Far from the Madding Crowd
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- Create Date：2021-05-20 10:54:41
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Thomas Hardy
- ISBN：1853260673
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Summary
Introduction and Notes by Norman Vance， Professor of English， University of Sussex。
Far from the Madding Crowd is perhaps the most pastoral of Hardy's Wessex novels。 It tells the story of the young farmer Gabriel Oak and his love for and pursuit of the elusive Bathsheba Everdene， whose wayward nature leads her to both tragedy and true love。
It tells of the dashing Sergeant Troy whose rakish philosophy of life was the past was yesterday; never， the day after， and lastly， of the introverted and reclusive gentleman farmer， Mr Boldwood， whose love fills him with a fearful sense of exposure， when he first sets eyes on Bathsheba。
The background of this tale is the Wessex countryside in all its moods， contriving to make it one of the most English of great English novels。
Far from the Madding Crowd is perhaps the most pastoral of Hardy's Wessex novels。 It tells the story of the young farmer Gabriel Oak and his love for and pursuit of the elusive Bathsheba Everdene， whose wayward nature leads her to both tragedy and true love。
It tells of the dashing Sergeant Troy whose rakish philosophy of life was the past was yesterday; never， the day after， and lastly， of the introverted and reclusive gentleman farmer， Mr Boldwood， whose love fills him with a fearful sense of exposure， when he first sets eyes on Bathsheba。
The background of this tale is the Wessex countryside in all its moods， contriving to make it one of the most English of great English novels。
Reviews
mary
，
listen if i had a name as unfortunate as bathsheba everdene i’d do the same exact things just saying
Kamil
，
Hardy to krasz。 Koniec kropka！ 4，5
Ana
，
Watching the movie （2015） before reading the book was a mistake。 While I didn't love the movie， I thought that it made the characters more likable and stayed pretty accurate to the book。 Though I will say book ending > movie ending。 Watching the movie （2015） before reading the book was a mistake。 While I didn't love the movie， I thought that it made the characters more likable and stayed pretty accurate to the book。 Though I will say book ending > movie ending。 。。。more
Isabel Khine
，
It took me a long time to finish this because， well， life - but I'm back and more prepared than ever to read for pleasure。 This was my first foray in Hardy's naturalism， and I was gripped by the intensity of Bathsheba's feeling。 Although I admittedly do not have two farmers and a soldier pining away from their love for me （as far as I know）， as a woman who is also "three or four and twenty" I felt great empathy for her misgivings and unfettered emotions。I could round off my thoughts with somethi It took me a long time to finish this because， well， life - but I'm back and more prepared than ever to read for pleasure。 This was my first foray in Hardy's naturalism， and I was gripped by the intensity of Bathsheba's feeling。 Although I admittedly do not have two farmers and a soldier pining away from their love for me （as far as I know）， as a woman who is also "three or four and twenty" I felt great empathy for her misgivings and unfettered emotions。I could round off my thoughts with something pithy， but all I have to say for now is that I've seen some interesting conversation around Boldwood being a precursor to the 21st-century incel。 Good content for a bookclub。 。。。more
Abby
，
4。5I was reluctant to read Thomas Hardy's "Far From the Madding Crowd" because I ready despised Hardy's "Jude the Obscure。" I still have a bad taste in my mouth whenever I think about that book。 But "Far From the Madding Crowd" won me over in spite of my former feelings toward Hardy。 To start， I love Hardy's writing。 He had some passages that I'm still thinking about days later， like his description of Tory's conversation with Fanny like a wall talking to the snow。 "The window was struck again i 4。5I was reluctant to read Thomas Hardy's "Far From the Madding Crowd" because I ready despised Hardy's "Jude the Obscure。" I still have a bad taste in my mouth whenever I think about that book。 But "Far From the Madding Crowd" won me over in spite of my former feelings toward Hardy。 To start， I love Hardy's writing。 