Desperate Remedies
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- Create Date：2021-08-27 09:53:15
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Thomas Hardy
- ISBN：184022634X
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Summary
With an Introduction， Notes and Bibliography by Michael Irwin， Emeritus Professor of English， University of Kent， Canterbury。
The young Thomas Hardy， working as an architect， but fired with literary ambition， tried for years to get into print。 He finally succeeded with Desperate Remedies， a 'sensation novel' in the mode of Wilkie Collins。 Here was a racy specimen of the genre， replete with sudden death， dark mysteries， intriguing clues， fire and storm， flight and pursuit。
Anyone who enjoys The Woman in White is likely to enjoy Desperate Remedies。 But that is only half the story。 Hardy contrived also， in this unlikely context， to give a first airing to various of the ideas and technical experiments which were to characterise his later fiction。 The result is an exhilaratingly uneven work: at any point in the narrative some brilliant passage of description or metaphor may burst out like a firework。 Desperate Remedies can be relished both for what it is and for what it promises。
The young Thomas Hardy， working as an architect， but fired with literary ambition， tried for years to get into print。 He finally succeeded with Desperate Remedies， a 'sensation novel' in the mode of Wilkie Collins。 Here was a racy specimen of the genre， replete with sudden death， dark mysteries， intriguing clues， fire and storm， flight and pursuit。
Anyone who enjoys The Woman in White is likely to enjoy Desperate Remedies。 But that is only half the story。 Hardy contrived also， in this unlikely context， to give a first airing to various of the ideas and technical experiments which were to characterise his later fiction。 The result is an exhilaratingly uneven work: at any point in the narrative some brilliant passage of description or metaphor may burst out like a firework。 Desperate Remedies can be relished both for what it is and for what it promises。
Reviews
J
，
Hardy's first novel， and it shows。 Good if you like sensation fiction and convoluted plotting。 Hardy's first novel， and it shows。 Good if you like sensation fiction and convoluted plotting。 。。。more
Debora
，
È incredibile l'abilità di Hardy di accompagnarci nelle sue opere e farci sentire come un personaggio attivo della vicenda。 Il mio libro preferito di questo incredibile autore。 È incredibile l'abilità di Hardy di accompagnarci nelle sue opere e farci sentire come un personaggio attivo della vicenda。 Il mio libro preferito di questo incredibile autore。 。。。more
Dawn
，
A tad sensationalistic， but it was his first published novel。 The joy of Hardy is that his endings are so often depressing， that you're never too sure exactly how it's all going to end up A tad sensationalistic， but it was his first published novel。 The joy of Hardy is that his endings are so often depressing， that you're never too sure exactly how it's all going to end up 。。。more
Elisa
，
**** e 1/2
Esther
，
What a refreshing Hardy read。 This could be my favorite of his novels。 It clipped along with minimal angst （as， say， compared to Jude）， and the ending was more upbeat than most， proving that life doesn’t always have to be gloomy and cruel。 Of course it was written while Hardy and Emma were still in love， which could have been a factor。 The novel certainly was up to the standards we expect from Hardy - intriguing twists， erudite references， depth of character。 So glad I stumbled across this maste What a refreshing Hardy read。 This could be my favorite of his novels。 It clipped along with minimal angst （as， say， compared to Jude）， and the ending was more upbeat than most， proving that life doesn’t always have to be gloomy and cruel。 Of course it was written while Hardy and Emma were still in love， which could have been a factor。 The novel certainly was up to the standards we expect from Hardy - intriguing twists， erudite references， depth of character。 So glad I stumbled across this masterpiece in the library！ 。。。more
Carles Muñoz Miralles
，
¡Puro melodrama！ Una de las primeras novelas de Thomas Hardy ya tiene la semilla de muchos elementos que aparecerán en sus obras maestras， pero le falta la dureza y le sobra algo de giros argumentales inverosímiles， un final enrevesado y héroes y heroínas que se dejan vapulear por el destino casi sin ofrecer resistencia。 Pero buena lectura， en general。
Toria
，
This was like a reality show or a soap opera， victorian style and it was quite the fun time to read。 It was entertaining even though I struggled a bit with the language as I didn't feel it flow smoothly for me。 But that is a me thing as English isn't my first language。 But in the end it was worth it。 This was like a reality show or a soap opera， victorian style and it was quite the fun time to read。 It was entertaining even though I struggled a bit with the language as I didn't feel it flow smoothly for me。 But that is a me thing as English isn't my first language。 But in the end it was worth it。 。。。more
Matthew
，
While there are some of the familiar Hardy tropes here， Desperate Remedies is the closest that Hardy came to making a Wilkie Collins suspense book。 It was Hardy’s first published novel （his first written one was refused publication）， and like many of his novels it is essentially a potboiler。As with The Trumpet-Major， Hardy starts with a love triangle that soon begins to include a number of different angles。 Cytherea and Owen Graye are a brother and sister who lose their inheritance on their fath While there are some of the familiar Hardy tropes here， Desperate Remedies is the closest that Hardy came to making a Wilkie Collins suspense book。 It was Hardy’s first published novel （his first written one was refused publication）， and like many of his novels it is essentially a potboiler。As with The Trumpet-Major， Hardy starts with a love triangle that soon begins to include a number of different angles。 Cytherea and Owen Graye are a brother and sister who lose their inheritance on their father’s death， and are forced to make a living。 Cytherea goes to work for the moody and capricious Miss Aldclyffe， who is also named Cytherera。 Indeed she was named after Miss Aldclyffe， a former lover of Cytherea’s father who was dropped by Miss Aldclyffe under mysterious circumstances。While Cytherea has fallen in love with Owen’s workmate， Edward Springrove， Edward is engaged to another woman。 To complicate matters further， Miss Aldclyffe invites a younger man to look after her estate， Aeneas Manston。 Manston has a hold over Miss Aldclyffe， and uses her to try to get to Cytherea。 As if that is not enough， Manston has a wife of his own。At times Hardy gets so absorbed in the complex love affairs that he forgets to push forward the suspenseful elements， a mistake that Wilkie Collins would not have made。 The effect of this is that the suspense elements become distracting when they are first reintroduced， as they move the story away from the characters and onto plot contrivance。Admittedly the contrivances are perhaps more interesting than the complex web of ‘he loves but she loves but he loves’ relationships in the book， so this shift does eventually justify the story’s length。Hardy was a writer who thrived on contrivances， but at least here he is not making up an entirely improbable story and then trying to blame god for the mess that his characters get into。 Desperate Remedies does anticipate those later works though。 The means by which Owen is pushed towards his fiancée （a disastrous fire） and Cytherea is pushed towards Manston （her brother’s illness） are the kind of fatalistic but unlikely events that Hardy would use to shake his fist at Providence in future books。 Here the wheel of Fortune does not grind the characters into the ground， but continues to rotate with unlikely events being just as inclined to favour the characters as punish them。Nowadays Desperate Remedies might seem a little tame， but that is only because writers have pushed storylines to such extremes that there is no further we can go。 For its day， the content was rather shocking。 The book contains allusions to prostitution， bigamy， living out of wedlock， murder， and even lesbianism。This last element is added with so little delicacy that it is amazing that Victorians did not notice it。 Miss Aldclyffe wishes to remove her clothes and share a bed with Cytherea， but becomes jealous of the innocent girl’s obvious love for a man。 This scene is entirely salacious， and there is no suggestion at any other point in the book that Miss Aldclyffe prefers women。There is not much serious content in Desperate Remedies， but we could read it as an indictment of a society where marrying for money was more common。 Both Owen and Cytherea are pressured into marrying against their will because they have no money， and that is the only way to save family members from penury or disgrace。 Divorce is not easily come by， and murder is often the only way out of a bad marriage if one favours someone else。Overall Desperate Remedies is a clumsy first novel in some ways， and has an uncertainty of tone and direction at times。 Nonetheless it is entertaining， and it is free of the hedonistic self-pity that Hardy often seems to consider to be an essential ingredient in serious art。 。。。more
Peter Gray
，
"Desperate Remedies" is an unexpected romance story with an entirely different tone to Hardy's other works。 To be sure， there is the traditional pastoral and romantic scenes of the rural countryside which is prevalent in Hardy's novels， but it is perfectly juxtaposed in this novel with the bustling- and almost sinful inhabitants of London。 Cytherea Gray， a young beautiful woman， suddenly faces unexpected hardships in her life and is forced to relocate to a smaller town with her brother， Owen。 Sh "Desperate Remedies" is an unexpected romance story with an entirely different tone to Hardy's other works。 To be sure， there is the traditional pastoral and romantic scenes of the rural countryside which is prevalent in Hardy's novels， but it is perfectly juxtaposed in this novel with the bustling- and almost sinful inhabitants of London。 Cytherea Gray， a young beautiful woman， suddenly faces unexpected hardships in her life and is forced to relocate to a smaller town with her brother， Owen。 She hopes to retain an occupation to help her brother pay off their father's long-standing debts。 She is hired on as hand-maiden for a great lady， Miss Aldclyffe， but a sudden discovery forces the two women to form an uncommon bond between them， a secret that is known to no one else but themselves。 All this time， Cytherea coaxes and fondly relishes in her romantic attachment with a burgeoning architect， Edward Springrove。 In time her secret love for Edward eventually comes out to her bosom friend， Miss Aldclyffe。 She could have never imagined the world of troubles that would fall upon her shoulders once this secret is revealed。 Edward's poverty already places him in a predicament， but the meddlesome hand of Miss Aldclyffe and the emergence of a handsome new rival， Mr。 Manston， undeniably forces Edward to withhold his secret love from all participants， including Cytherea。 "Desperate Remedies" deals with issues of purity， love， justice and the desperation's of a man's heart to obtain his true object of desire。 I specifically enjoyed the endless battle between the two rivals Mr。 Edward Springrove and Mr。 Manston。 Both men had a profound passion for the fair maiden， Cytherea， but they went about it in different ways。 Mr。 Manston was a true villain in all respects。 It was enjoyable to see the sheer levels of deceit and surreptitious actions that he conducted when pursuing his love interest， Cytherea。 His actions were so stealth-like， it made the story feel more like a detective novel， especially when the reader had to make use of the subtle hints to determined the true guilt of Mr。 Manston。 I particularly liked the heavy use of poetry in this novel。 There were fragments where Hardy implemented his own verses， or included famous ones to encapsulate the character's current mode of thinking。 The heavy use of imagery， specifically the details of the landscape where the farmers worked and roamed added a certain level of depth to the novel。 I could see that Hardy's experience as an architect came in handy when detailing the daily lives of the young architects: Owen Graye and his friend Edward Springrove。 I sense， though I have no obvious proof， that some segments of this novel are autobiographical。 The scenes are so vivid， and especially the details of a young architect's struggle to procure a job in the rural English countryside， it made me think of Hardy's own experiences when he met his first wife， while working as a young， self-accomplished architect。 I suppose the only trifle I find with this novel is the descriptive headings of the day and times that certain events occurred。 This novel was penned as a third-person romance story with a heavy narration that can only be described as a detective novel， so it makes sense why Hardy chose to break up the novel in dates and times。 Yes， it was a little bothersome， but I totally understand Hardy's reading behind it。 This is by far the best book I have read from this English author thus far， I look forward to reading the rest of his novels in the coming years。 。。。more
Eugenia
，
Not Thomas Hardy's best novel， but enjoyable nonetheless。 On a scale from 1 to 10 I would give it a 6 and a half。 Not Thomas Hardy's best novel， but enjoyable nonetheless。 On a scale from 1 to 10 I would give it a 6 and a half。 。。。more
Sarah
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His first book， apparently。 So much more intrigue and 'action' than the later ones， although， as always， centred around affairs of the heart。 I couldn't see how this was going to come to a conclusion， and so read more eagerly than is usual with Hardy。 Still classic Hardy though ; amusing cameos of country folk， and some die hard sexism， which I'll excuse because of the time in which he lived， though it does rankle。 His first book， apparently。 So much more intrigue and 'action' than the later ones， although， as always， centred around affairs of the heart。 I couldn't see how this was going to come to a conclusion， and so read more eagerly than is usual with Hardy。 Still classic Hardy though ; amusing cameos of country folk， and some die hard sexism， which I'll excuse because of the time in which he lived， though it does rankle。 。。。more
Jess
，
Thomas Hardy wrote a mystery！ I had no idea。 It’s saying something for how great this novel is that I listened to all the sub-par readers Librivox had to offer and almost didn’t notice。。。。This was Hardy’s first published work， and it amazes me how well he uses nature， the elements， and natural irregularities in weather to further the plot。 He digs deeper and deeper into that with his later works， but employs it nicely here。 I think this would be a perfect gateway Hardy novel！ A little romance， a Thomas Hardy wrote a mystery！ I had no idea。 It’s saying something for how great this novel is that I listened to all the sub-par readers Librivox had to offer and almost didn’t notice。。。。This was Hardy’s first published work， and it amazes me how well he uses nature， the elements， and natural irregularities in weather to further the plot。 He digs deeper and deeper into that with his later works， but employs it nicely here。 I think this would be a perfect gateway Hardy novel！ A little romance， a little intrigue， a little mystery。 On the Hardy Tragedy Scale， I’d give it a 3/10， 10 being Jude the Obscure， 1 being Under the Greenwood Tree。 。。。more
