Book info

• Title
• Author Thomas Hardy
• Year
• Genres

Thoughts

This was a surprisingly interesting book. I didn’t know what it was going to be about, and when I saw it started with the wanderings of a young child, I thought it was going to be like Dickens. It wasn’t though, instead it followed the intricate twists and turns of a love quadruple - two married couples and how they interact with each other.

I enjoyed the writing, easy to read and it nicely sweeps the story along. I also enjoyed the moments where passages of time had passed - they were explained well without going over the top. The story takes a depressing turn about three quarters of the way in and it did leave me feeling quite morose, but what happens has to happen to facilitate the rest of the story.

It’s fascinating to look back on how complex these moral decisions are, particularly from the modern day where marriage and divorce are undertaken at the drop of a hat (comparatively). I liked that they tried to live outside the moral compass, I enjoyed that they didn’t always want to fit with society’s conventions - I can relate to that. The conclusion, therefore, wasn’t what I wanted, but it made sense given the conditions of the time. A good read, recommended as long as you don’t mind an unhappy ending!

Rating: Unrated