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A review by hadeanstars
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
5.0
I am not sure how I can adequately convey the astounding quality of this. I have always adored Hardy, indeed I read most of his works as a teenager, but decided to "save" two for later in life. Far From the Madding Crowd I read a few years ago and enjoyed, and this was the last of his great works that I had put by. I cannot easily say now that it is not his best work. I decided to read this just as I decided that I would perhaps re-read all his other works too, after all, I remember them only dimly after 30 years have elapsed.
The accomplishment and brilliance of this novel cannot be understated. The sense of place, the subtlety of description, the sublime beauty of the settings and the feelings they inspire are beyond compare in my view. I felt this especially during the scenes at Talbothays dairy, which were such a transport that I almost felt myself there and revelled in the bucolic simplicity of the late summer sun. Really Hardy writes so unbelievably well, and never more so when he is describing the life of the countryside. It is almost painfully evocative and beautiful.
I cannot do less than give this 5 stars, but I truly did not enjoy the ending. I expected the ending - if you've read much Hardy they all end the same way, do they not? - but the finale, if horrible to my mind was necessary to make a point. It was the final nail in the coffin of Victorian attitudes toward the gentler sex, that society did not treat with any gentle intentions at all. I will not spoil it by saying more, but this is truly a work of supreme feminist literature. Poor Tess, what a hapless victim she was, and how sadly undermined. This will stay with me for a long time.
The accomplishment and brilliance of this novel cannot be understated. The sense of place, the subtlety of description, the sublime beauty of the settings and the feelings they inspire are beyond compare in my view. I felt this especially during the scenes at Talbothays dairy, which were such a transport that I almost felt myself there and revelled in the bucolic simplicity of the late summer sun. Really Hardy writes so unbelievably well, and never more so when he is describing the life of the countryside. It is almost painfully evocative and beautiful.
I cannot do less than give this 5 stars, but I truly did not enjoy the ending. I expected the ending - if you've read much Hardy they all end the same way, do they not? - but the finale, if horrible to my mind was necessary to make a point. It was the final nail in the coffin of Victorian attitudes toward the gentler sex, that society did not treat with any gentle intentions at all. I will not spoil it by saying more, but this is truly a work of supreme feminist literature. Poor Tess, what a hapless victim she was, and how sadly undermined. This will stay with me for a long time.