The Mayor of Casterbridge
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- Create Date：2021-05-20 10:54:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Thomas Hardy
- ISBN：1853260983
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Summary
Thomas Hardy's exploration of his most tragic hero， Michael Henchard， is the classic tale of over-ambition。 From his drunken sale of his wife and baby at a country fair， to his subjugation of a farming willage， Henchard's life is an epic attempt to bring the world to heel as he hides even from himself all vestiges of emotional vulnerability。 A classic character study with overtones of Shakespeare's MacBeth。
Reviews
Barry
，
[3。5 stars if GR would allow that]It seems all of Hardy’s books share a somewhat dreary， if not outright gloomy， outlook on life。 His plotlines can border on the depressing， and he has a knack for letting the landscapes themselves convey the mood and set the tone。 Nevertheless， there’s just something about his realistic writing style that I find enjoyable。 Maybe enjoyable is too strong a word。 I haven’t disliked any of his books， but I haven’t really loved any of them either。 But then again， I k [3。5 stars if GR would allow that]It seems all of Hardy’s books share a somewhat dreary， if not outright gloomy， outlook on life。 His plotlines can border on the depressing， and he has a knack for letting the landscapes themselves convey the mood and set the tone。 Nevertheless， there’s just something about his realistic writing style that I find enjoyable。 Maybe enjoyable is too strong a word。 I haven’t disliked any of his books， but I haven’t really loved any of them either。 But then again， I keep reading them。 I think this one was my fifth。 And probably my favorite。 。。。more
Kathy
，
Library Loan
Matteo
，
The Mayor of Casterbridge is the perfect novel！ I was apprehensive starting a book by a Victorian realist writer but I absolutely loved the beautiful prose and dialog。 It was such a fun read！I wondered why the book was so jam packed with "incidents and action' and discovered that the answer was that it was a magazine serial and it had to keep the readers entertained week after week。The Mayor of Casterbridge is a novel of the time and place where Thomas Hardy grew up and he knew how to write abou The Mayor of Casterbridge is the perfect novel！ I was apprehensive starting a book by a Victorian realist writer but I absolutely loved the beautiful prose and dialog。 It was such a fun read！I wondered why the book was so jam packed with "incidents and action' and discovered that the answer was that it was a magazine serial and it had to keep the readers entertained week after week。The Mayor of Casterbridge is a novel of the time and place where Thomas Hardy grew up and he knew how to write about the people and the rich rural landscapes。 The characters were wonderful and the main character， Michael Henchard， is very complex and challenges our notions of good and evil。The plot neatly ties up every action and character in the book and no event or person is left dangling at the end。 The book suggests many themes and uses metaphor and symbolism liberally。 The book is an English Literature major's dream filled with brilliant examples of all of the elements of great writing。 。。。more
Dave Schumacher
，
19th Century writers can be a challenge， but Hardy’s rich language， well developed characters， and a storyline with numerous twists and turns made this an enjoyable read
Ziad Nadda
，
A novel of genius。 A page turner in its own right of philosophical stance of human character and human life。
Sharon
，
A bit like Charles Dickens， interesting characters， and wife swapping of the 20th century had a precursor。
La Lettrice Raffinata
，
