Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy Reviews

Tess of the D'urbervilles is an extremely great novel, especially for the time it was written during the Victorian Period, but is still relevant to us today, with some of the key themes which are dealt with. First of all, the novel centres on a young girl called Tess Durbeyfield, who finds out she is of a greater lineage, the descendant ...  Read the complete review

I expect I'll surprise you all here by admitting to reading this! Sometimes though, the Mrs and I share or swap books for something different to read and that's why I came to read this book. I had a quick look on Amazon and they sell this for £1.99 if you buy the Wordsworth Classics version. Nice and cheap read then at least. Reading ...  Read the complete review

This book is a beautifully written masterpiece that draws you in from the start and makes you feel like you're saying goodbye to an old friend when you have to put it down at the end. The book follows the fortunes, or rather misfortunes, of young Tess after she is taken advantage of and gives birth to an illegitimate child. Hardy was ...  Read the complete review

I read Tess of the d'Urbervilles over Christmas in an attempt to make myself more intellectual. I am not sure if it worked or not but I enjoyed reading it. I have to say though, it is a pretty miserable read and do not expect a disney style ending! Thomas Hardy is renowned for his detailed decriptive style. He does paint a very close ...  Read the complete review

Upon taking this book from the bookshelf the other day, I wasn't quite sure why I was drawn into reading a book read many times in the past, and one which I kept for a rainy day. The rainy day had arrived, and little by little, I delved into the life of Tess, our heroine, and began to recall why this book stands out as such a worthy contender for ...  Read the complete review

I was skeptical about starting this book as the blurb on the back didn't really enthuse me. To be honest I bought the book as it was cheap and I didn't have much of my birthday cash remaining. Having read it I would now say it is one of the best reads of my life. I was hooked from start to finish. The images that were created in my head were of a ...  Read the complete review

I've taken all your advice and removed my end-spoiling revelations. I had to read this as preparation for my A Level English course, and it completely put a downer on my summer holiday, which was, in hindsight, not the best situation in which to read a book this depressing. Since this was a "classic novel", I was already ...  Read the complete review

Set in 19th century england, amidst rolling Cotswold hills, peasant cottages, fairs full of young maidens, cart horses, dairy farms. To summerise the story, Alec, a suave, womanising man spies Tess for the innocent young country girl that she is. He manages to persuade her in to bed with him, taking advantage of her and eventually ...  Read the complete review

This novel caused a heck of a fuss when Thomas Hardy first published it. Originally titled "A Pure Woman" it was considered outrageous for a woman such as Tess to be seen as pure in Hardy's eyes. I'm giving a fairly lengthy plot description here, so apologies if you get bored, and the ending is given away, so watch out! ...  Read the complete review

This is a full and in-depth review. It is nescessary to discuss the events within to comment on the text. Please read on and enjoy......... To truly be able to appreciate a Victorian novel Thomas Hardy's 'Tess of the D'urbervilles' has to be looked at carefully. Published initially in 1891 in chapters in the ...  Read the complete review

It is clear from the outset that Tess is destined for something grim, and that no matter how she acts or where she turns, fate will not be cheated. I found this book enormously frustrating to read - Tess is very much a girl of her time, and to the modern female reader she can seem incomprehensible. A few words about the plot. Tess is a ...  Read the complete review

As one of Hardy’s most famous novels, Tess of the D’Urbervilles is also one of the most tragic, and as such, I found it distressing to read. Other novels I have read by Hardy have all featured pretty tragic plot lines but they are also littered with amusing references and light-hearted viewpoints on life. This book, however, is not ...  Read the complete review