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Under the Greenwood Tree

Under the Greenwood Tree

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  • Create Date：2021-05-20 10:54:23
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Thomas Hardy
  • ISBN：1853262277
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Summary

With an Introduction and Notes by Dr Claire Seymour， University of Kent at Canterbury。

Under the Greenwood Tree is Hardy's most bright， confident and optimistic novel。 This delightful portrayal of a picturesque rural society， tinged with gentle humour and quiet irony， established Hardy as a writer。

However， the novel is not merely a charming rural idyll。 The double-plot， in which the love story of Dick Dewey and Fancy Day is inter-related with a tragic chapter in the history of Mellstock Choir， hints at the poignant disappearance of a long-lived and highly-valued traditional way of life。

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Reviews

HerbieGrandma ，

I enjoyed the many varied characters in this book。 Loved being engulfed in a love story in a simpler time。

Chambers Stevens ，

I read Tess first。 Bleak。Then I read Under the Greenwood Tree。It was near the holidays and it felt like the first Hallmark movie。 Really enjoyed it。

bella gaia ，

The second of Hardy’s novels， and the first Wessex novel， this is really more of a fleshed-out sketch than a narrative of any kind。 Nonetheless， the richness of Hardy’s prose makes this well-worth reading; Hardy is able to describe， with considerable skill， the kind of fleeting emotions that everyone feels but I’m sure almost no one can describe （albeit there is probably a German word for each one）。 This whole book has the feeling of watching scenes of life through a cottage window。 There are so The second of Hardy’s novels， and the first Wessex novel， this is really more of a fleshed-out sketch than a narrative of any kind。 Nonetheless， the richness of Hardy’s prose makes this well-worth reading; Hardy is able to describe， with considerable skill， the kind of fleeting emotions that everyone feels but I’m sure almost no one can describe （albeit there is probably a German word for each one）。 This whole book has the feeling of watching scenes of life through a cottage window。 There are some interesting dynamics that play out through the course of the novel， namely that between the forces of tradition and modernisation， but in terms of anything but prose this book pales in comparison to Hardy’s later works。 。。。more

Meredith McCaskey ，

I read it because I’ve liked all the other Hardy books I’ve read， but this one did not measure up at all。

Hannah ，

This was a very sweet， funny little novel with a colorful， likeable cast of characters。 What it lacks in Hardy's usual gravitas， it makes up for in being endearing as all heck。 While billed as a romance， and certainly featuring a lot of courting between the two main characters， it is also an atmospheric portrait of small-village life， and the relationships between the old grandfathers were as lovingly depicted as between the young lovers。 An enjoyable， relaxed little read。 This was a very sweet， funny little novel with a colorful， likeable cast of characters。 What it lacks in Hardy's usual gravitas， it makes up for in being endearing as all heck。 While billed as a romance， and certainly featuring a lot of courting between the two main characters， it is also an atmospheric portrait of small-village life， and the relationships between the old grandfathers were as lovingly depicted as between the young lovers。 An enjoyable， relaxed little read。 。。。more

Molly ，

Well， that was decidedly pleasant。 Fantastic audio version read by Robert Hardy。

Bec D ，

A delightful， small charming read - small in stature compared to Thomas Hardy’s other books and themes。 And there’s a happy ending！ Not easy to read because of the country lingo。 His first in the Wessex series - the books reference characters and places from each other。

Emmett ，

A short list of things I have enjoyed listening to more than this over the past week:1。 the goose that constantly screams outside of my apartment2。 the man who yells at the goose to get out of the road3。 the tiny puppy trapped in its tiny cage outside that barks all day4。 the police going by in their cop-vehicle yelling at people to follow covid restrictions5。 the deafening train going by in the middle of the night6。 my upstairs neighbor dropping things7。 my pregnant coworker flying into a hormo A short list of things I have enjoyed listening to more than this over the past week:1。 the goose that constantly screams outside of my apartment2。 the man who yells at the goose to get out of the road3。 the tiny puppy trapped in its tiny cage outside that barks all day4。 the police going by in their cop-vehicle yelling at people to follow covid restrictions5。 the deafening train going by in the middle of the night6。 my upstairs neighbor dropping things7。 my pregnant coworker flying into a hormonal rage and yelling "I AM NOT THE FUCKING MAILMAN" to someone over the phone8。 Men I Trust- Oncle Jazz album9。 Literally everything else that was not this。 Boring-ass story + Most annoying narrator ever = Plz help 。。。more

Dafne ，

Sotto gli alberi è il secondo romanzo della bibliografia di Thomas Hardy。 L'autore lo scrisse nel 1872 ma lo rimaneggiò periodicamente fino al 1912， forse perché， secondo me， non era pienamente soddisfatto della sua opera。Il romanzo si apre il giorno della vigilia di Natale e come ogni anno il coro della chiesa di Mellstock， piccolo villaggio del Wessex， attraversa le stradine del centro abitato e si ferma sotto ogni casa per allietare gli abitanti con canti natalizi。 Tra gli edifici presso cui Sotto gli alberi è il secondo romanzo della bibliografia di Thomas Hardy。 L'autore lo scrisse nel 1872 ma lo rimaneggiò periodicamente fino al 1912， forse perché， secondo me， non era pienamente soddisfatto della sua opera。Il romanzo si apre il giorno della vigilia di Natale e come ogni anno il coro della chiesa di Mellstock， piccolo villaggio del Wessex， attraversa le stradine del centro abitato e si ferma sotto ogni casa per allietare gli abitanti con canti natalizi。 Tra gli edifici presso cui si fermano vi è la scuola dove si affaccia alla finestra la nuova direttrice， la giovane Fancy Day。 Dick Dewey， un giovane suonatore di violino e membro del coro， rimane colpito dalla bellezza della giovane Fancy e se ne innamora a prima vista。 La bellezza di Fancy， le sue doti musicali e la sua eleganza， non hanno colpito solo il giovane Dewey nel villaggio di Mellstock ma anche Mr Shiner， un ricco agricoltore e amministratore della Chiesa e anche il nuovo vicario， il giovane e intraprendente Mr Maybold che， istigato da Mr Shiner， è intenzionato a sostituire il coro e i suoi anziani membri con un organo meccanico。 Questa novità turba la quiete del villaggio e i componenti del coro （considerato da sempre un istituzione dagli abitati del villaggio） cercano di opporsi in tutti i modi al volere del nuovo vicario。。。Il romanzo è interamente ambientato nella campagna inglese ed è scandito dalle quattro stagioni; quattro parti che compongono il romanzo， in cui la storia d'amore tra il giovane Dick e la bella direttrice si affianca alla battaglia intrapresa dal coro della chiesa。 