Far from the Madding Crowd
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- Create Date：2021-05-11 11:55:53
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Thomas Hardy
- ISBN：0141198931
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Summary
Hardy's powerful novel of swift sexual passion and slow-burning loyalty centres on Bathsheba Everdene， a proud working woman whose life is complicated by three different men - respectable farmer Boldwood， seductive Sergeant Troy and devoted Gabriel - making her the object of scandal and betrayal。 Vividly portraying the superstitions and traditions of a small rural community， "Far from the Madding Crowd" shows the precarious position of a woman in a man's world。
Reviews
Alex
，
Wow， loved this！ What a great heroine Bathsheba is！ And Farmer Gabriel Oak was a worthy hero！ Can I say that a Thomas Hardy novel actually brought me joy？？ Really loved the characters， even the ones you didn't like--I liked not liking them and there was a lot of emotion in this one。 The narrator kept making me laugh because he always made these grand pronouncements about women's nature or would say something like "you know how women are！！！" and then say something that was totally off-base。 The n Wow， loved this！ What a great heroine Bathsheba is！ And Farmer Gabriel Oak was a worthy hero！ Can I say that a Thomas Hardy novel actually brought me joy？？ Really loved the characters， even the ones you didn't like--I liked not liking them and there was a lot of emotion in this one。 The narrator kept making me laugh because he always made these grand pronouncements about women's nature or would say something like "you know how women are！！！" and then say something that was totally off-base。 The narrator did not scrutinize the men's actions at all。 I thought Boldwood was such an interesting character study--hints of his madness coming to the surface and then the final showdown was very dramatic。 Also really enjoyed the farming and pastoral setting and seeing Bathsheba take charge: "In short， I shall astonish you all。" I loved Bathsheba's spirit and tenacity and her care for others。 She was complicated and didn't always make the right decision but I respected that。 Gabriel with his quiet dignity and even-keeled humble personality was a positive representation of masculinity and someone you could really root for！！ P。S。 Watch the movie！！！ Carey Mulligan！ Matthias Schoenartz！ 。。。more
Jim Conant
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This is the third book of Hardy's that I've read。 I enjoyed the strong characterization and the story， but I wasn't prepared for the somewhat facile ending。 It's possible I was preparing myself too much for a terrible tragedy， as in other works of his which I have read， and when that failed to take place， I came away disappointed。 This is the third book of Hardy's that I've read。 I enjoyed the strong characterization and the story， but I wasn't prepared for the somewhat facile ending。 It's possible I was preparing myself too much for a terrible tragedy， as in other works of his which I have read， and when that failed to take place， I came away disappointed。 。。。more
Sandryne David
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*4。5 - J'ai un peu moins aimé ce livre que ce à quoi je m'attendais。 J'ai trouvé que le deuxième moitié du livre aurait pu approfondir un peu la relation des deux protagoniste et que l'auteur associait un peu trop de chose à ''la nature des femmes''。 Cependant j'ai beaucoup aimé la première moitié où on découvre les personnages ainsi que la fin qui a un déroulé très rapide。 J'aimerais essayer de relire ce livre plus tard quand le moment y sera plus propice *4。5 - J'ai un peu moins aimé ce livre que ce à quoi je m'attendais。 J'ai trouvé que le deuxième moitié du livre aurait pu approfondir un peu la relation des deux protagoniste et que l'auteur associait un peu trop de chose à ''la nature des femmes''。 Cependant j'ai beaucoup aimé la première moitié où on découvre les personnages ainsi que la fin qui a un déroulé très rapide。 J'aimerais essayer de relire ce livre plus tard quand le moment y sera plus propice 。。。more
Kathie
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It might be a 2。5， because I felt there was little consistency in Bathsheba’s character， but I loved the dramatic music between scenes in this audiobook。
Lily Proctor
，
yeah pretty good tbf， but I would say the film is better because the man who plays Gabriel Oak is extremely sexy and Belgian。
Aïda
，