«"Mia cara ragazza， è l'uomo più potente del consiglio municipale e un uomo tra i più importanti dei dintorni 。。。 Veniva dal nulla quando arrivò a Casterbridge; ed ora è un pilastro della città"»L'UOMO CHE VENDETTE SUA MOGLIE PER CINQUE GHINEENon fatevi ingannare dalla bucolica copertina dell'edizione BUR Rizzoli， che rispecchia sicuramente l'ambientazione di questo romanzo ma per nulla lo spirito della storia。 "Il sindaco di Casterbridge" racconta infatti una vicenda dai toni molto tragici， che «"Mia cara ragazza， è l'uomo più potente del consiglio municipale e un uomo tra i più importanti dei dintorni 。。。 Veniva dal nulla quando arrivò a Casterbridge; ed ora è un pilastro della città"»L'UOMO CHE VENDETTE SUA MOGLIE PER CINQUE GHINEENon fatevi ingannare dalla bucolica copertina dell'edizione BUR Rizzoli， che rispecchia sicuramente l'ambientazione di questo romanzo ma per nulla lo spirito della storia。 "Il sindaco di Casterbridge" racconta infatti una vicenda dai toni molto tragici， che potremmo accostare più facilmente alla triste vita di Tess dei d'Urberville rispetto al piglio quasi umoristico di "Via dalla pazza folla"。 La cover stonata non è poi l'unico difetto di questa edizione， che presenta anche un'impaginazione sicuramente realizzata per far perdere il maggior numero possibile di diottrie all'ignaro lettore ed una scarsa qualità di stampa e materiali。La narrazione ha un'impronta corale， ricordando per molti versi un romanzo familiare， ma il collante tra i vari personaggi è rappresentato dalla figura di Michael Henchard。 All'inizio della storia lo vediamo come un giovane in cerca di lavoro， privo di mezzi e con il vizio del bere; dopo aver letteralmente venduto moglie e figlia ad un marinaro sconosciuto mentre è ubriaco， l'uomo decide di fare un voto di astinenza dall'alcool per i successivi ventuno anni。 Quando lo ritroviamo è un'altra persona: stabilitosi nella cittadina di Casterbridge， Henchard è diventato un commerciante di successo e la stima di cui gode presso i suoi concittadini è tale da farlo eleggere sindaco; questa posizione faticosamente raggiunta verrà messa a rischio nel corso della storia dal destino avverso e dallo stesso temperamento irascibile dell'uomo。La prosa di Hardy è sempre una delizia da leggere: si percepisce la passione e la cura con cui descrive la campagna dell'Inghilterra meridionale， le cui tinte si fanno più vivaci soprattutto durante il periodo del raccolto。 Il solo difetto che potrei appuntargli è l'utilizzo troppo frequente degli sbalzi temporali sia all'inizio -dal momento in cui Henchard si separa dalla sua famiglia sino a quando è ormai divenuto sindaco- sia nei capitoli seguenti， quando ci sono degli eventi che vengono soltanto riepilogati a beneficio del lettore。 Questo serve però a dare più spazio agli episodi realmente rilevanti ed alle riflessioni dei personaggi principali。Assieme ad una trama intrigante e costellata da una buona dose di svolte inattese， proprio i personaggi risultano essere uno dei punti di forza di questo titolo。 L'autore non lascia al caso neanche la caratterizzazione dei numerosi abitanti di Casterbridge， si tratti di uomini di successo impegnati nella gestione delle loro attività e della città stessa oppure di umili lavoratori con i loro battibecchi e le allegre bevute in compagnia。 Ovviamente un occhio di riguardo va ai protagonisti， che risultano molto credibili nella loro fallibilità umana: nessuno è esente da difetti， si tratti dell'ingenuità di Susan， dell'ambizione di Donald o della leggerezza di Lucetta; nel descrivere Henchard Hardy da poi il suo meglio， creando un uomo capace di fare tanto bene per chi lo colpisce in modo positivo quanto di perseguitare con l'odio più passionale i suoi nemici。Le sue decisioni impulsive sono causa dei momenti di successo come pure della sua prevedibile rovina e per assurdo， pur avendo ben chiari gli errori di quest'uomo， il lettore non potrà evitare di provare pena per lui。 In un testo costellato da innumerevoli riferimenti e citazioni alla Bibbia， Henchard si erge come un personaggio del Vecchio Testamento， tanto che i suoi momenti più iconici sono pregni di una forza narrativa tipicamente biblica: quando giura solennemente di rinunciare al bere， quando accetta la rivelazione nel messaggio di Susan come un crudele scherzo del destino， quando si umilia di fronte ai suoi creditori offrendo tutto ciò che riesce a trovare nelle tasche。 Una potenza narrativa tale da rendere eroico un personaggio in fondo dipinto come malvagio non può lasciare indifferenti。 。。。more
