Thomas Hardy
Everyman's library (Alfred A. Knopf Inc.) volume 115
Perennial classic volume P3062F
Modern Library college editions volume T90
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6) Wessex tales
Known for such novels as Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Far from the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy delves deeper into the genre of historical romance in this stirring portrait of the various entanglements and amorous intrigues that arise among a group of church musicians in rural England. Hearts are broken along the way, and though the novel ends with a wedding, did the right pair find each other in time? Under the Greenwood Tree
...Tess of the d'Urbervilles is a harrowing critique of social class and the powerlessness of women. Tess, a beautiful young woman, is pushed on her rich "relatives" by her grasping father. When the young Lord does with her as he likes, Tess's whole life falls into ruins from which she attempts to free herself. The novel met with mixed reviews upon publication, because it challenged the precepts of society. It is now considered a classic of
...Sculptor Jocelyn Pierston is obsessed by the notion of female beauty—and he'll travel to the ends of the earth to find a living, breathing model that embodies the ideal that haunts his imagination. His creative quest compels him to hang around the edges of a family of famed British beauties and pester three generations of the women. Will he fulfill his artistic dream? Read The Well-Beloved to find out.