Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

21 reviews

nicnevin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I despised 99% of the characters but it was a good read. Tess deserved better

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Chronic illness, Classism, Addiction, Bullying, Grief, Misogyny, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Stalking

evieolive's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Brand new fave!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, and Stalking

Moderate: Murder, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Minor: Colonisation, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Alcoholism

atalea's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Classism, Sexism, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Rape and Sexual harassment

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Child death, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

sarah_speaks's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Misogyny, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent

Minor: Stalking and Colonisation

ishrita's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Devastating portrait. While the book is a classic the lens of the author is refreshingly modern, he writes as an advocate for the protagonist as she is wronged by her own family, love and society. Wonderfully written female characters for the time its set in.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

bruceclarklois's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

this book is really just unending shitty things happening to Tess bc "life sucks 🤪" it's misogynistic bullshit I loathe this book. only finished this shit bc I had to for class

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual harassment, and Stalking

Moderate: Rape, Death of parent, Murder, Death, Child death, and Abandonment

rafalovesreading's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I’m probably the weirdest person ever, but I read this in school and I LOVED IT. Literally my favourite book ever!!! The characters, although very annoying, were incredibly intriguing and truly made me have to think.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gaslighting, Grief, Sexism, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, and Rape

angelbabe_cj's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Murder, and Sexism

Moderate: Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Grief, Death, and Child death

Minor: Alcoholism and Death of parent

hannahr's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

nothingforpomegranted's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Tess of the d'Urbervilles tells the story of a young woman whose father is an alcoholic farmer with a tendency to pass out drunk in the local pub. When he is told that he is a descendant of a landed family, his Durbyfield name a perversion of what was once d'Urberville, his willingness to work dwindles, and Tess, her mother, and her siblings become desperate to make up for his delusions of grandeur. Tess is sent to purported relations, another family who has claimed the d'Urberville name, and becomes the favorite of a young Alec d'Urberville. Their relationship is fraught and complicated and has tremendous effects on Tess's life. 

When she moves to a dairy farm to work as a milkmaid, she both intimidates and awes the other young women, who admire her beauty and fortitude. The same qualities entrance Angel Clare, a pastor's son who has decided not to pursue a career in the church, rather hoping to buy and run a farm of his own. This ill-fated love story takes one depressing turn after another, and it is difficult to read about the life of Tess, who is subject to countless double standards based on her sexuality and wealth.

This book has stunning descriptions of nature and rural life, and it is meaningful for its early criticism of the expectations of young women and their purity. However, I found it phenomenally boring until the completely surprising ending, which seemed to come out of nowhere, and to be honest, I didn't really buy the whole premise of the Durbyfields descending from the d'Urbervilles. I wasn't convinced by the peasant, and it frustrated me that everyone accepted this truth outright, which really threw off my enjoyment of the entire book. Frankly, it seemed like more of a plot device than anything, serving more to bring Tess and Alec together than to actually impact the character of our heroine, and I found this to be distracting and frustrating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence