Rating: 
Summary: I Can't Believe he actually sold his baby!!!
Review: I had never been so against reading a book in my life. Everything about it seemed boring; the cover, the title, and even the way the pages smelled. It was only the fact that Henchard sells his wife and baby in an auction; that kept my interest alive.
Even with a premise as weird as this one, the book's beginning was painful. It wasn't until later on that I discovered the book wouldn't be as painful as I feared. The Mayor of Casterbridge is based entirely on irony and coincidences. Never have I rolled my eyes so many times in disbelief.
Hardy created a soap opera-like world in the town of Casterbridge. This actually gave a humorous appeal to the book. After every major section of the book you can't help but mumble, "Sure..."
Some people deem this book, "Depressing," however The Mayor of Casterbridge didn't once give me a similar feeling. This book is presented in such a way that it helps you laugh at other people's misfortune.
I wouldn't recommend this book as a "free-read;" But if you must choose between a bunch of boring books, and this one happens to be on the list, then I highly recommend you choose it. It may seem boring at first, but give it a chance; Hardy's humorous look at tragedy will give you a good laugh. I mean how bad can a book be, that starts out with its central character actually selling his wife and baby girl at a fair?
Rating:
Summary: A Story of Light Fluff and Little Substance
Review: Hardy is a wonderful poet. He has written very profound and soul-searching poetry that is both concise and thought-provoking. Unfortunately, this does not carry into this novel, which was heavy-handed and longwinded. Much of the descriptions were unnecessary and only distracted from the storyline -- which, sadly, is only a messy collection of coincidences and soap-opera drama. Another flaw of the novel is its tendancy to spell out every detail; this doesn't allow for any thought as every nuance is described to death -- the reader cannot make his or her own connections, the book does it for you.
Rating: 
Summary: A Truly Compelling Masterpiece
Review: Having never read Hardy before, I picked this book at random off a list provided by my Western Civilization teacher. I can't help but attribute my choice to destiny; this is quite possibly the best book I've ever read, written by the single greatest English author in history. While some other reviewers have classified his descriptive passages as somewhat dull, I thought they were rather intoxicating; I don't know how one could not enjoy the superbly vivid style Hardy employs. It's impossible to really describe his writing to one who hasn't read it.The plot in Mayor of Casterbridge is compelling throughout. I read somewhere that the book was originally published a few chapters at a time in a literary magazine, and this is quite evident, as every many sections seem individually complete with rising action, climax, resolution, etc. Hardy still manages to integrate these individual sections without flaw and create a wonderful composition of the life of Henchard. As everyone else has testified, the conclusion of the book is moving beyond description- without a doubt the most affective book I've ever read. Be forewarned: this is a book that will surely leave the reader in a depressed and brooding state. Going by Kafka's standard, that a book should be "like a suicide... an axe for the frozen sea within us", The Mayor of Casterbridge is surely one of just a handful of the great books in English literature.
Rating: 
Summary: Truly Talented Writing
Review: I greatly enjoyed The Mayor of Casterbridge, not only for its clear and concise explanations, dialogue and emotional energy, but also for its themes. The loss of a wife, mother, daughter, love, husband, father and mentor are all carried off extremely well. I chose to read this book for a project I'm doing in my English class and although it was not my first choice, I do recommend it to anyone who loves English literature. I'm a big fan of Dickens and Hardy and truly loved this magnificent piece of work.
Rating:
Summary: Wow. Not bad for senior reading.
Review: I had to read this book for my honors English class. The book will seem like worthless description if you don't look up biographical notes on Thomas Hardy. It has a great plot line but it is unfortunately chracterized by the bleak and gray atmosphere of Thomas Hardy. A great read.
Rating:
Summary: Loved this book!
Review: I read this novel in English class, like most people probably did. It was one of the best assigned to us. Hardy is a gifted author. He writes in a clear style with vivid descriptions that really bring the setting alive, without making the reader (at least this reader) feel inundated with borning, unnecessary detail. The thing that I look for most in a novel, however, is quality characterizeations, and this book had them in spades. Dialogue was used effectively to flesh out characters. These are not stock characters, either. These people have flaws and shades of grey. They seem as though they could be real. I found that I could relate to the characters, and I did empathize with them, even when I didn't agree with their choices. Everyone had clear motivations. The characterization of Henchard shows that Hardy clearly understood the notion of the tragic flaw and the tragic hero/anti hero. Students who have to read this book as part of their English class may find it a bit on the long side. I would urge you to stick with it; once you get through the initial chapters the book will pick up (a commonality that all British classics seem to share). The book is easy to follow and understand. It is a key novel that marks the shift from Romantic Age to the Victorian Age, so it's an important read for anyone who has a serious interest in English Literature.
