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    Far from the Madding Crowd
    Far from the Madding Crowd
    Far from the Madding Crowd
    Audiobook3 hours

    Far from the Madding Crowd

    Written by Thomas Hardy and Clare West

    Narrated by Multiple Narrators

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    About this audiobook

    Bathsheba Everdene is young, proud, and beautiful. She is an independent woman and can marry any man she chooses - if she chooses. In fact, she likes her independence, and she likes fighting her own battles in a man's world. But it is never wise to ignore the power of love. There are three men who would very much like to marry Bathsheba. When she falls in love with one of them, she soon wishes she had kept her independence. She learns that love brings misery, pain, and violent passions that can destroy lives ...
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOxford University Press
    Release dateDec 27, 2007
    ISBN9780194210867
    Author

    Thomas Hardy

    Thomas Hardy was born in Dorset in 1840, the eldest of four children. At the age of sixteen he became an apprentice architect. With remarkable self discipline he developed his classical education by studying between the hours of four and eight in the morning. With encouragement from Horace Moule of Queens' College Cambridge, he began to write fiction. His first published novel was Desperate Remedies in 1871. Thus began a series of increasingly dark novels all set within the rural landscape of his native Dorset, called Wessex in the novels. Such was the success of his early novels, including A Pair of Blue Eyes (1873) and Far From the Madding Crowd (1874), that he gave up his work as an architect to concentrate on his writing. However he had difficulty in getting Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1889) published and was forced to make changes in order for it to be judged suitable for family readers. This coupled with the stormy reaction to the negative tone of Jude the Obscure (1894) prompted Hardy to abandon novel writing altogether. He concentrated mainly on poetry in his latter years. He died in January 1928 and was buried in Westminster Abbey; but his heart, in a separate casket, was buried in Stinsford, Dorset.

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    Reviews for Far from the Madding Crowd

    4/5

    2,165 ratings72 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Why did I enjoy this story so much? Among other reasons, I could visualize easily the settings and the costumes of characters. Another reason I liked this story is that it kept me conjecturing how the human relationships--intense and serious--would resolve, even though from the start the end was quite predictable. It was the how that kept my interest. Loved this book.
    • 3/5
      Verhaallijn nog redelijk volgbaar, maar soms eigenaardige wendingen (cfr plots bewuste schijnvertoning van Gabriel). Essentie: jonge, arrogante, rusteloze vrouw kiest tot drie keer toe voor verkeerde man; de ?juiste? wacht deemoedig af.Visie: iedereen ondergaat zijn lot en reageert op de gebeurtenissen die hem overkomen; je eigen lot in handen nemen loopt faliekant af.Sterk beschrijvend, vooral natuuromgeving, bepaalt mee de stemming. Gabriel Oak is zoals Levin in Anna Karenina, en Valvert in Les MiserablesTroy is niet absoluut slecht, cfr berouw na dood Fanny.
    • 5/5
      This is the second Hardy novel I have read and is very much like the first, Tess of D'Urbervilles. This novel tells the story of Bathsheba Everdeen and her trials and tribulations trying to live her life as a headstrong and ambitious woman in a Victorian man's world. However, unlike Tess of D'Urbervilles, this book has a few smiles and a positive ending. This book has little action, but is mostly about relationships.
    • 5/5
      Far From the Madding Crowd tells the story of beautiful Bathsheba Everdene, a fiercely independent woman who inherits a farm and decides to run it herself. She rejects a marriage proposal from Gabriel Oak, a loyal man who takes a job on her farm after losing his own in an unfortunate accident. The book is beautifully written and shows the atmosphere of 19th century England. I loved watching the relationship between Bathsheba and Gabriel evolve. Hardy does an excellent job of character and plot development. This is a story not to be missed and teaches a good lesson about being careful when you turn down your first suitor!
    • 1/5
      Quite frankly, there are better things to do (and read) with my time. I found this slow and tedious and odious and it has unfortunately put me off reading any of Hardy's works.
    • 5/5
      This is the second Hardy novel I have read and is very much like the first, Tess of D'Urbervilles. This novel tells the story of Bathsheba Everdeen and her trials and tribulations trying to live her life as a headstrong and ambitious woman in a Victorian man's world. However, unlike Tess of D'Urbervilles, this book has a few smiles and a positive ending. This book has little action, but is mostly about relationships.
    • 5/5
      Mr Taylor's AP English class, 1981. Suburban northern Virginia. Alan Bates, Julie Christie in the movie. Sigh.
    • 5/5
      WONDERFUL BOOK! Harding is a terrific writer. he is knowledgeable in so many things. he uses the biblical ideas in many of his descriptions--i.e. someone named their son Cain because she forgot who killed who?, or "it was so dark as the plague of darkness in Egypt "...A beautiful, intertwining story love story.print was very small and old English language, so hard to read
    • 4/5
      Overall I kind of liked this, thought the modern movie I saw was better. The problem is it was hard for me to get use to Thomas Hardy's writing, that's not a bad thing, he's just different than I'm use to and it read like poetry. I would like to read his other books, although it'll take sometime.
    • 5/5
      Re-reading this book after several decades and I really, really enjoyed it. Wonderful descriptive passages, great characters with depth and subtleties and a great commentary on love and pride and vanity and need vs. want. Gabriel Oak is such a wonderful character. Bathsheba is infuriating but oh-so-real and you root for her despite herself. Boldwood, Troy, Fanny are all compelling as are the cast of characters from the farm. I'm giving it a 4-1/2 because I'm very stingy with 5s.
    • 5/5
      SPOILER ALERT...OK, as we suspect at the outset, the good guy gets the girl in the end.We could have cut to the chase and had these two married within hours of meeting each other as seems to be the custom in his stories... but then we'd be deprived of a great read..Hardy as always, tells a good story, full of interesting characters in a wonderful rural setting. And such a way with words..That's three in a row after Tess and the Mayor and now onto the next..
    • 4/5
      Reading as part of The Hardy reading group.

      It is about Bathesheba and the 3 men who love her - Gabriel Oak, Mr Boldwood and Sergeant Troy. each have their own qualities but it is Gabriel who loves her first and always. She rejects his initial marriage proposal because she does not love him.

      She comes to the attention of Boldwood, who has the farm next to her, after she sends him a Valentine's card partly in jest. Boldwood has difficulty accepting that she does not love him either, but gives her up when she becomes fascinated by Sergeant Troy, the educated soldier - fey in attachment, apart from drink, gambling and women as a whole - who is more in love with another woman but marries Bathsheba more for her money than anything. She soon learns her mistake and learns to hate him, especially when he keeps asking for money to go gambling.

      His possible death by drowning opens her up to be courted by Boldwood again, who continues to pressure her into committing to marry him, even when he knows she doesn't love him. A party at Christmas has a detrimental effect on all concerned.

      Finally, Gabriel, her one true love, gets his girl.

      This is the fourth of his books and the one I've enjoyed the most so far. It has a more consistent narrative, with fewer breaks, even though I believe this was also released in serial form.

      The descriptions of nature get better with this book. I believe the description of salvaging the crops during the storm is considered to be a classic scene of the genre.

      Boldwood is a disconcerting and not very nice character, poor of social graces, who falls in love with a woman he's never talked to and virtually bullies her into committing to an engagement that she doesnt want. (Everyone agrees in the end that he's more than a little mad).

      Troy is a glittering distraction, who can also manipulate women (but in a different way), playing on Bathesheba's insecurities in order to make her marry him immediately (she goes to Bath to talk to him and he "suggests" that he'll have to give in to chasing after some other pretty girl if she doesnt marry him immediately, so she does).

      Gabriel is solid and steady, watching her make mistakes but never letting her down, even though he still loves her.

      As for Bathesheba? I dont know about her. I think she grows up during this book, finally marrying the man we all know she should have in the first place. She manages to take care of her uncle's farm, even though some people think she wont and does realise her mistake in marrying Troy, especially the way she did it.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyed a classic