Sara
，
3。5 stars， rounded down。 Still a very well written novel。Desperate Remedies was Thomas Hardy’s first published novel， and while failing to live up to his later works， it foreshadows the brilliant author he would come to be。 In a Thomas Hardy channels Wilkie Collins fashion， this novel is a bit of a mystery novel， and lacks the depth of idea development that makes Hardy one of my favorite authors。 By three-quarters of the way through， I had guessed at most of the riddles that had been set for us 3。5 stars， rounded down。 Still a very well written novel。Desperate Remedies was Thomas Hardy’s first published novel， and while failing to live up to his later works， it foreshadows the brilliant author he would come to be。 In a Thomas Hardy channels Wilkie Collins fashion， this novel is a bit of a mystery novel， and lacks the depth of idea development that makes Hardy one of my favorite authors。 By three-quarters of the way through， I had guessed at most of the riddles that had been set for us and had a clear idea of exactly where the plot was going。You might think this would have made the reading less enjoyable， but I find Hardy’s remarkable character development and descriptions are fascinating， even in a lesser work。 He can describe an activity， in this novel it was cider pressing， with such amazing detail， that you can picture vividly the men at work and thrill with understanding the mechanics of a skill that is literally now lost in time。Thrust into poverty at the death of her father， a young girl， Cytherea， is forced to seek employment as a lady’s maid， and takes up that station with a woman who turns out to be the love of her father’s life who slipped through his fingers under strange circumstances。 Cytherea is an exceptionally lovely girl， and she becomes the object of desire for two men; but her love-life proves to be anything but a simple and straight-forward affair。 There is a great deal of backroom plotting and inexplicable interference in Cytherea’s life by her lady employer， Mrs。 Aldclyffe， some false information to overcome and some errors in judgment that make one cringe。 The story is neatly tied at the end， no pesky strands left unresolved。 From another author， this book might have garnered an extra star。 In this case， the author is Thomas Hardy， and the comparison cannot help but be made with his masterpieces， in which case this book falls a tad short。I am on a quest to read all of Hardy’s works， and I am pleased to have read this one。 It was a pleasant way to ease myself back into a reading mode， something I had left behind me， out of necessity， for the last few months。 。。。more
Kris
，
Wow this took almost two weeks to read。 If this book had just been the first half， would’ve taken me two days。 The plot was akin to the mail train that its characters enjoyed traveling on， if that train slipped on ice and were literally derailed multiple times on one journey。 This is Thomas Hardy book 11/13 （have yet to read Laodicean and Well-Beloved） but I think I’m gonna need a break from him for a little bit （that is， until I reread Tess of the D’Urbervilles again）
Laurie
，
Desperate Remedies is one part melodrama and one part mystery。 There are characters with the same name， a man with two or three wives （yes！）， a long drawn out engagement between two cousins and a matriarchal character with a devastating past。Hardy has a way with giving personality to characters， even minor ones， that are unforgettable。 And he has the ability to describe place in a way that is very visual。As Cytherea Graye moves through the events of her life that cause her pain， fear and finally Desperate Remedies is one part melodrama and one part mystery。 There are characters with the same name， a man with two or three wives （yes！）， a long drawn out engagement between two cousins and a matriarchal character with a devastating past。Hardy has a way with giving personality to characters， even minor ones， that are unforgettable。 And he has the ability to describe place in a way that is very visual。As Cytherea Graye moves through the events of her life that cause her pain， fear and finally love Hardy sets a twisty-turny fast-paced narrative where intrigue， mistaken identity， lies and deceit chase Miss Graye， her brother Owen and Edward Springlove， the man she loves。This was Hardy's second 'first" novel， because his first was rejected by his publisher。 After getting tips from his reader at the second publisher， the writer George Meredith no less， he wrote Desperate Remedies which was published in 1871。A very satisfying read。 。。。more
Sewingdervish
，
I would say this was a roller coaster ride but I've read a lot of other Hardy books so I'm just going to say this was a wild ride。 Lots of secrets I would say the other things involved but it would be spoiler land。 I enjoyed it it was fun。 I would say this was a roller coaster ride but I've read a lot of other Hardy books so I'm just going to say this was a wild ride。 Lots of secrets I would say the other things involved but it would be spoiler land。 I enjoyed it it was fun。 。。。more
Steve
，
Surprisingly good read something of a mystery novel， as it turns out， and by the last third it had developed into a real page-turner！
