a 5? Hardy's writing is far superior to modern, "award winning" writing because of the major difference between these two novels: one is a beautiful, haunting rendering of a woman fighting for hope and love, and the other is a grey playground for the author to torture his characters with a magnifying glass. Tess is a story with nuance, beauty, and delicate storytelling choices that renders a silent, thoughtful tragedy of a woman wronged in a world that would have otherwise likely forgotten her. Hardy's writing shows us the social issues of the time, whereas the other book hammers it into your head over and over again, using pretty prose to cover up the weak storytelling choices being used.
Tess is a really special book and character to me, and I am deeply affected by the evil that Tess had to fight through and the hope she fought (and sometimes failed) to hold onto. I recommend this book over any contemporary tragedies any day.
So why did the other book get a 2.5 and this one got a 5? Hardy's writing is far superior to modern, "award winning" writing because of the major difference between these two novels: one is a beautiful, haunting rendering of a woman fighting for hope and love, and the other is a grey playground for the author to torture his characters with a magnifying glass. Tess is a story with nuance, beauty, and delicate storytelling choices that renders a silent, thoughtful tragedy of a woman wronged in a world that would have otherwise likely forgotten her. Hardy's writing shows us the social issues of the time, whereas the other book hammers it into your head over and over again, using pretty prose to cover up the weak storytelling choices being used.
Tess is a really special book and character to me, and I am deeply affected by the evil that Tess had to fight through and the hope she fought (and sometimes failed) to hold onto. I recommend this book over any contemporary tragedies any day.
I did not care for this book as much as I would have liked to. I appreciate Hardy's purpose in humanizing and bringing light to the outrageously constricting society of which it is reflective, but as the book approached its end, I did not feel myself rooting for Tess as I would have liked to. While I certainly feel sympathy for her in that Hardy does well in painting her as a character doomed from the very
moment of her conception, I simply couldn't read through the last three sections of the book without cringing and wanting her to evoke the strength I know she has and trample the memory of Angel Clare into the dust. He deserves as much of her wrath as Alec does.
It's a complicated book. In an intellectual sense, I liked it, but in the most important sense, the soul sense, I did not.
I guess I have to read another of Hardy's to understand what it is that makes him a great.
moment of her conception, I simply couldn't read through the last three sections of the book without cringing and wanting her to evoke the strength I know she has and trample the memory of Angel Clare into the dust. He deserves as much of her wrath as Alec does.
It's a complicated book. In an intellectual sense, I liked it, but in the most important sense, the soul sense, I did not.
I guess I have to read another of Hardy's to understand what it is that makes him a great.
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was disappointing because I wanted my soul to be crushed, but instead I was just irritated at the characters. I still liked the overall story, commentary on society, and prose, but it was a bit too melodramatic without the accomplishment of making me depressed.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I enjoyed this more than I expected to. I was expecting Hardy’s story to be more conservative towards Victorian mores, yet the observations are sympathetic to Tess (and other women’s) predicaments. Much more ‘modern’ than I had anticipated.
I’m not exactly sure how to rate this (are we surprised?) because my thoughts and feelings are quite complicated in regard to Tess and her terrible, terrible lovers. I found myself charmed by the beginning of the book due to Hardy’s detailed, idyllic prose and mastery over tone. When Tess was raped by the faux Alec D’Urberville, however, and proceeded to not only lose her child, but blame herself for the encounter, I started to get peeved. Then she finds a man who is handsome, popular, and filled with pride for all his “knowledge”: Angel Clare. An absolute catch for a poor, ignorant country girl like Tess, right? Yeah, sure.
Poor Tess can’t catch a break, and while I found her frustrating at times for her complete devotion to Angel despite his obvious hypocrisy, I could never, ever blame her. She was so young, and so wronged by society. Her best moments (angrily writing a reproachful letter to Angel for abandoning her, murdering Alec) shined against her worst, but I couldn’t escape the persistent feeling of pure annoyance —bordering on anger— for the 19th century ideas about sex and “the woman’s place.”
The ending was odd, but expected. Life for Tess, of course, could never go right. I applaud Hardy for his excellent writing and portrayal of society’s faults, of which are lethal for young girls like Tess. My only complaints are the sometimes ultra slow plot and that I sometimes was lost in what was happening, but I did listen to this on audiobook, so that’s typical for my wandering thoughts.
Poor Tess can’t catch a break, and while I found her frustrating at times for her complete devotion to Angel despite his obvious hypocrisy, I could never, ever blame her. She was so young, and so wronged by society. Her best moments (angrily writing a reproachful letter to Angel for abandoning her, murdering Alec) shined against her worst, but I couldn’t escape the persistent feeling of pure annoyance —bordering on anger— for the 19th century ideas about sex and “the woman’s place.”
The ending was odd, but expected. Life for Tess, of course, could never go right. I applaud Hardy for his excellent writing and portrayal of society’s faults, of which are lethal for young girls like Tess. My only complaints are the sometimes ultra slow plot and that I sometimes was lost in what was happening, but I did listen to this on audiobook, so that’s typical for my wandering thoughts.
It's easy to forget how the world has changed, along with most attitudes. This book helps to remind you of lives and times gone past, a time not always reflected with a rosy glow. I love this book and have done ever since I first read it at school, however, it doesn't stop me from wanting to change the ending - to give Tess and Angel their happy-ever-after. Part of the beauty of this book is the melancholic feel that pervades it.
If you want to lose yourself in times gone by then this is certainly a good place to start.
If you want to lose yourself in times gone by then this is certainly a good place to start.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes