captivating
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a truly brillant book,like a cosy pair of slippers in that it's so warm and homely and just draws you into this little community, the characters extremely lovable and having good depth. It is very sad in places (esp the end) others are quite funny, others just touching. Would highly recommend it, esp to women as it is really a romantic novel. Superb
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My new favourite Hardy
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The other Hardy novels I've read, Return of the Native and Tess of the d'Urbervilles, centre around exotic, sensual women who stand out like a sore thumb in their community. Grace Melbury is no such heroine - she's more real. Instead of heaping superlatives on her, Hardy tells us early on that she looks completely unremarkable and that "what people therefore saw of her in a cursory view was very little; in truth, mainly something that was not she". She's a cautious, intelligent but sometimes naive girl, who's been alienated from her rustic roots through the faraway education and travels that her proud father insisted upon for his only, adored child. There's nothing innately special about Grace, but she bears her unwanted position gracefully. Then suddenly, she finds herself in a situation where resignation and grace are not enough. She takes responsibility for her actions, rebels and finds her passions. And then, in the end, she makes the best of her lot in an unexpected way. She's no idol, but a woman we can sympathise with, who finds she has to make tough choices and sacrifices as she grows up.
Typically, there is no neat happy ending. The book is filled with images of unilateral taking and longing. Each character aspires to someone 'superior'. Felice Charmond, the lady of the manor at the top of the scale, doesn't even know what she wants, as long as it will stave off her boredom for a few hours. She lives a rootless, vain life, involving herself in Little Hintock only to exploit it. Nobody has much to call their own - it's life for rent. Marty's hair, the life-hold cottages which must revert back to Mrs. Charmond, even the villager's own dying bodies which Fitzpiers tries to buy for scientific experiments. For me, it underlined the unfair lot of those who are tied to the land and held in contempt by their so-called betters. Considering the ill effects of Grace's 'over-education', Mrs. Charmond's ennui and Fitzpier's dissatisfaction and dilletantism in abstract philiosophy, I think Hardy felt that closeness to nature and a simple, focused life were the best way to happiness and integrity.
I also found The Woodlanders quite daring in its relative openness about sex and divorce. However, the more dramatic, emotional parts of the novel only really kick in after half-way through. I would still reccommend sticking with it in the slow first half, and absorbing the overlooked sadness of Marty South and the hapless, noble Giles, as well as the woodland atmosphere.
The witty side of this book needs to be spoken up for, too. It really isn't a misery-fest - several times I laughed, and not just in compartmentalised "rustic" parts, either. Unlike perhaps in Return of the Native, the main characters are not godly creatures living out their destiny on a superior plane, but are gently poked fun at every now and again. Giles' party and the man-trap incident spring to mind.
It is also beautifully written and I found it a little more immediately accessible than 'Native' and 'Tess'. It's not too long either, at 305 pages. I would definitely recommend it for somebody wishing to try Hardy out - after all, it was his own favourite!
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Society in 19th Century Rural Dorset
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I have to agree with other reviewers - this, too, is my favourite Hardy novel. Although Thomas Hardy's stories are always fatalistic, he gives us a wonderful insight into 19th Century rural life and, as I love Dorset, I can really immerse myself into his tales. Although primarily a love story, The Woodlanders also deals with the subject of educating women to a high level; particularly educating them in order to obtain a better chance of marrying 'well'. As Hardy observes, this can lead to estrangement from the lifestyle of a girl's childhood and a difficulty in understanding where she now belongs. Although the social climate has changed a lot since this novel was first published in 1887, love and all its idiosyncrasies remain the same. And many of Hardy's observations still hold true today. eg., speaking of one of the main characters in the novel (Grace), he says: 'Nothing ever had brought home to her with such force as this death how little acquirements and culture weigh beside sterling personal character." As always, a most enjoyable and very thought provoking novel.
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One of the best
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Hardy must rate as one of the best authors that can effortlessly project the life and times through every part of his book, allowing you to feel you know the place intimately, breath the atmosphere and understand the social structure of the untouched and unchanged Victorian country folk he depicts. This is one of his best stories that will have you experiencing many different feelings right through to tears. Excellent and in my top ten reads of all time.
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It's My Favorite Hardy Too!
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Thomas Hardy is my favorite prose writer and The Woodlanders is my favorite of his novels. No one writes like Thomas Hardy. The Woodlanders is special-beautifully written and classic. I highly recommend it.
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