L'arrivo di un organo meccanico in chiesa è la metafora del cambiamento dei tempi; infatti nel villaggio di Mellstock il ritmo della vita è scandito dalle stagioni e dalla natura （come sempre descritta magnificamente dall'autore）。 Il libro copre l'arco di tempo di un anno e seguiamo di stagione in stagione attraverso corteggiamenti， gelosie， balli， canti e chiacchiere tra amici le vicende degli abitanti del piccolo paese descritti con grande ironia dallo scrittore inglese。I due protagonisti principali del romanzo sono Dick e Fancy， che confesso non mi hanno suscitato molta simpatia。 Dick è un giovane ragazzo di ventuno anni， semplice， ingenuo， impacciato， timido， spesso infantile e immaturo， che agisce e combina guai ma possiede una forte determinazione che lo porterà a raggiungere lo scopo che si era prefissato。 In lui non ho scorto nessuna traccia di crescita o di evoluzione， Dick rimane per tutto il romanzo un ragazzo buono e immaturo che non si accorge della disonestà della sua amata anche quando questa è palese。Fancy Day è una protagonista abbastanza antipatica e probabilmente una delle protagoniste femminili più sciocche che abbia mai incontrato; una civetta piena di sé， altezzosa， sciocca， vanitosa， volubile， egoista， frivola， capricciosa， superficiale， egocentrica， immatura; oltre l'aspetto esteriore c'è il nulla。 Per Fancy essere ammirata – soprattutto dal genere maschile – conta più di ogni altra cosa。 Il suo comportamento l'ho trovato talmente odioso che l'avrei volentieri presa a schiaffi dall'inizio alla fine del libro。 Sotto gli alberi è un affresco del mondo contadino; di luoghi， personaggi， usanze e tradizioni della campagna inglese prima della rivoluzione industriale; un mondo con i suoi usi e costumi， composto da tante tradizioni e poche innovazioni， che si incrina e cede inesorabilmente all'avanzare della modernità。 Un romanzo dall'atmosfera bucolica e allegra; leggero， superficiale， ironico， fresco e divertente， in cui lo stile dell'autore è sicuramente più acerbo; la storia è breve e lineare， i dialoghi e le descrizioni sono evocative， l'approfondimento psicologico è però del tutto assente perché nessun personaggio， nel corso della narrazione， subisce una crescita， una maturazione。Questo romanzo breve， in cui sembra accadere tutto eppure non accade niente， non è all'altezza delle altre opere di Hardy e in esso non ho trovato quel pathos e quel coinvolgimento che mi hanno fatto innamorare della sua prosa; infatti non ha i tratti cupi e pessimisti tipici dei romanzi più maturi anzi sono rimasta un po' spiazzata perché ho trovato un Hardy atipico， più leggero e allegro del solito a cui decisamente non sono abituata。Considerato dai lettori il suo romanzo più ottimista， apparentemente leggero e scherzoso， a fine lettura ho， invece， percepito un sottile senso di malinconia per il passato che si allontana e che， inesorabilmente， viene sostituito dal nuovo che avanza; anche il lieto fine mi ha lasciato un retrogusto agrodolce in bocca， poiché l'inizio della vita insieme della coppia protagonista inizia con una bugia （come se l'autore ci dicesse che non è tutto oro quello che luccica）; questo mi ha trasmesso una sorta di amarezza perché ho percepito la presenza di un'ombra che aleggia sul futuro dei novelli sposi。 Per gli abitanti del bosco ogni specie di albero ha una sua voce e un suo aspetto。 […] E l'inverno， che modifica i suoni di questi alberi col disperderne le foglie， non può privarli della loro individualità。 。。。more

