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Far from the Madding Crowd (Penguin Popular Classics)
 
 

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Far from the Madding Crowd (Penguin Popular Classics) (Paperback)

by Thomas Hardy (Author) "WHEN Farmer Oak smiled, the corners of his mouth spread till they were within an unimportant distance of his ears, his eyes were reduced to..." (more)
3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics; New Ed edition (26 Jul 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140620478
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140620474
  • Product Dimensions: 18 x 11 x 3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 30,897 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #16 in  Books > Fiction > The Classics > Hardy, Thomas

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Product Description

Product Description
Independent and spirited Bathsheba Everdene has come to Weatherbury to take up her position as a farmer on the largest estate in the area. Her bold presence draws three very different suitors: the gentleman-farmer Boldwood, soldier-seducer Sergeant Troy and the devoted shepherd Gabriel Oak. Each, in contrasting ways, unsettles her decisions and complicates her life, and tragedy ensues, threatening the stability of the whole community. The first of his works set in Wessex, Hardy’s novel of swift passion and slow courtship is imbued with his evocative descriptions of rural life and landscapes, and with unflinching honesty about sexual relationships.
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First Sentence
WHEN Farmer Oak smiled, the corners of his mouth spread till they were within an unimportant distance of his ears, his eyes were reduced to chinks, and diverging wrinkles appeared round them, extending upon his countenance like the rays in a rudimentary sketch of the rising sun. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Far from the Madding Crowd (Penguin Popular Classics)
79% buy the item featured on this page:
Far from the Madding Crowd (Penguin Popular Classics) 3.7 out of 5 stars (10)
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Jude the Obscure (Wordsworth Classics) 4.2 out of 5 stars (32)
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Tess of the d'Urbervilles (Penguin Popular Classics)
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Tess of the d'Urbervilles (Penguin Popular Classics) 4.0 out of 5 stars (23)
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The Mayor of Casterbridge (Penguin Popular Classics)
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The Mayor of Casterbridge (Penguin Popular Classics) 4.4 out of 5 stars (7)
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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.7 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Rich description and simmering action, 7 Aug 2004
Hardy's first major success starts out with a plethora of rich, evocative description of the landscape the shepherd, Gabriel Oak, inhabits, such as "the dry leaves simmered and boiled in the desolate winds, a tongue of air sending them spinning across the grass", the trees "wailing and chaunting to each other in the regular antiphonies of a cathedral choir". Hardy is an excellent (and in my opinion unsurpassed) creator of atmosphere.

Hardy evokes sympathy for Oak in his initial rejection by Bathsheba, giving the reader a sense of his vulnerability, with his initial description also describing how his face "had some relics of the boy", further suggesting vulnerability. However, Oak seems after this rejection to transform into a hero, becoming a character one does not so much relate to as idolize and respect. Hardy writes at the beginning that Oak's "hues and curves of youth" were "tarrying on to manhood", and we get a sense through his patience and humility, his helping Bathsheba with her dying sheep even after she had ousted him in a paroxysm of fury just before, he has achieved manhood, and that the abovementioned qualities are those of ideal masculinity, not the flashy extravagance of Troy or the wealth of Boldwood.

Due to the construction of the plot, however, with Oak at the beginning thus being portrayed as the principal character, the end is rather predictable to the cynical reader. Towards the end, the beautiful description is completely dropped to allow pure action to ensue, with the idea that the pace is quickened thus exciting the reader, yet the ending, though dramatic, feels overly rushed nevertheless.

But all in all, it was a very enjoyable read, with the atmospheric description of the landscape demonstrative of Hardy's poetic ability (which he was later to excercize fully, abandoning the novel form and progressing with verse in his last years) being the strong point of 'Far from the Madding Crowd'.

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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written pastoral tale, 8 Jan 2001
By A Customer
This book looks with insight and depth at human relationships, using wonderful, lyrical prose to evoke a real sympathy in the reader for Hardy's characters. Bathsheba's slow change from willful but naive young girl to mature and wiser woman is brought to life with care and contemplation, and a vein of gentle humour also runs through the book. It was the descriptions of seemingly unimportant facets of country life that made the book so real and so enjoyable, and a genuine wish for Gabriel to succeed in his suit keeps the reader gripped till the end.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Good., 19 Nov 2005
I liked this book. I read Tess of the D'Urbervilles and found it quite hard-going and long-winded, but I really enjoyed reading this. It takes a while for the story to get going, but I kept wanting to go back to it to find out what was going to happen next.
I'd recommend this to anyone, even if you haven't liked some of Hardy's other books.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars This book destroyed my faith in literature
While I was at school I was required to read this book. Prior to reading this book I read at least 1 book a week, much of my free time was devoted to reading. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Tez

5.0 out of 5 stars Far From the Madding Crowd: Sensory Heaven!
Reading this novel again in 36 degrees of heat in Tunisia was a delightful and slightly unusual experience! Read more
Published 10 months ago by J. S. Lewison

5.0 out of 5 stars for all southerners
Most of my contempories fall roughly into 2 categories - northeners or southerners, and almost without exception I find the northerners prefer Bronte and the rest of us love... Read more
Published on 29 Jan 2007 by Rachel

4.0 out of 5 stars A great read if you can stick with it
As some may argue is typical of Hardy, 'Far from the madding crowd' starts out as being slightly long-winded - in modern terms it 'takes a long time to get going' - however this... Read more
Published on 24 Jul 2003 by baybeedoll

4.0 out of 5 stars Touching and brilliant
I have to confess I was shocked to read the above comments on 'Far from the Madding Crowd'.Betrayal, obsession, passion, suicide and murder - how can the book be boring? Read more
Published on 29 Jun 2000

4.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece of poetic writing.
A book for the more accomplished reader, Tohmas Hardy uses his skill not only as a writer but a poet and a architect to create a living breathing world which we can almost believe... Read more
Published on 16 April 2000 by martin.harley@tesco.net

1.0 out of 5 stars Put me off reading
When I was forced to read this at school I hated it. It was almost enough to put me off reading for life. Read more
Published on 20 Nov 1999

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