Lorna
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Best thought on understanding the motives of another person:"。。。for in such cases we attribute to an enemy a power of consistent action which we never find in ourselves or in our friends; and forget that abortive efforts from want of heart are as possible to revenge as to generosity。"So very melodromatic。 Once was enough。 Best thought on understanding the motives of another person:"。。。for in such cases we attribute to an enemy a power of consistent action which we never find in ourselves or in our friends; and forget that abortive efforts from want of heart are as possible to revenge as to generosity。"So very melodromatic。 Once was enough。 。。。more
Kimberly Lou
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I give this one 3。5 stars。 An interesting showing of what can happen when people are selfish and hide the truth from others。
Bec D
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This is the saddest book I have ever read。 It stayed with me for days。 I felt such pity for Michael Henchard。 Many of us suffer shame and humiliation from low self-worth and it is so painful to see what happens when you think you are nothing: you behave badly and your worse fears come to pass。 A beautiful story of a tragic hero。
Kimberly Johnson
，
3。5/5 StarsThis was an interesting story showing how deception and selfishness can ruin the lives of others as well as ourselves。 There were quite a few twists and turns that I didn't see coming。 However， the backdrop of the story wasn't quite as interesting as I would have liked。 Still， an interesting read。 3。5/5 StarsThis was an interesting story showing how deception and selfishness can ruin the lives of others as well as ourselves。 There were quite a few twists and turns that I didn't see coming。 However， the backdrop of the story wasn't quite as interesting as I would have liked。 Still， an interesting read。 。。。more
Nectar Terzian
，
Ο δήμαρχος του Κάστερμπριτζ Ο δήμαρχος του Κάστερμπριτζ 。。。more
Rachel
，
On the shelf this appealed to me less than Tess or Far From The Madding Crowd， but I ended up liking it a bit more than those because Thomas Hardy could not write women。
Mehdi
，
رواية ممتعة، وما زادها متعة الحبكة المتقنة بعناية والأحداث المرتبطة والمتسلسلة بشكل عبقري。 بعض الأحداث في الرواية كانت سريعة بحيث يمر شهر من الزمن في فصل واحد، وقد يحدث أكثر من حدث مهم في صفحة واحدة، بينما يتم حكاية حدث آخر في فصل كامل。تسود الرواية أجواء سنوات 1886 حيث قد يشعر بها القارئ عند قرائته لتفاصيل الرواية كملابس الشخصيات، العربات، النزل، النبيذ، المشروبات الكحولية، العملات القديمة، التجارة السائدة （الحنطة）، السوق، محلات في خيام الريف، الطاحونة 。。。 وغيرها。تناقش الرواية العديد من المواضيع رواية ممتعة، وما زادها متعة الحبكة المتقنة بعناية والأحداث المرتبطة والمتسلسلة بشكل عبقري。 بعض الأحداث في الرواية كانت سريعة بحيث يمر شهر من الزمن في فصل واحد، وقد يحدث أكثر من حدث مهم في صفحة واحدة، بينما يتم حكاية حدث آخر في فصل كامل。تسود الرواية أجواء سنوات 1886 حيث قد يشعر بها القارئ عند قرائته لتفاصيل الرواية كملابس الشخصيات، العربات، النزل، النبيذ، المشروبات الكحولية، العملات القديمة، التجارة السائدة （الحنطة）، السوق، محلات في خيام الريف، الطاحونة 。。。 وغيرها。تناقش الرواية العديد من المواضيع كالفقر، الغنى، الحقد، الحسد، الزواج، الحب، علاقة الأب بابنته، التجارة، العائلات النبيلة 。。。 لكن ما يهم من بين كل هذه المواضيع هو موضوع "الماضي" وموضوع "الحظ"。فهل يمكن أن ننسى الماضي؟ وما العواقب التي قد تؤثرها أفعال الماضي عن حاضرنا؟ وماذا عن الحظ؟ هل يلعب الحظ دورا في تحديد مسار حياتنا؟ هل حياتنا كلها عبارة عن حظ قد تم في الماضي؟ وهل يجب أن نتقبل هذا الحظ؟ أو أن نفسر به حياتنا؟ 。。。 وغيرها الكثير من الأسئلة التي تجيب عنها الرواية بأسلوبها الخاص。 。。。more
Douglas Milewski
，