He had some passages that I'm still thinking about days later， like his description of Tory's conversation with Fanny like a wall talking to the snow。 "The window was struck again in the same manner。Then a noise was heard， apparently produced by the opening of the window。 This was followed by a voice from the same quarter。"Who's there？"The tones were masculine， and not those of surprise。 The high wall being that of a barrack， and marriage being looked upon with disfavour in the army， assignations and communications had probably been made across the river before tonight。"Is it Sergeant Troy？" said the blurred spot in the snow， tremulously。This person was so much like a mere shade upon the earth， and the other speaker so much a part of the building， that one would have said the wall was holding a conversation with the snow。"Yes，" came suspiciously from the shadow。 "What girl are you？" In the end， I don't know how anyone could not love Gabriel Oak。 He's solid as they come， living up to his name。 。。。more
claire
，
coming into this i was NOT expecting to have a good time bc the only other hardy book i read was tess， and that book is LITERALLY the color gray and the definition of the word “bleak”。 also， it was sexist， so i was very wary at first。 and honestly， the first like 5-10 chapters were like ？？？？？？ men， SHUT UP。 but the rest of the 47 chapters markedly improved and overall， this was a really cute （tho definitely scream inducing， sexist proposal scenes are NOT ROMANTIC @ my male authors） and beautiful coming into this i was NOT expecting to have a good time bc the only other hardy book i read was tess， and that book is LITERALLY the color gray and the definition of the word “bleak”。 also， it was sexist， so i was very wary at first。 and honestly， the first like 5-10 chapters were like ？？？？？？ men， SHUT UP。 but the rest of the 47 chapters markedly improved and overall， this was a really cute （tho definitely scream inducing， sexist proposal scenes are NOT ROMANTIC @ my male authors） and beautifully written book。 applause to bathsheba for being her own woman until she isn’t and yes she can be really REALLY annoying at parts but that’s also probably bc a man wrote a female character and you know that woman can only be like 2 possible things in the victorian era （good or terrrrrribbbbbllleeeeeee）。 i would like to apologize to gabriel oak for my harsh opinion at the beginning of the book—he seemed like a wet blanket and soooooo boring but he ended up being like THE nicest person。 i HATE bold wood。 i hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate HATE HATE HATE him。 minor spoiler: HE LITERALLY COERCED BATHSHEBA INTO MARRYING HIM LIKE THREE TIMES。 1。 FUCK YOU。 2。 A PRANK DOES NOT WARRANT MARRIAGE AS A PUNISHMENT OR A REPENTANCE。 THIS IS NOT EQUAL AT ALL AND LITERALLY TWO SEPARATE THINGS。 IT IS NOT TIT FOR TAT。 3。 MARRIAGE IS ALSO NOT A BUSINESS TRANSACTION？？？？ UNLESS SHE WANTS IT TO BE AND ITS MUTUALLY AGREED ON， GO AWAY。 4。 YOU ONLY WANT HER BC SHES BEAUTIFUL YOURE A MISOGYNIST AND JUST WANT TO OBTAIN HER AS A TROPHY WIFE AND AN OBJECT TO PARADE AROUND。 THE FACT THAT YOU BOUGHT CLOTHES FOR HER SIX YEARS IN ADVANCE IS SO FREAKY AND STALKERISH。 5。 IF YOU TRULY LOVED HER YOU WOULDNT KEEP PRESSURING HER TO MARRY YOU LIKE WE GET YOU CANT CONTROL YOUR FUCKING FEELINGS BUT HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED HOW SHE FEELS？？？？？！！！？？？？？！！！？？？ 6。 WHAT TROY SAID WAS RIGHT YOU LITERALLY WORRY ABOUT ALL THE POSSIBLE “SINS” SHES DONE WITHOUT CARING FOR HER。 SEE ABOVE。 7。 I WISH YOU DIED HONESTLY （i am against the death penalty but it’s ok if it’s for misogynists lol）。 YOU WERE SO FUCKING ANNOYING but thanks for killing troy as he was *ALSO* really fucking annoying。 bold wood is the kind of man who doesn’t know when to stop and like by sheer force of repetition will get his fucking way bc he wears you down to the point you can’t say no anymore。 troy is just a fuckboy。 i could honestly deal with troy better than bold wood even if he screwed fanny and bathsheba over completely （especially poor fanny—she was too good for him and he never deserved either woman） bc he did seem to at least truly love fanny。 whereas bold wood said he “loved” bathsheba but love is not possession。 ALSO FINALLY LIKE THE WHOLE ENDING WITH BOLDWOOD NOT GETTING EXECUTED AND HAVING INSANITY？？？ MISOGYNY IS NOT。 INSANITY。 UGHHHHHH ik this was written in the victorian era HOWEVER。 this man HAD AGENCY。 HE CHOSE TO DO WHAT HE DID。 