Tess of the d'Urbervilles

I will not elaborate on the content of this magnificent Thomas Hardy work, as other reviewers have dealt with this subject in great depth in other reviews, but will concentrate on the presentation of the book itself.The cover is, in my personal opinion, beautifully presented, as is also the case with 'Far From the Madding Crowd' also a Wordsworth Classics edition, which was purchased at the same time. Both are compact editions and were reasonably priced.These two books represent my personal favourites of Thomas Hardy's works and I have read them many times over the years. They were purchased as gifts for my father-in-law, who at ninety years of age is discovering Thomas Hardy for the first time and enjoying the experience.

When Tess’s family fall on hard times, Tess is forced to go and see family she has never heard of before – the well off D’Ubervilles. On arriving she is met with Alec D’Uberville, the man who will be her downfall. After losing her child to illness, Tess receives employment as a milkmaid, and falls in love with Angel Clare, but will Tess be able to tell him about the dark past that she has so long kept secret? And if the truth is revealed, will Angel Clare still feel the same way?I absolutely loved this book. I’m actually sad that I haven’t read it before. I read if for classes, but so many of my classmates had read it before, and I envied being able to read it without studying it. It’s such a beautiful book with such an immense plot. I kept having to put it down and come back to it, purely so I could give myself time to process what I’d read. Hardy has that ability to describe something in detail, pages covering the same thing, but it’s never repetitious and it’s never boring.Tess of the D’Ubervilles is famous for being scandalous and shocking when it was first published, and I can see why. Though not really shocking to us now, I can imagine the horror at a story of women with a child out of marriage, and the idea of concealing that child from her suitor. Hardy certainly has a lot to say about social conventions and the way women were treated at that time.I think Tess is a really fascinating character, she’s strong willed, stubborn and utterly loyal. She makes lots of mistakes throughout the story – and more often than not she pays the price for them. Her story is an immensely sad one. She is a survivor, continuing on even when her life seems the most hopeless.No matter what I write about Tess of the D’Ubervilles, this review will be woefully understating how wonderful this novel is (but that’s not going to stop me trying!) The language in the novel is beautiful and poetic, and I loved the descriptions of nature. Tess is closely linked to nature throughout the plot – something I found particularly interesting. She is seen as almost part of nature herself, a pure, earthy country girl.It’s a very bleak and depressing story, but it is definitely worth reading. This was my first outing in the novels of Thomas Hardy – although I am told The Mayor of Casterbridge is by far his best novel, I really enjoyed Tess of the D’Ubervilles and all its wonderful comments on society.

I am studying this book as part of my AS-Level in English Literature and I can honestly say that it is in my top 5 of best books ever. The entire story is amazing and I struggled to put it down at times. As for the product itself, the paperback is of very good standard when you take the price into consideration. For reading enthusiasts I would advise you invest some more money and get a hardback copy as the book does get a little bit tattered over time. However, if you would just like a quick read then this edition is perfect and I would highly recommend it.

I do not read books as often I as would like, this is a book I have always wanted to read but felt I would not understand it, however I took the plunge and absolutely loved it and understood it

Loved the story and description of the English countryside and the characters. Frustrating at times and I'd stop and scream at the author in my head at times as I thought Tess should have been given a break; for me too much going wrong for her. Gripping story; was hoping for a different ending but I knew it couldn't happen with Hardy. Loved the dialect used; challenged me at times as English isn't my first language.