Back in college， I first attempted The Mayor of Casterbridge （1886） by Thomas Hardy in my senior year as part of my 19th Century English Literature class。 I didn't get far， and I wound up sliding by using information gleaned from class。 Several decades later， I tried again to no avail。 This time， I went the audiobook route， and that worked out better， if you can define the experience as better。I'll be honest。 This read like pastoral fanfic。 I don't use that term lightly。 The novel features jarri Back in college， I first attempted The Mayor of Casterbridge （1886） by Thomas Hardy in my senior year as part of my 19th Century English Literature class。 I didn't get far， and I wound up sliding by using information gleaned from class。 Several decades later， I tried again to no avail。 This time， I went the audiobook route， and that worked out better， if you can define the experience as better。I'll be honest。 This read like pastoral fanfic。 I don't use that term lightly。 The novel features jarring characterizations， unfathomable decision making， plots twists that rely on retcons， and a Mary Sue。This was originally a serial， and you can tell。 While I greatly enjoy the art form， Hardy didn't have the form down。 It felt positively amateurish。The book itself functions like a soap opera， with characters titting and tatting back at each other， one poor decision leading to other poor retaliations， all of which beg most sorts of sense。I would not imagine that this would be a notable part of the English lexicon if you handed this to me cold。 I don't despise this in the way that I despise Milton， I more pity it， believing that it deserves a quick euthanasia。This novel does have a few uses。 The town follows after pre-industrial England。 In this way， in depicts aspects of village life in a way that few books do。 That makes this book a primary source， the writer knowing this culture directly。 Since much fantasy is essentially based on the English rural tradition， this is fodder for the writer and creator。Another use for this novel is to learn how to not pants out a story。 There's way to write something like this， so use this novel as your object lesson， learning from this writer's many and frequent bumbles。 This story is your object lesson。 Don't write like this story。I'd love to write an essay on whether Donald Farfrae is a Mary Sue。 He fits the character type by several definitions。 Is he a true Mary Sue， or does he only appear to be one in perspective because everyone else is such a complete idiot？ He's eventually retconned into being a not-Mary Sue because one reasonable character in a small cast of morons sure does make writing hard。Much of the novel works like this: Farfrae does something smart。 Henchard tries to show him up， making his own situation worse。 Finding his situation worse， he hates Farfrrae all the more。As for rich description， don't count on that saving the novel。 You'll find yourself flailing in the quicksand of tedium。 Was it worth it？ My gut had it right on the first try， no， this novel wasn't worth it。 。。。more
Glenn
，
I've long loved Hardy's poetry but back when I was an undergrad （not that I ever got to grad） I found his prose impenetrable。 It's not。 This is an astonishing and heartbreaking novel。 I've long loved Hardy's poetry but back when I was an undergrad （not that I ever got to grad） I found his prose impenetrable。 It's not。 This is an astonishing and heartbreaking novel。 。。。more
_soulfullynelly_
，
This is the first Thomas Hardy book I've rated so low and even I am shocked。 Unlike the other books I've read by Hardy， I found this one easily forgettable which， again， is very shocking because I find Hardy's characters and plotlines compelling - who can forget Eustacia， Wildeve and the Reddleman from The Return of the Native？ Or Tess from Tess of the d'Urbervilles？ Or goodness， Bathsheba from Far from the Madding Crowd？？ All these I have found to be memorable characters but Elizabeth Jane， Far This is the first Thomas Hardy book I've rated so low and even I am shocked。 Unlike the other books I've read by Hardy， I found this one easily forgettable which， again， is very shocking because I find Hardy's characters and plotlines compelling - who can forget Eustacia， Wildeve and the Reddleman from The Return of the Native？ Or Tess from Tess of the d'Urbervilles？ Or goodness， Bathsheba from Far from the Madding Crowd？？ All these I have found to be memorable characters but Elizabeth Jane， Farfrae， Lucetta？？ So forgettable。 Even the main character Henchard is forgettable。 Don't get me wrong， the writing is good， the plot is tragic （this is Hardy after all） but it just felt so fast paced， I had barely caught my breath from a plot twist before another was sprung upon me and I like it when Hardy spends more time building tension and then having that one moment where everything just tips over with a character dying/secrets being revealed but this was tense from the beginning then character death， plot twist， plot twist， plot twist， plot twist， character death， plot twist reveal。 Meh， it didn't appeal to me。。。。and that one male character did not deserve that female character ugh。。 。。。more
