Book info

• Title The Mayor of Casterbridge
• Author Thomas Hardy
• Year 1886
• Genre Classic

In a fit of drunken anger, Michael Henchard sells his wife and baby daughter for five guineas at a country fair. Over the course of the following years, he manages to establish himself as a respected and prosperous pillar of the community of Casterbridge, but behind his success there always lurk the shameful secret of his past and a personality prone to self-destructive pride and temper.

Thoughts

I didn’t know anything about this before I started reading, but was soon caught up in the trials and tribulations of this difficult man. From the very first incident, you’re in shock at what kind of person would split up his family like that, and therefore the rest of the story that follows feels as though it’s the least that is deserved.

With that being the case, it’s a pretty depressing story, so that even those innocent bystanders in the entire affair get caught up and ill-used. I kept on reading because I was curious about what would happen to each character, I felt myself getting invested in their well-being. Unfortunately, it was almost the opposite of a happy ending for most involved, and that put me in a sour but contemplative mood for a while. It makes you think, which is a good thing, and it keeps interest, which helps. But overall, I wouldn’t recommend this unless you want to wallow in some bad tidings.

Rating: 3 / 5