Rating: 
Summary: A terrific love story...
Review: Hardy brings together many elements for a magical tale of love in England. We are transported to rural England in the 1850s, to share the seasons with the folk of Hardy's Wessex.We follow Bathsheba Everdene as she grows into a woman, meeting and discarding her three suitors. Heartache and joy are in store for all the characters throughout this process. Hardy's descriptive methods are sometimes difficult, but always complete and rewarding. The characters are beautifully brought to life, and you are forced to share their emotions with them. I look forward to reading my next installment of this classic author.
Rating:
Summary: A timeless tale
Review: Have you ever read a book, and thought that no-one in 100 years will understand it? Or have you ever read an old book and not fully understood it? If you have, then this book is one for you. It has at least one character that everyone can relate to, from the pure hearted Gabriel, to the JR-like Troy, and everyone in-between. The basic story is simple, 3 guys, one girl, with the one who loves her the most, "beneath" her, and the one who loves her the least, the one she finds herself most attracted to. Hardy describes every little detail of the scenery, so you can picture your surroundings, and then leaves you to figure out the specific occurences of a situation. All in all, an utterly captivating book.
Rating:
Summary: Hardy's Classic Wessex Love Story
Review: Having rediscovered Thomas Hardy only recently, I am simply entranced by his excellent prose, his keen powers of description and observation and his spellbinding characters. This is a classic love story about Bathsheba Everdene and her three suitors. A tale which will delve into tragedy before Bathsheba finds salvation at the hands of one of suitors. Many regard this as the first great novel in his "Wessex" series, which includes the "Mayor of Castlebridge". Those interested in reading Hardy's work will find "Far From The Madding Crowd" a splendid introduction.
Rating:
Summary: A novel to wrap yourself up in
Review: I have never read a Thomas Hardy novel and so have nothing to compare this to but I found Madding to be a marvelous love story. And what is more, it's a love story that you can actually believe because the characters are so human. The protagonist of sorts is Gabriel Oak, as nice a fellow as ever there was. He falls in love with the wild and flirtatious Bathsheba (she hates her name too, I think it was meant to be symbollic, as in David and Bathsheba) Of course, she will not even consider the stoic Gabriel and thus begins a career of flirtation and romance that will end in tragedy. Throughout it all, Gabriel is in the background, helping her when she needs him, advising her when she wants it but he knows he has no chance of winning her. Gabriel's character is a marvel. Even though he is a simple farmer, he has an artistic soul, it is clear from the way he thinks about stars, sheep, even toads. It sounds corny but he is at one with nature. As for Bathsheba, I won't give away anything but let's just say she learns her lesson the hard way. Even though she is a coquette to her fingertips, you always like her and understand why three men would all find themselves in love (or infatuated in the case of one) with her. The books stately but never boring pace makes it ideal for a winter day when you are snowed in or something like that. I savoured it over a weekend and am planning to read it again.
Rating: 
Summary: What a nice book...
Review: I really enjoyed reading this. Shepherd Oak is a heroic character, and I only hope that strength and stoicism such as his will be equally rewarded in the real world. Very well done in that just when you're about to want to kill Troy, the author shows you that he too has a human side. And how can we forget Boldwood, the serious man with the emotions of a 14 year old boy. Of course, in rural England, I suppose there wasn't too much going on to distract him and help him get over her.... Nice descriptive prose and characters whose feelings we can identify with.
Rating:
Summary: A Fun Hardy Read? It Exists
Review: I've always condidered myself to be sort of an optimist; so it is really odd that I've always really loved Thomas Hardy's books. I count Tess of the D'Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure among my very favorites, and whether or not it is my favorite, I think that The Mayor of Casterbridge is marvelously written. Still though, reading all of that fatalism and cynicism can be a little much. It was really nice to pick up this novel and not read so many grim scenes. Far From the Madding Crowd is a pretty simple love story driven by the characters. First, there is Bathsheba Everdeen. She's vain, naive, and she makes the stupidest decisions possible. Yet, you still like her. Then there are the three guys who all want her: Troy who's like the bad guy straight out of a Raphael Sabatini novel, Boldwood who's an old lunatic farmer, and Gabriel Oak who is a simple farmer and is basically perfect. The reader sees what should happen in the first chapter, and it takes Bathsheeba the whole book to see it. The characters really make the book. The reader really has strong feelings about them, and Hardy puts them in situations where you just don't know what they're going to do. The atmosphere that Hardy creates is (as is in all of Hardy's novel) amazing and totally original. I don't think any other author (except Wallace Stegner in America) has ever evoked a sense of place as well as Hardy does. Overall, Far from the Madding Crowd is a great novel. I probably don't like it quite as well as some of his others, but I still do think it deserved five stars.
