'The first of Hardy's great novels, and the first to sound the tragic note for which his best fiction is remembered' Margaret DrabbleThomas Hardy's novel of swift passion and slow courtship is imbued with evocative descriptions of rural life, and with unflinching honesty about sexual relationships. Its heroine, Bathsheba Everdene, takes up her position as a farmer on a large estate, where her confident presence draws three very different suitors: the gentleman-farm...

This book, newly updated, contains now several HTML tables of contents that will make reading a real pleasure!The first table of contents (at the very beginning of the ebook) lists the titles of all novels included in this volume. By clicking on one of those titles you will be redirected to the beginning of that work, where you'll find a new TOC that lists all the chapters and sub-chapters of that specific work.Here you will find the complete novels of Thoma...

"The Mayor of Casterbridge" is a classic novel written by Thomas Hardy. The novel was first published in 1886 under the complete title "The Mayor of Casterbridge: The Life and Death of a Man of Character".It is considered as one of the best novels written by Hardy and is particularly recognised for the complex manner in which the character of the protagonist Michael Henchard has been crafted by him.In "The Mayor of Casterbridge", Thomas Hardy set out to examine how ...

When Tess Durbeyfield is driven by family poverty to claim kinship with the wealthy D'Urbervilles and seek a portion of their family fortune, meeting her 'cousin' Alec proves to be her downfall. A very different man, Angel Clare, seems to offer her love and salvation, but Tess must choose whether to reveal her past or remain silent in the hope of a peaceful future.

“They spoke very little of their mutual feeling; pretty phrases and warm expressions being probably unnecessary between such tried friends.”--- Thomas Hardy, Far from the Madding CrowdFar from the Madding CrowdThomas Hardy (1840 - 1928)Far from the Madding Crowd (1874) is Thomas Hardy's fourth novel and offers in ample measure the details of English rural life that Hardy so relished. Hardy's growing taste for...

This file includes the complete text of: Desperate Remedies, 1871; Under the Greenwood Tree, 1872; A Pair of Blue Eyes, 1873; Far From the Madding Crowd, 1874; The Hand of Ethelberta, 1876; The Return of the Native, 1878; Wessex Tales, 1879; The Trumpet-Major, 1880; A Laodicean, 1881; Two on a Tower, 1882; The Romantic Adventures of a Milkmaid, 1883; A Changed Man and Other Tales, 1885; The Mayor of Casterbridge, 1886; The Woodlanders, 1887; Tess of the d'Urbervilles, 1891; A Group of Nobl...

Beautiful Tess Durbeyfield lives a simple life helping her mother and father earn a living on their farm in a dying rural community. When her father discovers there may be connection between their family and wealthy d'Urbervilles, Tess is sent to work at the d'Urberville estate in a desperate attempt to "claim kin" and secure some of their fortune. However, innocent Tess is unprepared to meet the unscrupulous and lustful Alex d'Urberville, who seduces her and sends her home a ruined woman....

When Thomas Hardy's novel Tess of the d'Ubervilles was released it was regarded as quite racy - as it challenged the sexual values of the time. Follow the story of Tess as she discovers she is part of a noble Norman family, and is thrown into a life of social and sexual discovery.

Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented is a novel by Thomas Hardy, first published in 1891. It initially appeared in a censored and serialised version, published by the British illustrated newspaper, The Graphic. It is Hardy's penultimate novel, followed by Jude the Obscure. Though now considered a great classic of English literature, the book received mixed reviews when it first appeared, in part because it challenged the sexual mores of Hardy's day. Excerpted from W...

Thomas Hardy's classic tale of a woman brave enough to defy convention: Now a major motion picture starring Carey MulliganSpirited, impulsive, and beautiful, Bathsheba Everdene arrives in Wessex to live with her aunt. She strikes up a friendship with a neighbor, Gabriel Oak, and even saves the young shepherd's life. But when he responds by asking for her hand in marriage, she refuses. She cannot sacrifice her independence for a man she does not love.Years lat...

Thomas Hardy’s final literary masterpiece, Jude the Obscure is the story of Jude Fawley, a poor stonemason living in rural Wessex, whose dreams of becoming a scholar are complicated by an ill-fated romance with his spirited cousin, Sue Bridehead. Jude and Sue’s attempts to defy social conventions for the sake of their love lead to misery, heartache and tragedy. Greatly concerned with the destructive rules of marriage, the novel openly criticizes Victorian society, religion and edu...

'I shall do one thing in this life - one thing for certain - that is, love you, and long for you, and keep wanting you till I die.' Gabriel Oak is only one of three suitors for the hand of the beautiful and spirited Bathsheba Everdene. He must compete with the dashing young soldier Sergeant Troy and respectable, middle-aged Farmer Boldwood. And while their fates depend upon the choice Bathsheba makes, she discovers the terrible consequences of an inconstant heart. Far from the...