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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
It's normal sad for awhile, and then Hardy hits you with his trademark below-the-belt kick, and then you don't remember why we don't demand a better matrix to live in.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Não há com negar a maestria da escrita de Hardy, mas achei o texto muito deprimente, muitos mal-entendidos e muitos preconceitos por parte de uma sociedade conservadora e hipócrita. De qualquer forma, acho que vale a pena ler, se você gosta de clássicos da Era Vitoriana.
I really enjoyed this sad, sad tale. I couldn’t stop listening.
I’m not sure how to rate this book as mine was a unique reading experience. I read it by listening to the podcast Obscure, where comedian Michael Ian Black (self-titled Literary Mansplainer) reads and comments upon it. It’s the *only* way I would’ve read this depressing ass book now that I’m out of school and past the time of required reading. I actually probably got more out of it than I would’ve reading it on my own, because there were so many references and flowery passages that I probably would’ve shrugged off, but MIB (the man not the movie) a)looked at the foootnotes/looked stuff up, and b) would say “well that was pretty but I have no idea what that meant” and then proceed to reread it and try and put it into his own words, which I would usually agree with, or at least the process would allow me to to put it in *my* own words. It took me over 2 years (there was basically a year and a half break) to read the book but I’m counting it. I have a feeling he skipped some stuff, but nothing vital. And the injection of humor into the experience was wonderful. His musings and theories must be taken somewhat with a grain of salt as he is a cis-het white guy who grew up in NY and now lives in CT, but as I said, I would have never otherwise read this book (I’ve read Tess of the D’Urbervilles...that’s enough Thomas Hardy for me) but it’s one of those books that I’m glad to have read, and turned out to be a great reading experience. I very much recommend reading the book the way I did.* I guess 2.5* for the book; 4.5 for the experience so...3.5*? He’s doing Frankenstein, next, and for the beginning, at least for now, I’m reading along (though to a different edition; the “Original 1818 ‘Uncensored’ Edition;” apparently she revised it in 1835 “to make it more conservative.”).
*I feel that I should clarify that my “high recommendation “ is mostly meant for people who, like me, would like to have read the book, but have no interest in doing the work of reading it...and if you regard reading it as work you almost definitely fall into that camp. The podcast if 75 30-40 minute episodes (he goes off on long tangents, interviews comedian friends, etc.-so about 2 chapters per episode). I, however find him extremely funny, so it was worth it to me (though I did fast forward parts)
*I feel that I should clarify that my “high recommendation “ is mostly meant for people who, like me, would like to have read the book, but have no interest in doing the work of reading it...and if you regard reading it as work you almost definitely fall into that camp. The podcast if 75 30-40 minute episodes (he goes off on long tangents, interviews comedian friends, etc.-so about 2 chapters per episode). I, however find him extremely funny, so it was worth it to me (though I did fast forward parts)
This one kind of bored me to be honest. i didn't really care for any of the main characters that much. Would real people ever have acted like that? I don't think so. Sorry, Mr. Hardy, you didn't do it for me at all on that one, and it was hard to finish. Any worse, and you would have joined the ranks of ignominy at the one-star level.