Lorrie | books。and。darjeeling
，
Instagram Hardy Readalong ~ Audio version - Scribd ~ Desperate Remedies is the second novel by Thomas Hardy， but the first to be published。 It was released anonymously by Tinsley Brothers in 1871。This novel doesn’t begin to show what he’s known for - his ability to poetically describe locations in his future books。 And there isn’t an overly strong melancholy attitude to his characters that I’ve found in many of his books I’ve read。 Yet， there is much I like。I’m quite found of mysteries and th Instagram Hardy Readalong ~ Audio version - Scribd ~ Desperate Remedies is the second novel by Thomas Hardy， but the first to be published。 It was released anonymously by Tinsley Brothers in 1871。This novel doesn’t begin to show what he’s known for - his ability to poetically describe locations in his future books。 And there isn’t an overly strong melancholy attitude to his characters that I’ve found in many of his books I’ve read。 Yet， there is much I like。I’m quite found of mysteries and this book provides an interesting one that builds in tension towards the end。 There is romance， though it isn’t necessarily the strongest theme present。 It has a gothic feel sometimes。 It really is quite unusual compared to his other works。I also like his casual references to Casterbridge which happens to be one of my favorite of his novels。It didn’t get good reviews when released and that seemed to greatly affect him despairingly。 Maybe that’s why he gave up on the idea of mysteries。 I however enjoyed this book - a good beginning I think to his memorable career。 。。。more
MegHan
，
There were some twists， turns and mysterious elements to this， but none of the characters seemed to have a distinctive personality。 Most of the action here is in third-person narration and feels like a recounting of events without a lot of psychological insight。 This is definitely improved in later Hardy novels。 I read the Oxford World's Classics edition and an early footnote spoiled something from the last 10 pages。 I am a clown。 There were some twists， turns and mysterious elements to this， but none of the characters seemed to have a distinctive personality。 Most of the action here is in third-person narration and feels like a recounting of events without a lot of psychological insight。 This is definitely improved in later Hardy novels。 I read the Oxford World's Classics edition and an early footnote spoiled something from the last 10 pages。 I am a clown。 。。。more
Kelly
，
I loved this！ I can totally see why people wondered if it was written by George Eliot back in the day。 It felt like a cross between Eliot and Lady Audley's Secret。 Desperate Remedies was completely unlike any other Hardy book。 There was even a cute lil' epilogue， which made me chuckle as it felt so un-Hardy-like。 I highly recommend it and wonder why no one ever mentions it。 Maybe it's the scary looking lady on the cover。 I loved this！ I can totally see why people wondered if it was written by George Eliot back in the day。 It felt like a cross between Eliot and Lady Audley's Secret。 Desperate Remedies was completely unlike any other Hardy book。 There was even a cute lil' epilogue， which made me chuckle as it felt so un-Hardy-like。 I highly recommend it and wonder why no one ever mentions it。 Maybe it's the scary looking lady on the cover。 。。。more
Tiana
，
No one told me this was going to be a very tense kind of gay horror story！ A24 material
Zuly
，
I gave up on this one。 There is a silliness about the intrigue， with a character I wasn't interested in knowing further。 Hardy's first-- scandalous！England I gave up on this one。 There is a silliness about the intrigue， with a character I wasn't interested in knowing further。 Hardy's first-- scandalous！England 。。。more
Priya
，
Very enjoyable read。 The ending was something that I did not expect but I enjoyed the twist and turns immensely。
Virginia Corley
，
I read this on my kindle。 I now understand why people read faster on the kindle。 The text to speech was a huge help with the archaic language。 I enjoyed this book much。 Good plot good story。 Engrossing murder mystery once you get the rythum of hardy's writing I read this on my kindle。 I now understand why people read faster on the kindle。 The text to speech was a huge help with the archaic language。 I enjoyed this book much。 Good plot good story。 Engrossing murder mystery once you get the rythum of hardy's writing 。。。more
EuroHackie
，
This novel is absolutely bananas， so unlike any of Mr。 Hardy's later works that it's hard to believe he wrote it。 A mix of Gothic， romance， and sensation novel （including but not limited to: secret children， scheming matchmakers， bigamy， impersonation， and murder）， it's rather slow to begin， a Big Mis clouds up the idiotic heroine's judgment for a good third of the novel， and then it descends into the sort of madness found in modern-day thrillers and soap operas， unraveling at an absolutely brea This novel is absolutely bananas， so unlike any of Mr。 Hardy's later works that it's hard to believe he wrote it。 