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A review by andyc_elsby232
Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
You can read a book from even ten years ago and think, "Wow, how the times have changed!" Going back over a hundred years for Jude the Obscure, I don't think I've ever felt a stronger sense from a book that we live in a different emotional world. Every cause of tragedy in this book is something Western readers really don't have to worry about anymore.
My chaos-brain rooted for whom was essentially the story's villain, since I did grow tired of the endless loops of arguments our heroes found themselves in about the nature of love and commitment. Those moments would have been intolerable had Hardy's writing not been explosively beautiful. There is no page, or really any line, that's devoid of craft. Hardy worshipped language, and every thought and even the harrowing moments are painted delicately.
My chaos-brain rooted for whom was essentially the story's villain, since I did grow tired of the endless loops of arguments our heroes found themselves in about the nature of love and commitment. Those moments would have been intolerable had Hardy's writing not been explosively beautiful. There is no page, or really any line, that's devoid of craft. Hardy worshipped language, and every thought and even the harrowing moments are painted delicately.