What started off slow and slightly frustrating became a whirlwind of emotions and plot twist！ At first I could only think of most main characters as annoying， stubborn and silly， yet over time I’ve come to find them very human in their own reckless or strong-headed ways。 💭It was hard for me to relate to several remarks made upon the supposed nature of （most） women in this classic read， usually by the author himself as the narrator。 I guess times have changed a lot; mostly for the better。 Overall What started off slow and slightly frustrating became a whirlwind of emotions and plot twist！ At first I could only think of most main characters as annoying， stubborn and silly， yet over time I’ve come to find them very human in their own reckless or strong-headed ways。 💭It was hard for me to relate to several remarks made upon the supposed nature of （most） women in this classic read， usually by the author himself as the narrator。 I guess times have changed a lot; mostly for the better。 Overall I’m giving it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 （3。5 out of 5） rating。 。。。more
Vanessa Shannon
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Didn’t love this one。 A bit of a slog。
ludovica dominici
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Riassunto sciatto: una donna che dovendo scegliere tra un uomo giusto， un uomo altrettanto giusto （un po’ meno del primo） e uno spettacolarmente sbagliato， indovinate quale sceglie？Esatto 🙄
Bec D
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I fell in love with Gabriel Oak from the very first line。 A great proto-feminist story。 Hardy’s writing is so beautiful and his observations about human psychology are still so relevant。 A happier Hardy than others。 I’d recommend it as your first foray into Thomas Hardy’s works。
Danielle Beddow
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I appreciate that it is a classic but it is a particularly difficult read due to Hardy's narrative style。 He has a beautiful way of describing the natural landscape but I struggle to follow the story。 I appreciate that it is a classic but it is a particularly difficult read due to Hardy's narrative style。 He has a beautiful way of describing the natural landscape but I struggle to follow the story。 。。。more
Breanne Edwards
，
Woah what an interesting story！ I was horribly bored in the beginning， i find the labguage very difficult to read at fist， especially the attention to details of the surroundings and settings， Howver once i got used to the language and the poetic and rambling nature of it， I was truly able to enjoy this book。 I feel more intelligent having read it an pushed past my normal Y/A boundaries， and to indulge in something a whole lot more challenging。 I read this because of Darling Desi and her cottage Woah what an interesting story！ I was horribly bored in the beginning， i find the labguage very difficult to read at fist， especially the attention to details of the surroundings and settings， Howver once i got used to the language and the poetic and rambling nature of it， I was truly able to enjoy this book。 I feel more intelligent having read it an pushed past my normal Y/A boundaries， and to indulge in something a whole lot more challenging。 I read this because of Darling Desi and her cottage core series， AND I intend to revisit this maybe next spring。 I have found with older books revisiting them helps me understand each time better。 。。。more
Brendan Coffey
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'Repose had again incarnadined her cheeks。' Immaculate from start to finish。 'Repose had again incarnadined her cheeks。' Immaculate from start to finish。 。。。more
Exlibris Library
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This story is both sapiential and interesting。 It may be put in a row with "The Taming of the Shrew"。 An independent， self-sufficient lady and a bunch of suitors， each of them is quite a personality。 The language， though！ It is a challenging task to go through the dialogs ）） This story is both sapiential and interesting。 It may be put in a row with "The Taming of the Shrew"。 An independent， self-sufficient lady and a bunch of suitors， each of them is quite a personality。 The language， though！ It is a challenging task to go through the dialogs ）） 。。。more
Mahiya
，
Heard that this was among the very few Hardy novels where the protagonists get a happy ending so I thought I'd give it a go and oh my even a supposedly happy novel is riddled with saddest occurrences to our main character。 I was genuinely very impressed by the way in which Hardy as a male author so aptly wrote such a strong， yet flawed female protagonist， something not very characteristic of 19th century writers。 Some parts of the book were a snooze but the last few pages and the ending were tot Heard that this was among the very few Hardy novels where the protagonists get a happy ending so I thought I'd give it a go and oh my even a supposedly happy novel is riddled with saddest occurrences to our main character。 I was genuinely very impressed by the way in which Hardy as a male author so aptly wrote such a strong， yet flawed female protagonist， something not very characteristic of 19th century writers。 Some parts of the book were a snooze but the last few pages and the ending were totally worth it so overall a decent read！ 。。。more