Melanie Galea
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Definitely a 5 star read！ For my first Hardy book， I wasn't sure what to expect but if I did have any expectations of this book， they would have sure been lower than my final verdict of this novel。 I have never cried while reading a book。。。 before this one。 The ending was one that was expected to a certain degree but nonetheless still powerful and heartwrenching。 Definitely a 5 star read！ For my first Hardy book， I wasn't sure what to expect but if I did have any expectations of this book， they would have sure been lower than my final verdict of this novel。 I have never cried while reading a book。。。 before this one。 The ending was one that was expected to a certain degree but nonetheless still powerful and heartwrenching。 。。。more
Antoaneta
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I tried really hard to finish it， but it was unbearable。
ada
，
4 stars instead of 5 solely for the fact that i need to write a weird project on this book lol
Ainsley
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sucked
Ángela
，
I loooved this！ A few chapters on the second half were a bit boring but apart from that it was amazing。 Thomas Hardy’s plot twits are something else。
Jade
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3。5/5
Gleb
，
6/10 - Fine
Melissandre
，
I read a lot of classic literature and I love so many older books to give some context with my review。 I’m surprised how generous the reviews are for this and so many books on goodreads。 I understand them for marketing purposes for living authors but Thomas Hardy cannot hear our dissent。 My sister warned me after finishing Madding Crowd that Hardy doesn’t understand women。 I would go one step further and say he doesn’t understand women to the detriment of his work。 He can write but his choice of I read a lot of classic literature and I love so many older books to give some context with my review。 I’m surprised how generous the reviews are for this and so many books on goodreads。 I understand them for marketing purposes for living authors but Thomas Hardy cannot hear our dissent。 My sister warned me after finishing Madding Crowd that Hardy doesn’t understand women。 I would go one step further and say he doesn’t understand women to the detriment of his work。 He can write but his choice of protagonist is odd。 Surely the witchy Elizabeth Jane was a far more interesting choice as the center of this book。 Anyone else agree？ 。。。more
Sakib Ahmed
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One of the first books i read as a child。 Maybe it was not for a child。 But it moved me deeply。 Read it many times and wept。 But that's how children are right！ They empathize with the world untill the world makes them indifferent。 Though read it a long time ago， i am sure it is a decent read。 One of the first books i read as a child。 Maybe it was not for a child。 But it moved me deeply。 Read it many times and wept。 But that's how children are right！ They empathize with the world untill the world makes them indifferent。 Though read it a long time ago， i am sure it is a decent read。 。。。more
tortoise dreams
，