      I read this to participate in a local library's book discussion and I'm glad I did. Although I struggled through some of the early chapters, this story of a woman who was independent in an era when it wasn't acceptable or understood will stick with me for a long time. There's a reason why a classic is timeless--this one shows raw human emotions from so many angles.
    • 5/5
      What a beautifully written novel this was! Hardy explores the dynamics of marriage, courtship, and selfhood through the three suitors of Bathsheba Everdene, and explores the long-standing consequences of the small and large choices we make. This was a thoroughly engaging read for me.
    • 2/5
      Nothing special.
    • 3/5
      A good, well written book, as to be expected from a literary figure, but it's not something I would read again for entertainment. It's sometimes hard to review a book read for school purposes, as there was no reason of my own to draw me to it, and therefore no expectations. I have heard though, that this is Hardy's most "positive" work, which makes me leery of the rest of his stuff.The strong point in this book would have to be the characters. Things happen day to day, as the characters go about their lives. Sometimes there is an event of some significance, and there are definitely moments that steer the course of the story and the character's lives, but everything does to a point. We see what these character's personalities and actions get them into, and what comes of it. It's a book to read when you want to read about people rather than plot.
    • 5/5
      Which would you rather have? Burning passion or constant loyalty?
    • 5/5
      After reading many contemporary novels, Clock Dance the most recent,it is so good to be in the hands of a master again!Everything - plot, character, moods, tone, point of view, and so gloriously, the settings - is finely tuned and precisely and beautifully delivered.The only development that, to me, never got fully resolved was Boldwood (now, there's a name to live up to!) capitulating so quickly to Falling In Love.It would have seemed more in tune with his character to stay distant for a little longer until he could comprehend the nature of both his ownfeelings and Bathsheba's responses. Far From The Madding Crowd certainly stands as a testimonial for caution equally to lovers of both sex when Falling In Love!
    • 4/5
      I don't know what it was with this Hardy, especially as so many people give it a 5 star rating, but I felt like I was really labouring through the first half of it. It seemed to take so long for the scene setting of the three suitors before the story really got going, and compared with other Hardy novels I've loved I wasn't feeling the characters for the first 150 pages or so.Once it finally got into its stride it was standard Hardy gold - drama, tragedy, wonderful characterisation. I just wish it hadn't taken quite so long to pull me in.
    • 5/5
      Only my second Hardy, but I think it’s safe to say I’m a fan.I loved everything about this book: the twisty story of friendship, love, and figuring life out, the character development, and especially the completely unorthodox female character that is Bathsheba Everdene. She goes from poor to rich, and from independent and brazen to lovesick and sad and then back again. So very good!
    • 5/5
      A story of independent Bathsheba and the three very different men who loved her set in Thomas Hardy's Wessex. Tragic and passionate.
    • 4/5
      I’m still working my way through Hardy’s novels one-by-one, having purchased a vintage set off eBay after a few late-night drinks. This one was less depressing (Jude) and less epic (Tess) than Hardy’s best. But still a wonderful read, with caddish baddies and homely goodies. And the early twist with the sheep is better than the later twist with the marriage.
    • 4/5
      Another rural story with tangled romantic relationships from Hardy. I continue to enjoy his writing greatly.
    • 1/5
      I was bored to tears. I went through the first five chapters and found nothing remotely interesting. I've seen previews of the movie adaption and was curious enough to read the book first. Now I'm not sure I'll even bother to rent the movie.

      Moving on!
    • 4/5
      Sometimes when I'm reading a classic, I don't understand everything or feel the emotions. That wasn't so with this one. Admittedly, I may not be feeling the correct emotions still. I didn't read this in school or study the meaning of anything (I just sped on through) so I may totally be wrong in what I got from it. Oh well. I had a good time reading.

      In the beginning, I actually laughed out loud a few times. Was it meant to be funny? Hell if I know, but Gabriel Oak is such an awesome character. No matter what happens, he just keeps pushing steady forward in life. Bathsheba Everdene is such a girl. She has three men sniffing around, and of course she picks the looser. And the one semi-holding the #2 spot is a psycho stalker. Then, there's Oak just over there being all normal and moving on up in life while all this drama is going on. Some parts are probably meant to be sad, but I wasn't sadden a bit. I was just waiting to see what craziness these people would come up next. Ahh, good times.

      I'll definitely be checking out more Thomas Hardy books in the future.
    • 5/5
      In a common 18th-19th century plot convention, a beautiful young woman, Bathsheba Everdene, finds herself without guidance, trying to make her way in a man's world. What makes this novel stand out for me is Hardy's use of the rural, natural environment not only as a setting, but as a force in the plot of the novel. Bathsheba learns that a good farmer makes the best husband :). Actually, the examination of romantic love and conventions, contrasted with true affection and companionship, is still relevant and interesting, and Hardy's writing is rich and fresh.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this! It was much lighter than "Tess" -- at least for me! And even had some bits of humor in it, which surprised & pleased me :)
    • 5/5
      The Moral of the Story: If you marry a jerk, make sure he cant swim
    • 3/5
      A lovely rural tale where Gabriel Oak and the countryside compete for centre stage.Read June 2004
    • 4/5
      If I had known I'd enjoy this novel so much, I'd have read it sooner! It's a wonderful story of life in agricultural England, seemingly untouched by the Industrial Revolution. Bathsheba is young, alone, and very confident of her abilities. When she inherits her uncle's farm, her social position abruptly changes for the better. Over the next few months, three different men, each with unique combinations of virtues, enter into her life. Despite her earlier convictions to make it on her own, she chooses one to marry, with consequences for her little community. Hardy has developed a set of characters that, while maybe not entirely believable, are attractive and interesting. The novel moves right along, never bogging down. His descriptions of the farming community are charming and invite the reader into a world that was fast disappearing. His reflections on the social mores and their influence on people's choices are fun to read as well as thought-provoking.