Rating:
Summary: A true classic
Review: In "Far From The Maddening Crowd" Thomas Hardy, and his style, triumph. If you have never read Hardy this is the place to start. Be prepared for vivid descriptions of the surroundings and how they describe to you the person they surround.
I dare say, you will cheer for the heros and become frustrated with the actions of many, but all in all, you will walk away with hope and admiration for the story. Sit back have a cup of hot chocolate, put on some Copland and read this novel.
Rating:
Summary: A true classic
Review: In "Far From The Maddening Crowd" Thomas Hardy, and his style, triumph. If you have never read Hardy this is the place to start. Be prepared for vivid descriptions of the surroundings and how they describe to you the person they surround.
I dare say, you will cheer for the heros and become frustrated with the actions of many, but all in all, you will walk away with hope and admiration for the story. Sit back have a cup of hot chocolate, put on some Copland and read this novel.
Rating:
Summary: Forget the infamous "love triangle"...
Review: In Far from the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy introduces us to the precarious "love square". At the core of all the turmoil is beautiful farm girl, Bathsheba Everdene - spirited, vain, intelligent and adept at toying with the hearts of men. Inevitably beguiled by her charms a humble and kind farmer, Gabriel Oak, fervently attempts to win Bathsheba's affections. Enter the competition: (suitor#2) Farmer Boldwood - a wealthy and temperate middle-aged man respected in the community, eventually plunges into maniacal obsession at the mere possibility of making the beloved Miss Everdene his wife; and (suitor#3) Sergeant Francis Troy - a dashing young philandering soldier, with his share of inner demons, ruthlessness and vanity, vies for Bathsheba's hand in marriage. Bathsheba's ultimate decision, and the cataclysm it evokes, lies at the epicenter of Hardy's unforgettable ambivalent story.
Far from the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy's fourth novel, saw publication in 1874 and earned him widespread popularity as a writer. A delicately woven tale of unrequited love and regret, set in the mid-19th century, Far From the Madding Crowd is a masterpiece of pure story-telling. Hardy's classic style is a pleasure to read as he masterfully brings his characters and their dealings to life. I would not hesitate to say it definitely captured my heart as another favourite.
Rating:
Summary: Forget the infamous "love triangle"...
Review: In Far from the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy introduces us to the precarious "love square". At the core of all the turmoil is beautiful farm girl, Bathsheba Everdene - spirited, vain, intelligent and adept at toying with the hearts of men. Inevitably beguiled by her charms a humble and kind farmer, Gabriel Oak, fervently attempts to win Bathsheba's affections. Enter the competition: (suitor#2) Farmer Boldwood - a wealthy and temperate middle-aged man respected in the community, eventually plunges into maniacal obsession at the mere possibility of making the beloved Miss Everdene his wife; and (suitor#3) Sergeant Francis Troy - a dashing young philandering soldier, with his share of inner demons, ruthlessness and vanity, vies for Bathsheba's hand in marriage. Bathsheba's ultimate decision, and the cataclysm it evokes, lies at the epicenter of Hardy's unforgettable ambivalent story.
Far from the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy's fourth novel, saw publication in 1874 and earned him widespread popularity as a writer. A delicately woven tale of unrequited love and regret, set in the mid-19th century, Far From the Madding Crowd is a masterpiece of pure story-telling. Hardy's classic style is a pleasure to read as he masterfully brings his characters and their dealings to life. I would not hesitate to say it definitely captured my heart as another favourite.
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