Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas HardyMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
What can you say about a classic? Especially since it is considered one of Thomas Hardy's best novels and one of the best in all Victorian literature. Well, the novel lives up to its fame, with a very accesible story about romance, social classes and life in rural England. At the latter, Hardy excels, painting vivid pictures of the English countryside, farming, and the daily lives of those who toil, laugh and love is such environment.
Hardy's characters are distinct and very lively, his dialogue crisp and his prose almost poetic at times but never at the expense of storytelling. The story is about Tess, whose family discovers they are descendants of a once noble lineage - the D'Urbervilles. Her parents goad her into taking advantage of this by trying to ingratiate herself with a branch of that once-great family who live in a nearby town. From then fate deals blow after blow to poor Tess, who resolutely faces her hardship by working as a farmhand.
I will not spoil anymore of the story but to say that the novel moves along nicely with a great beginning and a satisfying conclusive ending.
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