Susan Zinner ，

Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars on this Thomas Hardy book; this is clearly an early effort。 I count "The Mayor of Casterbridge" as one of my all-time faves; this one feels sweet and a little underdeveloped in terms of plot。 It's primarily a romance--with lots of English country nature scenes--where a young woman has to choose between three very different suitors。 This is a big deal in a tiny English town。 Sweet， but a little unfulfilling。 Hardy clearly learned how to flex his writing muscles and Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars on this Thomas Hardy book; this is clearly an early effort。 I count "The Mayor of Casterbridge" as one of my all-time faves; this one feels sweet and a little underdeveloped in terms of plot。 It's primarily a romance--with lots of English country nature scenes--where a young woman has to choose between three very different suitors。 This is a big deal in a tiny English town。 Sweet， but a little unfulfilling。 Hardy clearly learned how to flex his writing muscles and moved on to greater things。。。 。。。more

Antenna ，

On a cold and starry Christmas Eve in 1850s Wessex， or a thinly disguised rural Dorset， the Mellstock Church “Quire” of fiddlers and singers keep up the time-honoured tradition of carolling their way round the scattered hamlets of the parish， to a mixed reception。 Farmer Shiner bawls at them to shut up， which only incites them to play even louder， the young vicar murmurs his thanks without getting out of bed， and pretty new schoolmistress Fancy Day poses in her window with a candle， captivating On a cold and starry Christmas Eve in 1850s Wessex， or a thinly disguised rural Dorset， the Mellstock Church “Quire” of fiddlers and singers keep up the time-honoured tradition of carolling their way round the scattered hamlets of the parish， to a mixed reception。 Farmer Shiner bawls at them to shut up， which only incites them to play even louder， the young vicar murmurs his thanks without getting out of bed， and pretty new schoolmistress Fancy Day poses in her window with a candle， captivating the tranter’s （carrier’s） son Dick Dewey。 The course of their love affair forms the main theme， but the secondary one of the vicar’s desire to replace the quire with a modern cabinet organ to be played by none other than Fancy Day， is no less important since it reflects the changes in society which are gathering pace as old habits wither away， and strong communities are ruptured as people begin to drift to the towns for work。There is in fact relatively little about this trend in the novel， despite Hardy’s interest in social and political matters。 Having had his first novel rejected as likely to alienate readers with its radical ideas， Hardy played safe with “Under the Greenwood Tree”， intended as a “study of rural life”， the motley local characters， with their pithy， quirky observations in the local dialect， forming a humorous background to the romance。 So， it forms a sharp contrast to Hardy’s subsequent gripping but progressively more bleakly tragic novels:“The Mayor of Casterbridge”; “Tess of the D’Urbervilles” and “Jude the Obscure。”Years later， Hardy seemed to regret having written “so lightly， so farcically and flippantly at times” rather than develop a deeper study of the group of musicians， who are portrayed as somewhat two-dimensional comical characters， as indicated by the description of their silhouettes against the sky as they gather to sing at Christmas Eve。 The novel is strongest in its vivid description of rural life: the closeknit community with the tranter throwing his cottage open for an uproarious Christmas party with dancing; the tolerant inclusion of the “simple-minded” Thomas Leaf， although he serves a useful purpose in being the only one able to sing a “top G”， the smoking out of the bees to gather their honey， at which Head Keeper’s daughter Fanny is still adept despite having been educated “to be a lady”。 With echoes of Hardy’s poems， there are many striking images of the countryside such as the distinctive sounds made by different trees in the opening paragraph: the fir trees rock， the holly whistles and the “ash hisses amid its quiverings”。The possibility of tragedy in the book’s climax and the final sentence with its twist of ambiguity give hints of Hardy’s darker later masterpieces。 。。。more

Lee W Adams ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is rather an odd but entertaining little story。 Dick Dewy and Fancy Day stumble and bumble their way into a marriage that is almost certainly going to be a recipe for disaster。 They are so eager to marry， and all those around them are so eager to have them marry， that they are oblivious to reality。 The story ends on their wedding day so Hardy never needs to show us the couple's self inflicted lifetime of misery。 This is rather an odd but entertaining little story。 Dick Dewy and Fancy Day stumble and bumble their way into a marriage that is almost certainly going to be a recipe for disaster。 They are so eager to marry， and all those around them are so eager to have them marry， that they are oblivious to reality。 The story ends on their wedding day so Hardy never needs to show us the couple's self inflicted lifetime of misery。 。。。more

Sammy ，

This was very。。。 fluffy， for Hardy。 A couple of minor hiccoughs on the way to HEA， but nothing like his usual litany of misery。It's also not as captivating as his other work。 Make of that what you will。 This was very。。。 fluffy， for Hardy。 A couple of minor hiccoughs on the way to HEA， but nothing like his usual litany of misery。It's also not as captivating as his other work。 Make of that what you will。 。。。more