The Mayor of Casterbridge seems to be Hardy experimenting with tragedy。 We have the mighty but flawed Mayor， striving to be better but incapable。 These days we would've had more explanation of his childhood and education。 Fundamentally good （in a fight to the death he literally ties one arm behind his back; he settles an annuity on a child he can't stand）， he's still capable of terrible lies and other acts。 But when he intends to do harm， he can't。 Hugely changeable。 Like Hercules， his strength The Mayor of Casterbridge seems to be Hardy experimenting with tragedy。 We have the mighty but flawed Mayor， striving to be better but incapable。 These days we would've had more explanation of his childhood and education。 Fundamentally good （in a fight to the death he literally ties one arm behind his back; he settles an annuity on a child he can't stand）， he's still capable of terrible lies and other acts。 But when he intends to do harm， he can't。 Hugely changeable。 Like Hercules， his strength is no match for the weapons arrayed against him: his nature and fate。 The reader doesn't so much feel sorry for the Mayor， many of his problems come from his own acts， as continually hoping that he'll do better next time -- and there are many next times as the novel seemed to verge on soap opera。 I characterize it that way based on the many overheard conversations， coincidences， secret pasts， sudden perils， love triangles， etc。 Only Hardy's bleak view of the universe saves it。 The more I consider the novel， however， the more it offers。 This is not a novel of manners， societal norms are repeatedly blasted， courtesy is not a strong point， there're no gentry （a "Royal Personage" does make an appearance， though）。 This is one strong but ill-equipped person battling to rise up， seemingly an outdated theme， but is striving ever far from the human condition。 。。。more
Susan
，
Set in Victorian Dorchester， Dorset （Hardy's Casterbridge， Wessex） tells the story of the Michael Henchard's career in the hay and corn business to eventually become the mayor of Casterbridge。 The story turns on the "sale" of his wife （Susan） to a sailor （Richard Newson） at an agricultural fair （Weyhill） and the unfortunate consequences for his family including step-daughter （Elizabeth-Jane）， business associate （Donald Farfrae） and a former romantic partner， Lucetta Templeton from Jersey。 Themes Set in Victorian Dorchester， Dorset （Hardy's Casterbridge， Wessex） tells the story of the Michael Henchard's career in the hay and corn business to eventually become the mayor of Casterbridge。 The story turns on the "sale" of his wife （Susan） to a sailor （Richard Newson） at an agricultural fair （Weyhill） and the unfortunate consequences for his family including step-daughter （Elizabeth-Jane）， business associate （Donald Farfrae） and a former romantic partner， Lucetta Templeton from Jersey。 Themes include Greek tragedy， women's issues， social conventions and rural life。 One of the most fascinating parts is the sequence of secrets connecting past relationships， parentage and hidden locations。 It's sad that Micheal Henchard had difficulty managing the financial side （abstract concepts） of his business due， in part， to his lack of education and his unpleasant personality。 Also， that the social conventions， embraced with a lack of understanding， empathy and flexibility， are powerless against the lives of innocent children "nameless infants" and especially detrimental to women （coquette） over men and their double standards。On the other hand， I really like Elizabeth-Jane's steadfast character that includes her interest in reading and concern for others。 But even she does not escape a sense of remorse when it comes to her relationship with Michael Henchard。 This is a sadness that seems to touch all of our lives。Life's vagaries are also touched upon in the town's poorer inhabitants （Mixen Lane） including changing social positions from solid working people to less desirable situations such as poachers。 。。。more
Bob
，
Another great book no one seems to read。 Hardy dives into how youthful mistakes could come back to haunt you and how society loves to tear down its heroes。 Interesting character-study driven story I've read twice。 I also recommend the BBC miniseries。 Another great book no one seems to read。 Hardy dives into how youthful mistakes could come back to haunt you and how society loves to tear down its heroes。 Interesting character-study driven story I've read twice。 I also recommend the BBC miniseries。 。。。more
Larry
，