Sonny
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- “It appears that men take wives because possession is not possible without marriage， and that women accept husbands because marriage is not possible without men。”- Thomas Hardy， Far from the Madding CrowdNovelist and poet Thomas Hardy is best known for his novels， all of which were published in the last third of the 19th century。 His novels are often set in the semi-fictional region of Wessex， which includes the counties of Dorset， Wiltshire， Somerset， Devon， Hampshire and Berkshire in southwe - “It appears that men take wives because possession is not possible without marriage， and that women accept husbands because marriage is not possible without men。”- Thomas Hardy， Far from the Madding CrowdNovelist and poet Thomas Hardy is best known for his novels， all of which were published in the last third of the 19th century。 His novels are often set in the semi-fictional region of Wessex， which includes the counties of Dorset， Wiltshire， Somerset， Devon， Hampshire and Berkshire in southwest and south-central England。 My wife and I spent two weeks traveling this very region by car in October 1983。 Perhaps this accounts for some of the novel’s appeal to me。 They are beautiful counties， yet they are among the poorest in England。 Rural life here appears to have changed little in hundreds of years。 Given that 30 percent of readers gave the novel less than four stars， I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it nearly as much as I did。As the novel opens， Gabriel Oak is a young sheep farmer who has just acquired a herd of 200 sheep of his own。 He lives a solitary existence on his farm; his only companions are his two sheep dogs—the reliable， but older， George and George’s energetic but naughty young son。 Not yet a successful farmer， Gabriel’s knowledge and strong work ethic suggest a prosperous future for him。 Quiet and well-liked， Gabriel spends most of his days tending his flock。 One day he spies a woman in a wagon。 He is charmed by her beauty， and watches her， unobserved， over the next few weeks。 When the wind takes her hat one afternoon， Gabriel finds it and returns it to her。 Her name is Bathsheba Everdene。 Aside from her beauty， his first impression of her is not that favorable。 He suspects her to be a conceited young woman who exceeds him in education， if not in social class。 Yet he finds himself inescapably drawn to her。 After a time， he proposes marriage， but she rejects his proposal。 In addition to being beautiful， Bathsheba is an independent， intelligent， ambitious woman who does not yet want to have a husband constantly around her。- “What I meant to tell you was only this，" she said eagerly， and yet half conscious of the absurdity of the position she had made for herself — "that nobody has got me yet as a sweetheart， instead of my having a dozen， as my aunt said; I hate to be thought men's property in that way， though possibly I shall be had some day。”- Thomas Hardy， Far from the Madding CrowdThough saddened， Gabriel doesn’t dwell on it。 He soon learns that Bathsheba has left the area and does not know if she will return。 In fact， Bathsheba has inherited a moderate-sized farm from her uncle and has moved to a town called Weatherbury to take possession。 Shortly afterward， tragedy strikes Gabriel one night when the young son of his sheepdog George drives his entire over a cliff。 In a night， Gabriel’s years of hard work have come to ruin。 Gabriel is forced to venture out in search of work。 While searching for work， he chances upon a fire on a farm and directs the other bystanders in putting it out。 When the owner appears to thank the men， he realizes that it is none other than Bathsheba。 She offers him employment。The farm next to Bathsheba’s farm belongs to William Boldwood， who is somewhat awkward around women。 As a prank， Bathsheba sends Boldwood a Valentine’s card that stirs his interest in her。 He， too， proposes marriage。 Bathsheba turns down the proposal， again citing a lack of love on her part。 Yet she feels guilty because of her prank and feels she owes her neighbor a debt。 Because of her feeling of indebtedness， Boldwood remains obsessed and hopelessly optimistic that her feelings for him will change。- “It troubled her much to see what a great flame a little wildfire was likely to kindle。 