Matthew ，

Under the Greenwood Tree has the distinction of being Thomas Hardy’s first Wessex novel。 It was the second published work， his first book being turned down for publication， and his second being published but failing to make money。This time Hardy went for something nostalgic， the travails of the musicians who support the Mellstock parish choir。 Nowadays the idea of a band of musicians travelling the region seems like some lovable part of the past， replaced by concert halls， DVDs， and changing tas Under the Greenwood Tree has the distinction of being Thomas Hardy’s first Wessex novel。 It was the second published work， his first book being turned down for publication， and his second being published but failing to make money。This time Hardy went for something nostalgic， the travails of the musicians who support the Mellstock parish choir。 Nowadays the idea of a band of musicians travelling the region seems like some lovable part of the past， replaced by concert halls， DVDs， and changing tastes in music。 How many people nowadays want to hear religious music on strings from a local band of this kind？Perhaps not that many in Hardy’s day either， and the writer was already describing a tradition that was passing away。 The fiddlers and singers are performing before an increasingly unenthusiastic audience。 While performing outside the houses of local people， they meet with apathetic and hostile responses。Even within the church their dominance is threatened。 There is a new taste for wind instruments。 Added to which， a female organist is being favoured over the band， partly because the new vicar is attracted to her。Hardy seems more interested in the portrayal of the musicians than in any other part of the story， but inevitably he must put them to one side eventually， and concentrate on a storyline that has a clearer destination。This story concerns one of the musicians， Dick Dewy， who has conceived a passion for the schoolmistress， Fancy Day。 Fancy is from a better class of people than Dick， a problem in terms of getting her father’s consent。 However the real problem is Fancy’s flighty nature。Her name seems appropriate here。 Her fancies do indeed change by the day， and she variously strings along Dick， the wealthy farmer shiner and the vicar， Maybold。 Being a Hardy novel where any arrangement can be upset， the reader will probably not rest until they have seen Dick and Fancy successfully married， and perhaps not even then。 I won’t reveal what happens at the end， but Hardy includes a little sly irony。Storyline matters little here。 What Hardy is mostly interested in is atmosphere。 Indeed the book’s secondary title is ‘A Rural Painting of the Dutch School’， reflecting the static nature of the book。 Hardy provides evocative descriptions of the seasons， and the first four sections of the book match up to a different season。There is also an attempt to present local life within the village of Mellstock。 Hardy’s portrayal is affectionate but has perhaps the superiority of the educated man over local uneducated folk。 His villagers are simple and comical folk。 Still Hardy’s portrayal is no more condescending than Louis de Berniere’s portrayal of Greek life in Captain Corelli’s Mandolin。Under the Greenwood Tree offers up an innocent life of beekeeping， farming， musicianship and courting。 The modern reader might find it hard to repress a smile at chapter titles such as ‘Going Nutting’， but more shame to us。This is one of Hardy’s shorter works， and essentially a potboiler。 However for those who are not attracted to Hardy’s more brooding and pessimistic works， this good-natured and affectionate portrayal of rural life might be more appealing。 。。。more

Danada ，

3 stars - mostly for the wonderful descriptions of landscapes and the peek into the village life and characters。 There wasn’t much of a story， truthfully I didn’t like Fanny and Dick seemed a bit stalker-ish in the beginning。 The two of them together sounds like a recipe for disaster。。。 but maybe they will defy the odds and have a happily ever after life ;）

Holly ，

“Can Hardy DO a happy story？？” she inquired。 “Yes， it’s called ‘Under the Greenwood Tree。’” The best parts are Hardy’s attention to the common English agricultural working man: small town， quaint， communal， and religious。

