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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
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:
Yes
A miserable, miserable book. I could believe somebody who said they liked this book because it dissects the usefulness of religion; I could believe somebody who said they liked this book because it questions the happiness of marriage; I could believe somebody who said they liked this book because of its moral outrage at the way a good education is kept out of the reach of the poor, thus dooming them to narrow lives.
But I cannot believe anybody has read this book and said they liked the miserable, foolish characters; the miserable, morbid plot; or the miserable, dreary language that fills the pages.
"Done because we are too menny" - that line broke my heart though.
But I cannot believe anybody has read this book and said they liked the miserable, foolish characters; the miserable, morbid plot; or the miserable, dreary language that fills the pages.
"Done because we are too menny" - that line broke my heart though.
I find Hardy's books to be on the more depressing side. Beautiful descriptive writing hides a very dark vision of humanity, love and life.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this in high school and didn't really remember any of it except that Sue and Jude were "star-crossed". Now I've just "read" it by listening to Michael Ian Black read it on his podcast "Obscure". (The podcast is still going on as of this date, but we were so close to the end, I couldn't wait so I finished reading it in book form.) I've never been one for book clubs, but this has kind of opened my eyes... reading it myself and then also hearing what someone else thinks.. new perspectives, new ways of thinking about the story, etc. It was great.
And as for the book itself, there is SO MUCH MORE to this book than what I got from it in high school. I laughed, I cried, I looked up words in the dictionary...
And as for the book itself, there is SO MUCH MORE to this book than what I got from it in high school. I laughed, I cried, I looked up words in the dictionary...
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
plot was eh but that one twist really caught me off guard
Children born into Thomas Hardy books may as well wear red shirts with Federation badges pinned to them. Their life spans can be measured by a stopwatch.
An angrier screed against societal mores than Tess, and I think the poorer for it. The drama seems heaped upon Jude instead of the natural outcome of chance and Jude's own actions, with Hardy pulling the strings above like an Old Testament deity in a bet with how much suffering a protagonist can take. The novel has its moments but those moments do not coalesce into as rich a concotion as Tess did.
An angrier screed against societal mores than Tess, and I think the poorer for it. The drama seems heaped upon Jude instead of the natural outcome of chance and Jude's own actions, with Hardy pulling the strings above like an Old Testament deity in a bet with how much suffering a protagonist can take. The novel has its moments but those moments do not coalesce into as rich a concotion as Tess did.
*Read for class.
Why do I lately have to read only boring books? Especially long ones.
I had to choose two books for my banned literature class for my exam and I thought this one sounded kind of interesting, but it was dull and tideous and could've been three times shorter - wouldn't lose anything. Reading it felt like working. Ugh.
Characters were boring, love story was boring, even the shocking parts were boring! I'm just glad to be done with it.
I guess I'm not giving it a 1 star cause I saw why it was banned and that was kind of interesting to notice, just not to read about it.
Why do I lately have to read only boring books? Especially long ones.
I had to choose two books for my banned literature class for my exam and I thought this one sounded kind of interesting, but it was dull and tideous and could've been three times shorter - wouldn't lose anything. Reading it felt like working. Ugh.
Characters were boring, love story was boring, even the shocking parts were boring! I'm just glad to be done with it.
I guess I'm not giving it a 1 star cause I saw why it was banned and that was kind of interesting to notice, just not to read about it.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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