THAT WAS A CONSCIOUS DECISION。 you don’t get to use MENTAL ILLNESS to excuse your misogyny like YOU NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOUR FUCKING CONSCIOUS ACTIONS THANK YOU。 finally， a bravo to the cast of side characters bc they were actually so supportive and wholesome and sweet。 i like how hardy portrayed them as people who， though not the smartest， were nice and well meaning and NOT ignorant hicks。 anyways， the plot and the ending were good。 id also like to gloat that i predicted all three of the suitors and who’d she’d end up with。 the writing was also very beautiful about rural rustic england and i HATE small towns but now i want to visit one。 。。。more
Toria
，
A classic triangle drama which is actually an enjoyable and entertaining read。 Love Thomas Hardy's way of writing。 It flows very well and is eventful and witty but at the same time dramatic without being overly dramatic， has a nice calm tone to it。 Loved the characters in this and it makes me wanna reread some of his other novels and obviously continue to read the books I haven't read。 A classic triangle drama which is actually an enjoyable and entertaining read。 Love Thomas Hardy's way of writing。 It flows very well and is eventful and witty but at the same time dramatic without being overly dramatic， has a nice calm tone to it。 Loved the characters in this and it makes me wanna reread some of his other novels and obviously continue to read the books I haven't read。 。。。more
Patrycja1393
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Ostatni raz podobne wrażenie zrobiło na mnie Przeminęło z wiartem。 Przepiękna książka ， prawie przy każdym rozdziale na początku zaznaczyłam jakiś cytat。 Dawno nie czytałam tak pięknego języka ！！
Noor Alzidi
，
A very wonderful and serene and all around perfect read。 I am eternally grateful for my great friend who keeps getting me the best classics， and i can’t express enough how much grateful i am to her for her。 I feel a little depressed now that i’ve finished it。。 just that feeling of emptiness and acute depression when you finish a great book that you feel a deep connection with and that you relate to deeply。 And that’s how much i love and how much i enjoyed this book。 Would definitely 10/10 recomm A very wonderful and serene and all around perfect read。 I am eternally grateful for my great friend who keeps getting me the best classics， and i can’t express enough how much grateful i am to her for her。 I feel a little depressed now that i’ve finished it。。 just that feeling of emptiness and acute depression when you finish a great book that you feel a deep connection with and that you relate to deeply。 And that’s how much i love and how much i enjoyed this book。 Would definitely 10/10 recommend。 。。。more
SusanwithaGoodBook
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Hardy， like Jane Austen， writes about a small world — a few intertwined lives lived in one location over a period of some years， but makes that world come alive and seem so real， so vivid， so compelling to me， that it defies explanation。 I’ll admit that I don’t like Hardy as much as Austen - his characters and situations are much more heartbreaking and almost too overwrought， but he definitely writes of a world that is beautiful in its simplicity， yet complex in its humanity。Critics of this book Hardy， like Jane Austen， writes about a small world — a few intertwined lives lived in one location over a period of some years， but makes that world come alive and seem so real， so vivid， so compelling to me， that it defies explanation。 I’ll admit that I don’t like Hardy as much as Austen - his characters and situations are much more heartbreaking and almost too overwrought， but he definitely writes of a world that is beautiful in its simplicity， yet complex in its humanity。Critics of this book focus on the “feminist” critique of the character of Bathsheba， but， to me （far from a literary critic）， Bathsheba is just a normal person （could be male or female） who makes several bad choices based on emotions， shallow values， and silly whims。 In the end she comes to see that the best choices are the ones with true depth of character and honorable values。 It’s a cautionary tale for us all - focus on what truly matters， not the things of this world that seem valuable， but let you down in the end。This is not an easy， fun read， but it’s a good one， nonetheless。 。。。more
Jason
，
