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3.46k reviews for:
Tessa d'Urberville: Historia kobiety czystej
Róża Czekańska-Heymanowa, Thomas Hardy
3.67 AVERAGE
3.46k reviews for:
Tessa d'Urberville: Historia kobiety czystej
Róża Czekańska-Heymanowa, Thomas Hardy
3.67 AVERAGE
It always feels wrong to give classic literature such a low rating, but I truly did not enjoy this
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A super downer of a book. Poor Tess.
I did not like Far from the Madding Crowd.
And I read this after reading Far from the Madding Crowd, so I was a little apprehensive, I thought maybe I just wont like any of Thomas Hardy's books.
But then I read Tess... ahhh Tess. Nothing will infuriate you more than Tess.
This book is a hard reminder of the unfairness women have had to endure.
This may contain some ranting spoilers.
It starts with Tess's drunk father - the first man to fail her.
Unable to make the journey to the market (drunk) Tess must go on alone. She falls asleep and gets into an accident. This forces her into the radar of Alec d'Ubervilles, someone she can trust because he is her "kin" right? Nope and nope.
At this point Hardy will dance around the fact that Alec assaults Tess. Her parents almost rejoice, because surely this means he wants to marry her right? (nope)
Tess births and buries her child and runs from her past to a milk farm, where she meets for the second (first) time Angel Clare.
Angel and Tess fall in love, ashamed of her past she pushes Angel away.
NOW- in today's day and age, a woman knows that she has nothing to be ashamed of if a man takes advantage of her. BUT in Hardy's day, Tess is helpless and burdened that Angel will learn the truth of her past with Alec.
Angel convincing Tess that he will love her no matter what, marries her and urges her to open up to him, and she does... aaaaand he leaves.
How DARE she. Angel has morals, he could never take up with a woman like Tess... to prove this, he propositions another woman.
‘I have separated from my wife for personal, not voyaging, reasons. I may never live with her again. I may not be able to love you; but—will you go with me instead of her?’
‘You truly wish me to go?’
‘I do. I have been badly used enough to wish for relief. And you at least love me disinterestedly.’
‘Yes—I will go,’ said Izz, after a pause.
‘You will? You know what it means, Izz?’
‘It means that I shall live with you for the time you are over there—that’s good enough for me.’
Its only after she reveals to Alec how much Tess loves him that he decides to go to Brazil alone.
Tess, wanting to reach out to Angels family travels to Emminster, where she hears her brother in law talking about Angels "unfortunate" marriage. Ashamed she runs away, right into Alec... who found Jesus.
Innocent Alec makes "witch of Babylon" Tess promise that she wont tempt him ever again. But soon decides that Jesus isn't for him and starts stalking Tess.
After the death of her father and the destitution of her family, Tess, for the betterment of those she loves, agrees to be Alec's mistress. Convinced that Angel will never return.
But then he does, and surprise he wants Tess back.
...
I wont completely ruin the book, so I will end it there.
Hardy's depiction of women and morals is a tough pill to swallow, but unfortunately that's how it was. Men were faultless and women bore the brunt of societies hypocrisy. A man and woman could be guilty of the same thing, but only one was truly guilty.
And I read this after reading Far from the Madding Crowd, so I was a little apprehensive, I thought maybe I just wont like any of Thomas Hardy's books.
But then I read Tess... ahhh Tess. Nothing will infuriate you more than Tess.
This book is a hard reminder of the unfairness women have had to endure.
This may contain some ranting spoilers.
It starts with Tess's drunk father - the first man to fail her.
Unable to make the journey to the market (drunk) Tess must go on alone. She falls asleep and gets into an accident. This forces her into the radar of Alec d'Ubervilles, someone she can trust because he is her "kin" right? Nope and nope.
At this point Hardy will dance around the fact that Alec assaults Tess. Her parents almost rejoice, because surely this means he wants to marry her right? (nope)
Tess births and buries her child and runs from her past to a milk farm, where she meets for the second (first) time Angel Clare.
Angel and Tess fall in love, ashamed of her past she pushes Angel away.
NOW- in today's day and age, a woman knows that she has nothing to be ashamed of if a man takes advantage of her. BUT in Hardy's day, Tess is helpless and burdened that Angel will learn the truth of her past with Alec.
Angel convincing Tess that he will love her no matter what, marries her and urges her to open up to him, and she does... aaaaand he leaves.
How DARE she. Angel has morals, he could never take up with a woman like Tess... to prove this, he propositions another woman.
‘I have separated from my wife for personal, not voyaging, reasons. I may never live with her again. I may not be able to love you; but—will you go with me instead of her?’
‘You truly wish me to go?’
‘I do. I have been badly used enough to wish for relief. And you at least love me disinterestedly.’
‘Yes—I will go,’ said Izz, after a pause.
‘You will? You know what it means, Izz?’
‘It means that I shall live with you for the time you are over there—that’s good enough for me.’
Its only after she reveals to Alec how much Tess loves him that he decides to go to Brazil alone.
Tess, wanting to reach out to Angels family travels to Emminster, where she hears her brother in law talking about Angels "unfortunate" marriage. Ashamed she runs away, right into Alec... who found Jesus.
Innocent Alec makes "witch of Babylon" Tess promise that she wont tempt him ever again. But soon decides that Jesus isn't for him and starts stalking Tess.
After the death of her father and the destitution of her family, Tess, for the betterment of those she loves, agrees to be Alec's mistress. Convinced that Angel will never return.
But then he does, and surprise he wants Tess back.
...
I wont completely ruin the book, so I will end it there.
Hardy's depiction of women and morals is a tough pill to swallow, but unfortunately that's how it was. Men were faultless and women bore the brunt of societies hypocrisy. A man and woman could be guilty of the same thing, but only one was truly guilty.
challenging
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
4.5 TESS DURBEYFIELD THEY WILL NEVER MAKE ME HATE YOU
not even plot-related, but i absolutely love hardy's descriptive writing, especially of nature. i could definitely feel a lot of the romanticist influences that people relate to hardy, but the characteristics of his era shined through as well. the explorations of what is considered "acceptable" sin based on gender, mindset and religion were so interesting and let's just say i was never bored with this book. there were so many twists and turns, and while entertaining at times the solemn moments were exactly as grave as they needed to be. essentially, the atmosphere atmosphered. did not expect the ending! but really liked it!
not even plot-related, but i absolutely love hardy's descriptive writing, especially of nature. i could definitely feel a lot of the romanticist influences that people relate to hardy, but the characteristics of his era shined through as well. the explorations of what is considered "acceptable" sin based on gender, mindset and religion were so interesting and let's just say i was never bored with this book. there were so many twists and turns, and while entertaining at times the solemn moments were exactly as grave as they needed to be. essentially, the atmosphere atmosphered. did not expect the ending! but really liked it!
holy s**t this is an amazing book. Also men should read it so they can understand the agony of being a woman and become more empathetic people
for a man i feel like hardy is good at writing in the perspective of a woman, but the whole thing about tess being so beautiful was a little redundant. he really highlighted male stupidity in this one
dark
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
sad
Poetically described landscapes full of symbolism. Images of rural life at the end of the 19th century. Deeply philosophical and spiritual, about moralism, sometimes difficult to fathom. The increasingly tragic dramatic life of the main character, full of misery and suffering, is sometimes difficult to digest. I've seldom read such a depressing book. Intense. I was worried about how it would end but the ending is well done by the author.