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A review by a_gillie
Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
challenging
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
4.0
I would give the book 5 stars based on the prose alone, but the unbearable bleakness of it knocks it down. It is a savage critique of religion and marriage, definitively cementing Hardy as a writer decades ahead of his time.
Tom Waits once said he likes beautiful melodies to tell him sad things, and that sums up Hardy’s writing. It also contained one of the most shocking scenes I’ve ever read in a book.
Tom Waits once said he likes beautiful melodies to tell him sad things, and that sums up Hardy’s writing. It also contained one of the most shocking scenes I’ve ever read in a book.