Bathsheba was no schemer for marriage， nor was she deliberately a trifler with the affections of men， and a censor’s experience on seeing an actual flirt after observing her would have been a feeling of surprise that Bathsheba could be so different from such a one， and yet so like what a flirt is supposed to be。”- Thomas Hardy， Far from the Madding CrowdShortly after， Bathsheba encounters a third suitor， a soldier named Francis Troy。 He is arrogant， self-assured and impulsive。 Being a man much like herself， Troy excites her interest。 Unable to sense his seductive ways， Bathsheba succumbs to his charms。 However， unknown to Bathsheba， Troy was recently engaged to another woman who had been a servant in Bathsheba’s household。 She disappeared after Troy called off the wedding following a misunderstanding。I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed this novel。 The plot is fast-paced and Hardy does an excellent job of managing the timing of plot twists and turns。 The characters are well fleshed out， building to some unforgettable dramatic scenes。 Hardy offers the reader a rich backdrop to the story as he describes the English landscape and the inhabitants of the community。 Far from the Madding Crowd is a satire of the social and religious values of the Victorian period。 It is surprising to find a novel written in 1874 with such progressive social themes。 Hardy was influenced by Enlightenment philosophers and takes the opportunity in this novel to expose the rigid social rules of his day， especially regarding the traditional roles of a man or a woman。 Hardy deliberately creates situations to provoke and antagonize his Victorian readers。 Bathsheba is a symbol for progress when assuming roles traditionally held by men。 She is ambitious and willing to get her hands dirty。 Hardy ingeniously shows how she is scrutinized in ways she would not be if she were man。 Perhaps due to its progressive themes， this has become one of my favorite classic novels。 。。。more
M
，
Loved: beautiful pastoral story combined with chilling gothic tragedy。Hated: Bathsheba。 Ugh。
Fena Reti
，
I genuinely don’t think that I understood this book at all。 This doesn’t happen often and I feel embarrassed 🥴
Michelle
，
Boldwood is such a sixth form poet。
Angelic
，
Thomas Hardy urzekł mnie swą powieścią już od pierwszych stron。 Jego malownicze opisy postaci i krajobrazów wręcz oczarowują czytelnika。 "Z dala od zgiełku" to jedna z książek bardziej wymagających。 Nie jest może napisana lekko i zwiewnie， ale z dużą dozą refleksji i przemyśleń。 Postacie są w niej zarysowane w bardzo wyrazisty i ciekawy sposób， a różne odmiany miłości， która gra pierwsze skrzypce， są pokazana w sposób iście ponadczasowy。 Wchłonęłam całość i nie ukrywam， że może kiedyś jeszcze do Thomas Hardy urzekł mnie swą powieścią już od pierwszych stron。 Jego malownicze opisy postaci i krajobrazów wręcz oczarowują czytelnika。 "Z dala od zgiełku" to jedna z książek bardziej wymagających。 Nie jest może napisana lekko i zwiewnie， ale z dużą dozą refleksji i przemyśleń。 Postacie są w niej zarysowane w bardzo wyrazisty i ciekawy sposób， a różne odmiany miłości， która gra pierwsze skrzypce， są pokazana w sposób iście ponadczasowy。 Wchłonęłam całość i nie ukrywam， że może kiedyś jeszcze do niej wrócę。Polecam czytelnikom， którzy lubią barwne opisy przyrody， bogate słownictwo i porównania literackie， które tu królują。 Natomiast osobom które cenią wartką akcję i dialogi， pozycja ta raczej nie przypadnie do gustu。https://angeliconpoint。blogspot。com/ 。。。more
Zia Tantia
，
L'ironia di Hardy mi ha fatta sganasciare:"Sembrava veramente che si avvicinnasse alla tomba come una curva iperbolica si avvicina a una retta， meno direttamente cioè man mano che ci si accostava， tanto più da indurvi nel dubbio se ci sarebbe giunto mai。"La felicità finale non è centrata， forse gli anni le permettereanno di andare a segno。Mi manca già。 L'ironia di Hardy mi ha fatta sganasciare:"Sembrava veramente che si avvicinnasse alla tomba come una curva iperbolica si avvicina a una retta， meno direttamente cioè man mano che ci si accostava， tanto più da indurvi nel dubbio se ci sarebbe giunto mai。"La felicità finale non è centrata， forse gli anni le permettereanno di andare a segno。Mi manca già。 。。。more
Tanner Scheetz
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Unrequited love，An Independent woman，And men are fuckboys
Joe
，
Hardy really loves a long sentence but still it’s a good emotional epic。The whole “she’s just not that into you” thing has obviously always been a thing。Also， glad we’ve moved on from a time when if you sort of fancied someone， you proposed marriage before even buying them a drink。
Ellie-Jean Royden
，
