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A review by katykelly
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
5.0
Melodramatic but one of Hardy's more 'upbeat'!
Tess, Jude - Hardy has a few rather downbeat stories under his belt, with his tales of Rural England. This was a classic I'd never read, but having watched an adaptation recently (Carey Mulligan), I was really keen to read this tale of a woman with three men circling her.
Bathsheba is a rather unusual woman for her time - well-educated (though this doesn't stop her making some silly choices), put in a position of power with the death of a relative, reluctant to tie herself down in marriage. She finds that very human failings threaten to tear her away from her ideals and aspirations though, with a proposal, a flatterer and jealousy, an un-thought-through Valentine that has long-reaching consequences.
The change in Bathsheba throughout her trials is emotional, it's all about the men seeing and wanting her and how they see themselves through her - from constant Gabriel Oak admiring from afar, to Sergeant Troy who is angry at another, to Farmer Boldwood who obsesses over the neighbour who sends him a thoughtless Valentine and sets off his own passions.
Pulled from one to another, used in some sense by each, Bathsheba had my loyalty and empathy but I did still feel frustrated by her actions. Fanny too, weaker-willed and not as smart as her would-be employer, the only other female character, she is ill-used and suffers but moves the plot on.
I loved the setting, I could see Bathsheba's farm and world, the small town of Weatherbury. The dramas of fire, stock illness and death, perilous weather bring drama, and Bathsheba's situation, caught up in webs she's spun for herself bring tension.
This made a gripping audio read, plenty of dialogue and strong characters, the language is easy to follow, we have people to hate and others to root for.
The ending was a welcome one, after all that had come before. It is very 'Hardy', melodrama, heroines caught up in states they cannot fully control. There was even a touch of humour in the final scene, unexpectedly.
A relatively cheery Thomas Hardy, with a memorable lead female and a triumvirate of smitten and very different men, though you know early on just how you want the story to end.
Plenty of discussion to be had here on feminism, on marriage, on what Bathsheba and Fanny can teach us about the different roles and expectations of women in society historically.
Tess, Jude - Hardy has a few rather downbeat stories under his belt, with his tales of Rural England. This was a classic I'd never read, but having watched an adaptation recently (Carey Mulligan), I was really keen to read this tale of a woman with three men circling her.
Bathsheba is a rather unusual woman for her time - well-educated (though this doesn't stop her making some silly choices), put in a position of power with the death of a relative, reluctant to tie herself down in marriage. She finds that very human failings threaten to tear her away from her ideals and aspirations though, with a proposal, a flatterer and jealousy, an un-thought-through Valentine that has long-reaching consequences.
The change in Bathsheba throughout her trials is emotional, it's all about the men seeing and wanting her and how they see themselves through her - from constant Gabriel Oak admiring from afar, to Sergeant Troy who is angry at another, to Farmer Boldwood who obsesses over the neighbour who sends him a thoughtless Valentine and sets off his own passions.
Pulled from one to another, used in some sense by each, Bathsheba had my loyalty and empathy but I did still feel frustrated by her actions. Fanny too, weaker-willed and not as smart as her would-be employer, the only other female character, she is ill-used and suffers but moves the plot on.
I loved the setting, I could see Bathsheba's farm and world, the small town of Weatherbury. The dramas of fire, stock illness and death, perilous weather bring drama, and Bathsheba's situation, caught up in webs she's spun for herself bring tension.
This made a gripping audio read, plenty of dialogue and strong characters, the language is easy to follow, we have people to hate and others to root for.
The ending was a welcome one, after all that had come before. It is very 'Hardy', melodrama, heroines caught up in states they cannot fully control. There was even a touch of humour in the final scene, unexpectedly.
A relatively cheery Thomas Hardy, with a memorable lead female and a triumvirate of smitten and very different men, though you know early on just how you want the story to end.
Plenty of discussion to be had here on feminism, on marriage, on what Bathsheba and Fanny can teach us about the different roles and expectations of women in society historically.