amyschmelzer 's review for:

Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
4.5
funny medium-paced
Loveable characters: Yes

I haven’t read Hardy since high school when we were assigned Return of the Native. I probably didn’t even read that book as the only things I remember from it were “yeoman farmer” and “heath.” As with anything we were supposed to read in school I was worried this would be a slog. It wasn’t.

The book starts with Oak and Bathsheba meeting each other for the first time. In a very insta-lovey fashion, he proposes marriage to her but she turns him down because she doesn’t love him back. I mean, they just met so she’s not wrong.

There are other suitors in Bathsheba’s life. One I didn’t like. Why was he as old as he was and had never realized that half the species is female and worth noticing? The other I did like but not because I thought he was right for her. No, we as readers know from the get-go that he is wrong for her and it’s his smooth-talking that made me love his villainous ways.

Lots of descriptions of nature. Plenty of dialogue full of banter. A slow-burn love story where the right people end up together. I am looking forward to reading my next Hardy in the near future.