I completely loved it。 Hardy has the power to create characters you truly despise as they do wrong in such a universal， timeless way。 It is unimportant that this book was published in the 1870s， the characters pervade the now。 The story was beautiful， with Bathsheba by the end a much changed woman。Many smaller characters were really interesting， fanny herself would have made an interesting protagonist for example。 Boldwood is interesting in the light of Me Too in regard to his pressuring of Bath I completely loved it。 Hardy has the power to create characters you truly despise as they do wrong in such a universal， timeless way。 It is unimportant that this book was published in the 1870s， the characters pervade the now。 The story was beautiful， with Bathsheba by the end a much changed woman。Many smaller characters were really interesting， fanny herself would have made an interesting protagonist for example。 Boldwood is interesting in the light of Me Too in regard to his pressuring of Bathsheba to promise to become his possession。 Gabriel would be the hero in a story of today; respectful， immediately understands no， becomes a real friend。 。。。more
Aime Dollete
，
Awesome novel。 I love it。 You can join in NovelStar writing contest with a theme "WEREWOLVES" Prices are amazing！ https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 （PC） http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。 or email any of the following editors; hardy@novelstar。top joye@novelstar。top lena@novelstar。top app。novelstar。top Awesome novel。 I love it。 You can join in NovelStar writing contest with a theme "WEREWOLVES" Prices are amazing！ https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 （PC） http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。 or email any of the following editors; hardy@novelstar。top joye@novelstar。top lena@novelstar。top app。novelstar。top 。。。more
Samantha
，
I honestly have no clue what to say about this one。 I absolutely loved it of course but what to say。。。。the book honestly is in a sense very chaotic but in a good way。 Each of the characters are all written so well that you honestly know them。 It's like when you first start the book you are meeting someone and watching them change and grow through their ups and downs just as it I'd in life。 I absolutely loved the ever caring and understanding Gabriel Oak and though Bathsheba is ever so frustratin I honestly have no clue what to say about this one。 I absolutely loved it of course but what to say。。。。the book honestly is in a sense very chaotic but in a good way。 Each of the characters are all written so well that you honestly know them。 It's like when you first start the book you are meeting someone and watching them change and grow through their ups and downs just as it I'd in life。 I absolutely loved the ever caring and understanding Gabriel Oak and though Bathsheba is ever so frustrating in the end I love her too。 This book is kind of wild but it was good。 。。。more
Monica
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I Fluently and confidently enjoying the book。 I read enthusiastically and understood the story。 I love it。 You can join in the NovelStar writing contest happening this April till the end of May with a theme werewolf。 You can also publish your stories in NovelStar， just email our editors hardy@novelstar。top， joye@novelstar。top， or lena@novelstar。top。
Lucy Green
，
I think I liked Hardy's writing most at the points where he was trying to be subtle， because he really succeeded。 All the characters and their little idiosyncrasies came across so strongly even though those parts of them were never explicitly pointed out。 That's where I found the most interest in the novel - and I needed to find it somewhere， since the plot of all 57 chapters can really be reduced down to just a few bullet points。 The descriptions of the countryside and the rhythms of the life o I think I liked Hardy's writing most at the points where he was trying to be subtle， because he really succeeded。 All the characters and their little idiosyncrasies came across so strongly even though those parts of them were never explicitly pointed out。 That's where I found the most interest in the novel - and I needed to find it somewhere， since the plot of all 57 chapters can really be reduced down to just a few bullet points。 The descriptions of the countryside and the rhythms of the life on the farm were all beautiful， but obviously they didn't drive the plot。 Bathsheba's force of character， and the way she seems to draw people in with the incontrovertible pull of a magnet was fascinating to watch as a reader， and although I had an inkling of where the story would end I was still surprised by the turns the story took along the way。 Overall， a slow-moving novel but well worth the time。 。。。more