Poiema ，

This is the fourth Hardy title I have read， and it stands apart from the others as being shorter and happier。 I always find Hardy causes me to slow down， to savor his evocative landscape descriptions and his beautiful language。 He seems especially fascinated with trees， which I noted in the Woodlanders， but also in this book （evidenced by the title）。 His masterful language makes them a vibrant backdrop for his stories。This book has two simple plots intertwined。 The one pertaining to a rustic Eng This is the fourth Hardy title I have read， and it stands apart from the others as being shorter and happier。 I always find Hardy causes me to slow down， to savor his evocative landscape descriptions and his beautiful language。 He seems especially fascinated with trees， which I noted in the Woodlanders， but also in this book （evidenced by the title）。 His masterful language makes them a vibrant backdrop for his stories。This book has two simple plots intertwined。 The one pertaining to a rustic English choir （spelled "quire" the old fashioned way）， and the other a sweet little romance。 Country churches were modernizing and obtaining organs， which threatened the age-old role that the simple country musicians  played in the rural church services， weddings， funerals， etc。 I listened to this book on Librovox， and the narrator was spot on in her management of the rural dialect。 It was delightful！ The musicians were rendered so alive， full of fun and enjoying their barrels of drink and sharing their lives， as well as their music。 The winter scene， in which they trudged from house to house singing Christmas carols， was one of my favorite scenes。The romance was fun， too， as three young men were vying for the hand of the pretty schoolteacher， named Fancy。 There were little teasings and manipulations that created just the right amount of tension， and ended so happily under the Greenwood tree。 。。。more

Kristina ，

Cross-posted from my blog: http://quietandbusy。blogspot。comFor the 19th Century Novel prompt in the Back to the Classics Challenge， I decided to go with one of the shorter novels left on the Classics Club list， Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy。 This wasn't my first time with a Hardy novel; I read Jude the Obscure in 2019 and I'm pretty sure I've read a few others from before my blogging days that I no longer remember。 Jude was one of the most shocking and depressing classics I have ever Cross-posted from my blog: http://quietandbusy。blogspot。comFor the 19th Century Novel prompt in the Back to the Classics Challenge， I decided to go with one of the shorter novels left on the Classics Club list， Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy。 This wasn't my first time with a Hardy novel; I read Jude the Obscure in 2019 and I'm pretty sure I've read a few others from before my blogging days that I no longer remember。 Jude was one of the most shocking and depressing classics I have ever read， but I knew going into this one that it would be much lighter fare。 The summary on the back of the book promised a romantic comedy， so I settled in for a quick and （hopefully enjoyable） read。The plot of the novel follows a handful of people， but mainly Dick Dewey， a young man living in a small country town named Mellstock。 Dick sings in the church choir and helps him father run a hauling business。 He hadn't thought much about romance or settling down until a new young schoolteacher named Fancy Day comes to town。 Instantly smitten， he begins a clumsy attempt at courtship。 He is not alone in his affections， however。 Fancy's beauty has also caught the eye of a prominent local farmer named Mr。 Shinar and the town preacher， Mr。 Maybold。 From a practical point of view， Dick is the least desirable of Fancy's suitors。 He is the poorest and least refined of the bunch。 He has the most heart， however， and won't be deterred in his mission to beat his rivals and win his true love's heart。The novel is divided into sections by season and takes place over the course of a little more than a year。 It is pastoral， sweet， and charming， with most of the action focusing on Dick's nervousness and his awkward attempts to woo Fancy。 A few subplots concerning the other suitor's efforts and the replacement of the church choir with a new organ are included as well， and these sections of the novel are similarly lighthearted and sprinkled with small town humor and eccentricities。 Hardy's writing is beautiful and easy to read， as is usual for him， and at just over 150 pages， the story is easy to digest。Overall， this novel was okay for me。 While it was well written and full of charm， it was also very shallow。 There was very little character development and the plot was extremely straightforward。 Any difficulties the characters had were cleared up within a couple of pages， so there was no sense of tension or suspense。 I felt no connection to anything going on in the story， and once I realized this， I was just reading to finish。 It's a cute story but that's all。Aspects of this haven't aged particularly well either。 Of course， this is a reflection of the time period and readers of classics know to expect these kinds of things in older texts。 I'm not criticizing Under the Greenwood Tree for that; it did limit my enjoyment of it though。 A lot of the humor is centered around female stereotypes， like women being difficult， expensive， flighty， etc。 Fancy's personality was a reflection of this。 She was silly， vain， and indecisive， and conformed to all of the stereotypes the male characters in the text joked about so freely。 By the end of the story， the main characters are happy， but no one has really learned anything--especially not the reader。 This is all okay， of course。 Not every novel has to contain a serious message or emotional moments。 When I read， however， I like to have those things。 Ultimately， I thought this novel was forgettable， but I'm still glad to have read another of Thomas Hardy's works。 I still have Tess of the d'Urbervilles on my Classics Club list， and I think I'm going to like that one more。 。。。more