Thomas Hardy is one of my favorite novelists and， until my recent re-reading， I considered "Far from the Madding Crowd" one of his best novels。 Gabriel Oak is an easy character to root for。 He and Bathseba Everdene make an amusing couple。 And Hardy enjoys throwing as many ridiculous obstacles as he can at them until their happy-ish ending。 （I'm pretty sure it's the happiest ending that Hardy ever doled out。）That having been said， it's easier spot the cracks in the gem upon re-reading。 Some of Ha Thomas Hardy is one of my favorite novelists and， until my recent re-reading， I considered "Far from the Madding Crowd" one of his best novels。 Gabriel Oak is an easy character to root for。 He and Bathseba Everdene make an amusing couple。 And Hardy enjoys throwing as many ridiculous obstacles as he can at them until their happy-ish ending。 （I'm pretty sure it's the happiest ending that Hardy ever doled out。）That having been said， it's easier spot the cracks in the gem upon re-reading。 Some of Hardy's lesser habits （his dependence on coincidence and his condescending characterization of female characters） are indulged here。The best plots derive from their character's nature。 While Hardy expends a lot of ink defining his main characters， the plot relies on soap-opera contrivances to reach its emotional climaxes。Meanwhile， his women characters seem to all be set to either "fickle" or "frail。"To be clear， Hardy would revisit these archetypes in several of his stories， but his best （like "Tess" Or "Return of the Native"） offer some nuance to the characterization。 Even the male characters seem to be set to Hardy's default。 You have your cad， your stoic， your comedic chorus of rustic types。。。 amidst them all， Farmer Boldwood seems to be the only one who doesn't have a better variant in another Hardy story。Perhaps， it's fitting that his character comes to the most tragic （and thus Hardy-esque） end。 。。。more
Erin
，
I don't care what they say- I truly believe this is one of the best love stories of all great literature。 There is something about the landscape， the passion， the hard work bringing out the raw feelings of the characters。 I identify a lot with Bathsheba， and feel that although in some ways her personality becomes somewhat cliche， the tangled affections of her three sweethearts and the way they all portray their affections more than makes up for it all。 I love the culmination of the event at Bold I don't care what they say- I truly believe this is one of the best love stories of all great literature。 There is something about the landscape， the passion， the hard work bringing out the raw feelings of the characters。 I identify a lot with Bathsheba， and feel that although in some ways her personality becomes somewhat cliche， the tangled affections of her three sweethearts and the way they all portray their affections more than makes up for it all。 I love the culmination of the event at Boldwoods Christmas party。 It brings a great plot thickener to the storyline。 One can't help but pity poor Fanny and Mr。 Boldwoods for they both just love fiercely to such a fault that they both became blinded leading to their demise。 I cant help but fall in love myself with Gabriel- he is everything a real man should be， and yet doesn't now to Bathsheba's pride or fickleness。 His devotion and quiet strength is memorable。 I will always cherish this story and have come back to it time and time again。 。。。more
Victoria
，
Un libro ambientado en la vida rural。 No sentí que las descripciones de la vida en un ambiente de campo fuera lo que mas destacara para mi en lo que mas esta centrado el libro es sobre su personajes femenino en sus decisiones y sus fracasos。 Si pretendía describir una mujer fuerte y con carácter ，sí tenia pero no en donde debía。 Eso es lo que me trasmitió el libro。
Caty Clifton
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Listened to audio on several long drives。 Good company。
Giorgia Mariani
，
