Far from the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd, the most pastoral and famous of his Wessex novels, was first published in 1874. The story concerns the elusive, beautiful and wayward young Bathsheba Everdene and the various men who develop a romantic interest in her over the course of the novel. Bathsheba arrives in the country to live with her aunt, Mrs Hurst, at the start of the book and soon attracts the attentions of local shepherd Gabriel Oak, who surprises Bathsheba by proposing marriage. 'His Christian name was Gabriel, and on working days he was a young man of sound judgment, easy motions, proper dress, and general good character,' writes Hardy. 'On Sundays he was a ...  Read the complete review

---Introduction--- It was on holiday in Scotland that I chose to read the bulk of this particular book. Whether it was the magnificent Highland scenery that inspired the read (albeit the rugged mountainous terrain would hardly substitute for the fictional lowlands of *Wessex) or the more than common flock of sheep that put me in mind of the characters, I'm not sure; but having spanned a gap of some 24 years since the first time I read the book, this is an account of my experience. ---Thomas Hardy--- Thomas Hardy was born in June 1840 in Higher Bockhampton, just outside ...  Read the complete review

This is a tale set in the countryside of Thomas Hardys Wessex. The story is about a young and beautiful woman who inherits a farm, and the men who fall in love with her. The main characters are.. Gabriel Oak.... Trained as a shepherd his social status varies during the book, but his farming skills are the ones that gain him the respect of others in the main. He is 28 years old well built and mild mannered. His features are unremarkable, Hardy describes them like this....' Gabriel's features adhered throughout their form so exactly to the middle line between the beauty of St. John and the ugliness of Judas Iscariot, as represented in a window of the ...  Read the complete review

Far from the Madding Crowd is the story of a woman who inherits property, struggles to be accepted as a person in her own right despite the attitudes and social etiquette of the time. She is pursued by various admirers and acting upon not-so-sound advice finds herself in many amusing situations, only to find that the person she least expects is her Knight in Shining Armour. This is a thoroughly modern read and most enjoyable. Iwould recommend it to anyone. Not the typical "Classic" ie Heavy, but light and humorous. ...  Read the complete review

I first read a Hardy book about a year ago - the mayor of casterbridge - just because there happened to be a copy in the house so hey, I read it. I really enjoyed it and didn't find it at all hard work like i have done with other 'classic'. anyway, that is why i bought Far from the madding crowd..... The book is about a girl, or should i say woman? who seems to attract all sorts of admirers and who rather enjoys the complications that it causes and the stress for those poor blokes!!! The way it is written makes you want to keep on reading and i don't know how anyone coped when this was orginally serialised in a magazine because i would ...  Read the complete review