Tom ，

This early Hardy novel made me think a little of The Vicar of Dibley - that's how good-natured the whole affair is。 It came as a bit of a shock， used as I am to grim Hardy novels featuring rape， murder and general unhappiness。 A very pleasant shock。Hardy relies on whimsical depictions of nature in creating his idyllic pastoral landscape， decorating it with earthy villagers spouting demotic wisdom in West Country dialect。 The love affair at the novel's heart evolves through the four seasons， givi This early Hardy novel made me think a little of The Vicar of Dibley - that's how good-natured the whole affair is。 It came as a bit of a shock， used as I am to grim Hardy novels featuring rape， murder and general unhappiness。 A very pleasant shock。Hardy relies on whimsical depictions of nature in creating his idyllic pastoral landscape， decorating it with earthy villagers spouting demotic wisdom in West Country dialect。 The love affair at the novel's heart evolves through the four seasons， giving a flavour of the employment and recreation of small 19th-century communities。As always， Hardy is guilty of gross verbiage and confusing syntax， but the scenes are warmly and tenderly rendered。 You could definitely accuse Under the Greenwood Tree of romanticising country life - the more strikingly because it's such a contrast to miserable depictions of the rural working class in Tess and Jude。 Personally， I'm not immune to a little sentiment。 。。。more

Kathy Nealen ，

Nice little love story with a few twists。

Catka ，

Well， this was surprisingly cheerful， for a Hardy novel :） and no major character or a whole flock of sheep died。

Kate ，

This is one of those rare cases where the movie is better than the book。 Dick Dewey is one of those men who holds women on a pedestal and then is deeply disappointed to find out that women aren't angels， they are human。 Just make up your mind if you like her or not， Dick。 Don't be upset at her for caring about her appearance when her appearance is what caught your eye。 You have not mentioned one reason for loving her other than for how beautiful she is。 These characters have no chemistry。 Why do This is one of those rare cases where the movie is better than the book。 Dick Dewey is one of those men who holds women on a pedestal and then is deeply disappointed to find out that women aren't angels， they are human。 Just make up your mind if you like her or not， Dick。 Don't be upset at her for caring about her appearance when her appearance is what caught your eye。 You have not mentioned one reason for loving her other than for how beautiful she is。 These characters have no chemistry。 Why do they like each other？ Why do they get married？ This Hardy's worst-written female character。 Usually I like how Hardy writes women， but this is my least favorite of his works so far。 Very disappointing。 。。。more

Ірина Фещенко ，

Очікувала більше про драматичну долю життя сільського церковного хору， який поступається місцем органу。 Якось буденно вийшло， як на мене。

Ross ，

Previously， I'd read Tess and Madding Crowd。 This book was a much welcomed， emotional break！ Nice little village love story， once again set within the midst of the beauty of the south western English countryside。Would recommend。 Previously， I'd read Tess and Madding Crowd。 This book was a much welcomed， emotional break！ Nice little village love story， once again set within the midst of the beauty of the south western English countryside。Would recommend。 。。。more

Karen Mosley ，

A cute short story romance set in ye olde England with lots and lots of slang， so you have to pay attention when you’re reading！ I enjoyed the dramatization so wanted to read the original。