Rating:
Summary: Casting a long shadow
Review: I was nearly put off reading this by friends who termed it "depressing". This trivialises it, for it is, to my mind, truly tragic. In a shockingly irresponsible drunken act, protagonist Michael Henchard sells his wife at a local fair. The consequences, stretching over a couple of decades, sweep away both him and other characters. The plot teems with journeys, coincidences, long-lost people showing up, and a strong vein of morality. In typical Hardyesque style, Henchard moves from the height of civic success to bankruptcy and alienation. A quasi-Greek-tragedy air of fate prevails, but Hardy manages to keep suspense alive. Protagonist and antagonist (Farfrae) are pitted against each other on civic and domestic fronts. There is not one Mayor of Casterbridge, but two, and success, failure and rivalry play a large part. There is also competition among the males as lovers, husbands and fathers. This novel gives an insight into civic life, the worthy burgesses of Casterbridge networking in their council-rooms and taverns. But the animal instincts of the wife-sale, the gutter-press viciousness of the locals' "skimmity-ride", and the proximity of the countryside, where so many Victorian characters wander to survive and to lay bare their feelings, reveal the fragility of civilisation and our urban constructs. Great stuff.
Rating:
Summary: A literary miracle...and a very modern novel...
Review: I'm re-reading this book that thrilled me years ago and thrills me today. Now, however, I realize just how "modern" it is, even more so than the works of Dickens, whom I also revere, but whose writing had a quaint quality that actually makes him the lesser artist, in my opinion. Hardy's writing is spare but nothing is left out. You feel it, you taste it, you live it. It has the firm, sure quality of a minimalist work of art, and yet the twists and turns of its plot are dizzying. I detect its influence on novelist Toni Morrison, I might add. I'd be willing to bet she's a Hardy scholar. I read many passages, many scenes, that reminded me of her "folksy" conceits. And I was amazed at Hardy's contemporary understanding of addiction, in this case alcoholism. In fact, Henchard is a "dry drunk." He abstains from liquor for 21 years, but his character defects and lack of spiritual awareness catapault him right back into his disease when he begins drinking again. In fact, his life spirals out of control faster and faster with his first return to drink, showing that alcoholism, like all addictions, is a progressive disease. A reviewer here said the book was depressing, and that Hardy is dark. However, the "light" in Hardy comes with his wisdom, not unlike Faulkner's, of human nature. There are so many themes of the enduring truths that one is uplifted just by the reading. Sometimes I mourn for the writers I will never meet, the ones who have passed on. Their teaching is so important to my own spiritual and artistic growth, that I have experienced a great love from them and for them. Hardy is one of those for me. Wherever he dwells now, I send him my appreciation.
Rating: 
Summary: All cynicism, no realism, no insight
Review: Modern novels can be so pretentious, with their needless philosophizing and conscious experimentation with the language. So isn't nice to read a classic novel with straight-forward writing that aims for no insight into society or people? Actually no, it's kind of depressing. The Mayor of Casterbridge relies on coincidence, melodrama, and, as the afterword in my edition puts it, "the constant exploitation of chance happenings to determine situation and hence the fate of his characters." I chose this Hardy novel because it was supposed to be character-centered. The story starts with Michael Henchard selling his wife and child at a fair. I thought this book would examine his redemption, it would be a Lord Jim type tale of profound psychological insight. A strange event like that is a good way to get a book started, but the crazy, unlikely events just keep a-coming. You feel nothing for the characters, ever. You learn nothing in the end, except life is cruel and if something can go wrong, it will. Read something else.
Rating:
Summary: Buyer Beware....
Review: My second reading of a Thomas Hardy novel was every bit enjoyable as the first, if not more. Having a very limited background with this gifted author, it has taken years to appreciate his talents.
The Mayor of Casterbridge starts with a very dubious event...concerning a drunken 'sale' of two persons by one Michael Henchard...bidding them a not-so-fond farewell; once Michael sobers up, he realizes his mistake, and searches, in vain, to retrieve his family.
Flash forward 19 years, when a weary woman and her now-grown daughter appear near Casterbridge, searching for the woman's first husband, who has now become the mayor, and succeeded in keeping his 21 year pledge to abstain from drink following his grievous error years before.
Susan Henchard, now the widow of a missing sailor, comes looking for Michael, and is surprised at what she finds. A sober, well-to-do, respected member of the community, and a leader. A far cry from the man who bartered her away years before. Also new in town is Donald Farfrae, who, once apprenticed to hay and corn merchant Michael, becomes more than Michael bargained for.
To tell any more of the plot would be to deprive a reader of numerous twists and turns that occur along the way to the conclusion of this wonderful novel. Perhaps its due to a limited amount of experience with Hardy, but I found several jaw-dropping revelations along the way, and more twists than a television reality series.
The story is never dull, nor is it mired in too much unnecessary detail or character introduction. Each of the 'dramatis personae' are well-realized, as is the notion that the past can always change the course of the future.
For newcomers to Hardy's works, indulge in this page-turner, which is fraught with enjoyment. As this is a less 'dreary' tale than Jude the Obscure, I would recommend it as an introduction to Hardy's style...and a chance to meet a masterful storyteller.
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