A mix of Gothic， romance， and sensation novel （including but not limited to: secret children， scheming matchmakers， bigamy， impersonation， and murder）， it's rather slow to begin， a Big Mis clouds up the idiotic heroine's judgment for a good third of the novel， and then it descends into the sort of madness found in modern-day thrillers and soap operas， unraveling at an absolutely breakneck speed。 It's sort of like watching a trainwreck， but without the guilt of rubber-necking。I enjoyed the suspense of the second half， trying to figure out why Manston （view spoiler）[brought his wife back even though it meant he was forever split from Cytherea， the woman he proclaimed to love to the point of obsession。 Then we learn that - surprise！ - he'd actually killed his wife and， through a truly convoluted chain of events， was forced to bring in a false wife， and it basically drove him insane （hide spoiler）]。 Even though Cytherea was an idiot， she was young， and she did have the good sense to understand that Manston wasn't as great as everyone proclaimed he was。 And in the end， she did end up marrying her One True Love Edward Springrove， even though it took 3 years longer than it would have （view spoiler）[， if she'd just left the crazy Miss Aldclyffe after she'd been molested by the older woman。 Finding your father's long-lost love is NOT curious enough to put up with being gaslighted by a crazy woman and her equally crazy son for basically no other reason than her own selfish desire to own you *shudder* （hide spoiler）]。This novel would make one hell of a mini-series， and I'm shocked that it hasn't been made into one， given that the author's other （and not necessarily better known） works have been。I've read his other work， and have enjoyed it， but I kinda wish he'd written more sensation novels as well as his pastoral epics。 Maybe he gave it all he had in this work; I don't know。 He had a flair for writing intimate scenes of both love and hate， and it would've been interesting to see this in a more conventional Romantic vein， before the drudgery set in。 。。。more
Laura
，
This had all the beautiful descriptions you commonly find with a Hardy novel， but with the added bonus of hope。 There were twists and turns as you would expect from a ‘sensation’ novel， and for the most part they are easy enough to unravel， but not to the detriment of the book。
Christina Dudley
，
Hardy's early attempt at a sensation novel， with middling results。 You guess half of the sensation immediately， but at least the other half was a surprise， though it took a long time to get there。 He tells his story of two generations of circumstantially-thwarted love in a weird way， marking each section with the date and usually the time， which I found pretty unnecessary。 There are the usual Victorian tropes of the love you just can't get over， even though you really barely knew each other （com Hardy's early attempt at a sensation novel， with middling results。 You guess half of the sensation immediately， but at least the other half was a surprise， though it took a long time to get there。 He tells his story of two generations of circumstantially-thwarted love in a weird way， marking each section with the date and usually the time， which I found pretty unnecessary。 There are the usual Victorian tropes of the love you just can't get over， even though you really barely knew each other （come on， people）， and glimpses of the world he will continue to build in his other works （Casterbridge gets many a mention and even a newspaper！）， but I'd put this firmly on the one-read-will-do-you shelf。 。。。more
Kelsey
，
I’m going to need to reread this to fully understand and appreciate this one。 I was so loving the first third to half and then the story became a little confusing to me when the intrigue began。 I certainly wasn’t paying close attention like I should have。 This is Hardy‘s first published novel， and in terms of writing， it is absolutely stunning as always。 Hardy has such a unique voice。 In terms of plot- sensational- not really a fan when compared to his other novels like Tess or Madding Crowd， bo I’m going to need to reread this to fully understand and appreciate this one。 I was so loving the first third to half and then the story became a little confusing to me when the intrigue began。 I certainly wasn’t paying close attention like I should have。 This is Hardy‘s first published novel， and in terms of writing， it is absolutely stunning as always。 Hardy has such a unique voice。 In terms of plot- sensational- not really a fan when compared to his other novels like Tess or Madding Crowd， both of which are masterpieces。 You can see where Hardy was going with this novel， because he addresses similar themes and uses similar plot devices in his other works。 Definitely will need to reread。 As it stands， this isn’t Hardy’s best， but it was fun to see his beginnings。 。。。more
Tumelo Moleleki
，
Too much ado about nothing。 Hated reading about trees and lakes， flowers and all that useless detail。 The storyline was roundabout， but it got really interesting towards the end。 The language of those other people was trying。。。 they speak nonsense。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Desperate Remedies
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Desperate Remedies&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Desperate Remedies&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0