Un grande classico， uno di quei bei mattoni inglesi che riempiono per qualche settimana gli occhi del lettore di campagne， greggi， paesaggi di colline e di fattorie al tramonto， facendogli assaporare ritmi lenti a cui non è più abituato， una boccata d'aria via dalla pazza folla della nostra modernità。 Certo， bisogna essere un po' abituati e propensi a questo stile di scrittura （un po' "antico？"）， a tratti ampolloso， ma così elegante e ricco di piccole chicche della lingua italiana da riscoprire。 Un grande classico， uno di quei bei mattoni inglesi che riempiono per qualche settimana gli occhi del lettore di campagne， greggi， paesaggi di colline e di fattorie al tramonto， facendogli assaporare ritmi lenti a cui non è più abituato， una boccata d'aria via dalla pazza folla della nostra modernità。 Certo， bisogna essere un po' abituati e propensi a questo stile di scrittura （un po' "antico？"）， a tratti ampolloso， ma così elegante e ricco di piccole chicche della lingua italiana da riscoprire。。。io mi sono innamorata dell'espressione "il lappolare delle stelle"✨。 Se si è abituati a questo genere， dopo qualche pagina vi si entra in sintonia e la lettura inizia a scorrere。 Uno sfondo mite su cui però si agitano violentemente cuori e anime， in particolare quello di una giovane donna indipendente e forte， Bathsheba， ragazza restia al matrimonio che reputa di non aver bisogno di un uomo per farcela nella vita， ma la cui ingenuità prima e veri sentimenti poi trascineranno in un intreccio di relazioni con tre uomini che faranno da cardine nella sua vita。 。。。more
Sabrina Nesbitt
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Highly independent Bathsheba Everdeen comes into owning her uncle’s farm upon his death。 As an unmarried woman， she must learn how to run a farm as well as her own heart。 It is a story about a woman showing herself capable in a man’s role， as well as a complicated love triangle between three men （all in different stations of society） competing for her hand in marriage。 In many ways， Thomas Hardy flips the Victorian mirror around on men and women by transferring gender roles。 The woman， Bathsheba Highly independent Bathsheba Everdeen comes into owning her uncle’s farm upon his death。 As an unmarried woman， she must learn how to run a farm as well as her own heart。 It is a story about a woman showing herself capable in a man’s role， as well as a complicated love triangle between three men （all in different stations of society） competing for her hand in marriage。 In many ways， Thomas Hardy flips the Victorian mirror around on men and women by transferring gender roles。 The woman， Bathsheba Everdeen， finds herself in the seat of power having the rare but highly-desirous independence that comes with wealth and singleness。 She has control over the farm， the livelihood of those working it， and the futures of three seperate men （in whom she can decide， on her own， who she’d like to marry or， even， if she’d like to marry）。 Meanwhile， the three men are bound to her by her flirtation， her money， and her position。 Hardy shows this young， selfish girl’s transformation into a more subdued adult while giving the audience drama that will both pull at your hearts strings and enrage you。 I loved reading this novel and found myself， like the characters， frustrated， angered， and enchanted with Bathsheba Everdeen。 Rooting for her and， simultaneously， despising her。 Plus， it’s a very fun read once you get through certain ramblings of the surrounding countryside characteristic of Thomas Hardy’s writing。 。。。more
Carlo Mascellani
，
L'amore è il proragonista induscusso di questa storia tormentata， i cui i protagonisti seguitano a desiderare ciò che non possono avere o a sentirsi profondamente insoddisfatti quando lo ottengono。 Trama prevedibile， finale modello "ripiego"， valanghe di digressioni sterili e non funzionali alla trama。 Pessimo。 Ha rischiato di venir annoverato tra i due o tre libri che ho abbandonato a metà lettura。 Finito quasi per inerzia。 L'amore è il proragonista induscusso di questa storia tormentata， i cui i protagonisti seguitano a desiderare ciò che non possono avere o a sentirsi profondamente insoddisfatti quando lo ottengono。 Trama prevedibile， finale modello "ripiego"， valanghe di digressioni sterili e non funzionali alla trama。 Pessimo。 Ha rischiato di venir annoverato tra i due o tre libri che ho abbandonato a metà lettura。 Finito quasi per inerzia。 。。。more
alex drummond
，
I DIDNT FINISH THIS i needed to give back to my libary but i’ll pick it up later on。 i loved the writing but the story wasn’t very interesting
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
，
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
，
*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
，
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
，
Didn’t love this one。 A bit of a slog。
ludovica dominici
，
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
，