Ginette Doyle ，

I had forgotten quite how good this book is！ I really enjoyed re-reading the story of Dick Dewey and Fancy Day and all the characters that inhabit this classic read。

Alice Horncastle Writer ，

‘Under the Greenwood Tree’ is a charming book， though I would call it a ‘novella’ rather than a ‘novel’ as it’s very short。 Hardy is brilliant at characterisation。 The villagers are portrayed with great dialogue and humour， the love story is sweet， and， of course， the Wessex countryside is conveyed beautifully。 It is one of those classics which is still accessible and engaging to read。 I would definitely recommend it。

lucía ，

i want to continue with hardy's works but this one was just not for me i want to continue with hardy's works but this one was just not for me 。。。more

Chelley LC ，

I absolutely love this book。 I've read it many times as it is a sweet love story that has always enchanted me and taken me straight to rural wessex！ I absolutely love this book。 I've read it many times as it is a sweet love story that has always enchanted me and taken me straight to rural wessex！ 。。。more

SillySuzy ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Synopsis:Winter: When the Mellstock choir and its musicians do the rounds of Mellstock and surrounding villages one Christmas Eve to perform their Christmas carols， Richard （or Dick） Dewey， the treble violin player， catches a glimpse of the lovely Miss Fancy Day， the new schoolmistress， and falls head over heels in love with her。Spring: Mr Frederic Shiner， farmer and churchwarden， is also smitten with Miss Day。 He talks the vicar， Mr Arthur Maybold， into replacing the church choir by Miss Day pl Synopsis:Winter: When the Mellstock choir and its musicians do the rounds of Mellstock and surrounding villages one Christmas Eve to perform their Christmas carols， Richard （or Dick） Dewey， the treble violin player， catches a glimpse of the lovely Miss Fancy Day， the new schoolmistress， and falls head over heels in love with her。Spring: Mr Frederic Shiner， farmer and churchwarden， is also smitten with Miss Day。 He talks the vicar， Mr Arthur Maybold， into replacing the church choir by Miss Day playing the new church organ with immediate effect。 The choir demands to stay on until Christmas。 Eventually， a compromise is reached。 The choir is allowed to continue singing in church until Michaelmas （29th of September）。 Dick Dewey becomes very downhearted as he fears he may lose Fancy to either Mr Shiner or Mr Maybold。 He decides to declare his love to Fancy in a letter， but receives no reply。Summer: Dick， a tranter by profession， gives Fancy a ride from Budmouth to Mellstock in his cart。 They stop at an inn along the way to have tea and Dick spontaneously asks Fancy to marry him。 Fancy accepts。 They keep their engagement a secret for three months。 Then Fancy receives a letter from her father， the gamekeeper Geoffrey Day， that he wants her to consider Mr Shiner for a husband。Autumn: As Dick musters up his courage and officially asks Mr Day for Fancy's hand， he is rejected flat out。 After consulting with Elizabeth Endorfield （supposedly a witch）， Fancy tricks her father into giving his consent anyway。 A date is set for midsummer。 Fancy makes her debut as the church organist on a Sunday when Dick is away on business。 The vicar， unaware of Fancy and Dick's engagement， proposes to Fancy。 She says yes， but has second thoughts about it the next day。Conclusion: The wedding goes ahead as planned， Dick being none the wiser about the episode with the vicar。 After the vows in church and the drinking and dancing under the greenwood tree in Yalbury Wood， Dick and Fancy leave for their new cottage。This little gem of a novel， that first appeared in 1872， was a great surprise to me。 It is so different form Hardy's later work （Tess of the D'Urbervilles， The Mayor of Casterbridge and Jude the Obscure for instance， which are all kind of gloomy and sombre， whereas Under The Greenwood Tree is a light and funny story with a happy ending， although Fancy might not be as trustworthy as Dick thinks。 I greatly enjoyed reading this novel。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Under the Greenwood Tree

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Under the Greenwood Tree&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Under the Greenwood Tree&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0