Eleanor （bookishcourtier）
，
Thomas Hardy's novel 'Far From the Madding Crowd' is a story which has lived in mind for many years， having once seen a wonderful theatrical adaptation， yet I had never read the book。 I resolved to change that。。。。and here I am， six years later， finally following through。 Unfortunately， whilst I enjoyed this book to a degree， it did not quite meet the expectations I had。 The nostalgia factor carried me for the first 100 pages or so， and then stood alone began I to see the failings of this novel i Thomas Hardy's novel 'Far From the Madding Crowd' is a story which has lived in mind for many years， having once seen a wonderful theatrical adaptation， yet I had never read the book。 I resolved to change that。。。。and here I am， six years later， finally following through。 Unfortunately， whilst I enjoyed this book to a degree， it did not quite meet the expectations I had。 The nostalgia factor carried me for the first 100 pages or so， and then stood alone began I to see the failings of this novel in full。Let us first examine the characters。 Bathsheba is our main female character， and I think the complexity of her character is to Hardy's credit。 I am both frustrated by her， yet I admire her。 I am torn on whether I overall like her， but she has a certain charm and her character was quite possibly the best in the book。 However， I don't think she was quite able to carry the book， possibly because of the lack of chapters we had from her point of view。 She does narrate a good portion of the book but I still wish we were able to omit some of the male characters' perspectives。 It would also have been nice if we weren't constantly told that Bathsheba's superiority lies in her ability to reject some of her 'womanliness' and other generalised statements about a woman's universal demeanour delicately and lovingly placed through the book。The suitors。 I think honestly that Gabriel Oak was the best of a bad lot。 Clearly Troy was。。。dodgy from the offset， but at least he didn't exactly try to hide that。 Boldwood was incredibly entitled， portraying himself as the romantic hero， idealising Bathsheba without making any real attempt to actually get to know her。 As for Gabriel， I somewhat admired his steadfast nature and his loyalty， and also that he doesn't pester Bathsheba on being rejected。 However， he still makes many assumptions about what is best for Bathsheba without ever consulting her， and he definitely has some misogynist views which were not appreciated。 However， I can get behind complex and flawed characters。 My main gripe with this book was how bland and dull some parts of it were。 Hardy's dialogue and character interactions are charming and pleasant to read， yet the story's pacing is broken up and disjointed by the fact that at the beginning of nearly every chapter we need to be gifted with at least a two page dump of description， which in theory is very beautiful， but in actuality is very boring。 Had this been interspersed throughout he chapters， I might have been able to appreciate more Hardy's thoughtful and picturesque descriptions of nature， but alas， my eyes found themselves tripping over the page like my legs over any chair leg that happens to look my way。 I dreaded reaching the end of the chapter， knowing I would have to slog through this before the story could recommence。 For a 'scandalous' story， it simply lacked the drama and sensation。In all， this was a good book， with a good storyline， but hampered by its lack of good pacing， and characters who just aren't quite enough for me to get behind without that consistent interesting plot。 Though this review seems very negative， however， my experience reading this was a good one and I do want to continue reading Hardy， as his writing style （edited down） is truly very beautiful and he creates interesting and complex female characters。 。。。more
Hanna
，
I'm glad I didn't give up on this one。This was my second attempt at Far from the Madding Crowd and I think I would have given up had it not been for my grandad's inadvertent emotional blackmail （it's his favourite novel）。It was a bit of a slog， and a bit weird， but worth it in the end。 I still don't see the need for a three-page description of a barn though。 I'm glad I didn't give up on this one。This was my second attempt at Far from the Madding Crowd and I think I would have given up had it not been for my grandad's inadvertent emotional blackmail （it's his favourite novel）。It was a bit of a slog， and a bit weird， but worth it in the end。 I still don't see the need for a three-page description of a barn though。 。。。more
krziwo
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