Far From the Madding Crowd
Ratings93
Average rating3.8
DNF at 50%. Basically this girl is leading on / getting involved with 3 different men (well, as much as you can get “involved” when you are in the 19th century lol). It's kind of annoying since she doesn't come across as a very good person, and wasn't too fun to read either so I had to give up on it!
i was excited to see that there's another hardy book that takes place in casterbridge but this was terribly disappointing in comparison... oof
It took me a little while to get into this book, but by the end, I was hooked. Thomas Hardy is an excellent writer. I wasn't sure I'd be able to tolerate all the flowery writing, but I found it very enjoyable even though I had to look up a lot of words.
I both love and hate several of the characters they both have their strengths and faults and seem very human and believable. The plot is complex and twisting, but very satisfying.
I can't believe I just fell upon my new favorite book ever.
Far from the madding crowd is the typical case of the book that first catches the romantic soul with a gripping, efficient back cover. There it says that you're going to read the story of Bathsheba Everdene, unique by her name if not anything else, still. Bathsheba is a young and independant woman courted by not less than three passionate men in Wessex, a wonderful fictional setting inspired by the british landscape. As a period drama lover, you may wish that all the elements here will straddle each other in the most perfect way along the story. If so, you're absolutely right.
For a two-centuries old novel, the characters are put in ink with an insanely modern attention, the most obvious example being Bathsheba. In an era where women are generally diminished in a world ruled by men, she appears like an astounding exception. Bathsheba first appears as a strong, careless, free girl who needs no man in her life. But she is also a real considerate soul who will always want to do what's right, even when it occurs it isn't, and even more when the unusual consequences of her decisions can lead her to a seemingly fatal trail. And all along the story, the twisted link between her mind and her heart really makes the wonderful, complex heroin she is.
Thomas Hardy adds to his palette numbers of strikingly realistic characters, from the background ones at the farm to the three male protagonists.
Funnily enough the outline of Bathsheba (i love typing that name) and the three guys reminded me of a french reality show about farmers receiving letters from love interests. I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING IT'S KIND OF THE SAME EXACT THING BUT NOWADAYS (just in a bit less dramatic plot - and still, i'm not always sure of that)
ANYWAY. Let's talk a bit about Gabriel Oak.
Gabriel is the signification of the honest, hard-working, humble, perfect man in the eyes of almost everyone. I fell for him since the beggining of the book, not a hard thing to do let's face it. I also spent the rest of the book trying to determine if I would rather marry him or protect him. I came to the conclusion that “both” is a lovely word I should consider using more. ;)
I won't talk much about Boldwood and Troy because I'm scared to spoil much, but if there is a thing you should remember about this review, it's this : the characters developments in this book are so well leaded that you'll probably get attached to them without noticing it. I felt the writing style notably fluid for an old classic and that was enjoyable, but I loved this book so much that I'm not sure to be very objective.
To conclude, Far From the Madding Crowd is a piece of art you should definetly read before you die, even if romances and period dramas aren't your cup of tea. Its utter modernity, the beauty of the descriptions and the complexity of the characters may surprise you more than you think. :)
I watched the new film version of this book on a plane recently, so I had to read the book. There was so much clearly missing from the film, some of it in a good way. I skipped most of the bits with the farm labourers and whoever because I'm a snob who doesn't care to pick through dialect. I'm only here for the sheep and the romance!
Bathsheba Everdene is a nitwit. Truly. Or is “was” the proper tense? Am I supposed to like her or find her a strong woman because she decides to run her inherited farm? Well, I DON'T, THOMAS HARDY!
Frankly, the plot is silly and the majority of characters aren't all that fun. Except for a few country life scenes, mind you. However, Hardy can depict a pastoral scene like nobody's business.
I watched the recent movie version and it didn't improve my view of the storyline or characters, unfortunately. I tried!!
My classic read for the summer, begun in early June and finally finished here at the end of August. My thoughts? A yes. A strong yes, really. A compelling heroine. A strong hero. Lots of difficulties. And a trip through nineteenth century rural England. What more could you want?