Far From the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy > Reviews > A nice Sunday afternoon read

Author's product rating:   

Would you listen to it again?	Yes
Story	Good
Characters	Good
Listenability	Once you start it, you won't be able to switch it off!
How does it compare to similar audio books?	Very good
How does it compare to audio works by the same author?	Very good

Advantages:	I really liked the way the story is presented
Disadvantages:	I thought the ending was a bit rushed

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I'm not a big fan of romantic novels, but had read a lot of positive reviews for this particular book, so thought I'd give it a go. Written by Thomas Hardy in the 19th century, the story concerns a young woman, Bathsheba Everdene, who is left to run a farm after her father dies. During the novel she becomes tangled in the lives of William Boldwood, a highly strung and rich farm owner, Gabriel Oak, who works on her farm, and Sgt Troy. During the novel both Gabriel Oak and Boldwood ask for Bathsheba's hand in marriage, but she refuses. However once Sgt Troy arrives and proposes to Bathsheba, she excepts at once. Tragedy is in store for Bathsheba though, as we find out about Troy's indescrestions. The novel ends with death and happiness, as Bathsheba makes the right decision at last.

I hadn't read any of Hardy's novels before so wasn't sure what to expect. Thankfully I wasn't disappointed. The descriptions of the countryside at the start of the novel sets the scene well, with the descriptions of the green hills and meadows giving us an idyllic and beautiful view of life at that time. This beauty of the countryside is mixed in well with the tragedy and flaws of the characters, showing that even if the setting is perfect, the characters who live there are not. I love the characterisation of Bathsheba; she is shown as a head strung and strong woman who's only flaw is her gullibility in seeing the good in everyone. The three men in Bathsheba's life are also given very different characters; Boldwood is seen as a very jealous and bitter man who wants Bathsheba all to himself, while Sgt Troy is seen as an exciting and passionate man, which is why Bathsheba falls for him so easily.

It is the last of the three men, the character Gabriel Oak, who I found most interesting. It is clear from the very start of the novel that he cares for Bathsheba deeply, but for some reason she doesn't quite feel the same, possibly because he doesn't excite her as much as someone like Troy. Throughout all the twists and turns in the novel it is only really Oak who remains constant throughout, always there to comfort Bathsheba when she gets herself into a hopeless situation. The novel does start slowly, but it builds well as we see the flaws of the different characters, particularly Bathsheba, come out. I particularly enjoyed the part where Troy, who is missing presumed dead, turns up out of the blue, leaving everyone shocked, and causing Boldwood to do something which I thought was a little out of character.

The end of the novel is quite predictable, and can seen coming from a mile off. It also feels a little rushed, as if Hardy couldn't think of a suitable ending which would make his readers happy. However these are only minor quibbles. Far From the Madding Crowd is a great read, full of passion, romance and tragedy, and very easy to get into.