This was my first venture into reading this author's work and I thought I would start with the earliest published book as his work apparently becomes much darker later on. On one level, this was an interesting portrayal of a female protagonist, Bathsheba Everdene, who is spirited, (sometimes) intelligent, and not the delicate flower that so many young women are portrayed as being in the fiction of other Victorian writers such as Dickens. Initially, she runs the farm which she has inherited and doesn't do too bad a job, albeit needing the steady uncomplaining assistance of the main male character, Gabriel Oak. On the other hand, she also does random things for no reason such as sending a valentine to a particular character as a joke, which then acts as a plot driver for much of the book. I liked Gabriel Oak, who is steady, wise, loyal and altogether too good by half for Bathsheba. It seems a cliché that she instead goes after the proverbial bad boy, but perhaps it wasn't such a cliché in Hardy's day.

The country life shown in the novel is also interesting, though it is clear from certain comments that Hardy is writing of an earlier period, so perhaps country customs and working conditions were not quite as shown in his day. He manages to distinguish most of the minor characters quite well by their different turns of speech and their peculiarities.

The main niggle I found with this novel is that, contrary to the faults of the male characters, which include drunkenness and irresponsibility, the abandonment of women (who in one case is left destitute with a baby on the way), obsession and other negative traits, the author never describes these as being typical of men. However there are many occasions where a trait shown by Bathsheba or another woman is commented on authorially as being typical of women's weakness etc. and a universal fault of all women. That is one aspect which doesn't occur in Dickens, for example, and by the umpteenth time I was quite tired of it. For that reason, I am rating this as a 3-star solid read but not one that I really enjoyed. ( )

Very early in the year but so far this is the best read of 2020. ( )

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. ( )

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. ( )

Three men are attracted to the same beautiful woman. Naturally there's more to it but if I had to sum it up in a short one line that would be it. With each we get more insight into the woman's character. I could not put this book down. I always wanted to know what was going to happen next. I can see how it made an ideal story to be serialized and offered in pieces. Each would be satisfying, but only up to a point. Spoiler alert, this is a long available classic so I'm going to give away many plot twists. The woman is Bathsheba Everdeen. Her name immediately signaled this is about a beautiful woman would is pulled in many directions. Not a common name, at least from today's perspective.

The first suitor shares a biblical reference, Gabriel Oak. His last name signals someone solid. When Gabriel first encounters Bathsheba he's a young shepherd and she's a headstrong independent young girl. He's immediately smitten and awkwardly proposed marriage. She rejects his offer citing her wish that no man ever own her, a theme which modern women will likely have a great deal of respect for but in the era in which she lives, nineteenth century England, it's not a well-respected attitude. While they go their separate ways, his dog's barking attracts her and she rescues him from an accident when he fell asleep as smoke filled his room. Unfortunately there's more problems. A young sheep dog who has not been fully trained pushes his flock over a cliff thinking he was herding them. Gabriel losses his farm. We immediately see Hardy's message of things are never fully what they seem and there will be ups and downs.

Bathsheba on the other hand has good fortune smile on her as she inherits a rich uncle's farm and becomes very prosperous, asserting independence as she is determined to become the mistress who needs no master. But she does need someone to manage the farm and Gabriel reenters the picture as that ever present but retiring man in the background. On a whim she sends a Valentine card to a standoffish neighbor and anonymously sends the message "Marry me". The neighbor, Mr. Boldwood, is an older confirmed bachelor who to that point had barely noticed Bathsheba but is intrigued by the mysterious valentine. He's rich and well established and sees his neighbor as independent and commercially successful. He offers marriage which she rejects saying while she appreciates his offer and recognizes him as a fine man, she just does not love him. He does not take rejection lightly and hopes eventually she might learn to love him. Stay tuned.

A third suitor appears with mixed baggage. While handsome and dashing Sargent Troy appears to be a lady's man who may be of questionable character, unclear. Bathsheba sees his brashness and falls for his standoffish approach. She's smitten and they elope, surprising everyone. She's too good for him is the common reaction. Sargent Troy's past catches up with him in the form of a runaway servant, Franny, who appears at a jail only to die immediately. When Bathsheba learns of the death she, as mistress of the farm, takes responsibility for burying the girl who had been part of her household. This is where things get complex. Troy is distraught, treats Bathsheba roughly and informs her that Franny was the one he loved most. After arranging for a proper monument for Franny in the local cemetery he leaves town and goes for a swim in the Channel, leaving his clothes on the beach. When he doesn't return he is presumed drowned. Bathsheba is distraught and begins mourning.

The rich neighbor sees his opportunity and relentlessly pursues the widow. She eventual agrees that if after six years Sargent Troy does not return she will marry Boldwood and hopefully develop a love for him. At the Christmas party Boldwood is having to announce the agreement, who shows up but Sargent Troy. He roughly demands that Bathsheba come back to him as his wife. This is too much for Boldwood who kills Troy, admits his guilt and summits himself to justice, expecting to be hung.

Bathsheba tuns to Gabriel who has supported her throughout. They marry. Slow and steady win the race.

After reading the book I watched the Blu-ray version of the film featuring Carey Mulligan as Bathsheba. The film stays true to the book but of course leaves a few parts out. They filmed but deleted the scene where Bathsheba rescues Gabriel which omits an important event in their relationship. The mansions featured in the film seem to be more impressive than in the book. I would guess the film makers had an easier time finding mansions from those days rather than less prestigious houses. One aspect totally missing in the film is Sargent Troy's becoming a performer in a traveling show. Without this deceptive piece of his persona he comes across more warmly in the film than the book. The one change I struggle the most with is how they chose to end the film. The film ends with a church wedding while the book had a much quieter civil ceremony. Bathsheba was reluctant about marriage and showing a celebration robs her of that agency. I understand why the filmmakers wanted a happier ending. Hardy's version felt truer to the character. Both book and film are worth your time. ( )