Reviews

I knew Thomas Hardy was hard but this is brutal. For a book that is advocating free love, this mother is cold as ice. The jabs at Oxford are also heartbreaking, if not quite as devastating as the love and marriage stuff. Some working class widows lighten it up with some laughs, though.

hcube3's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

shanehaby's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

tildafin16's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition

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4.0

This book is very well written, but I hated the characters. Not the way they were developed, the people themselves. In some ways this gets a higher rating than I would normally give for enjoyment, simply because it is such a good book. Still, reading it has left me slightly ill at ease. It is very interesting to know some of the background and is fascinating to think of how shocking it was considered at the time. In some ways, there are aspects which still would be, especially in the South, where I was raised. Overall, I am very glad I was introduced to and read it.

avabevs's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

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