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Under the Greenwood Tree

(Wordsworth Collection)

By Thomas Hardy

(15)

| Paperback | 9781853262272

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Book Description

This novel is an unashamed and picturesque portrait of the long-vanished pastoral society of early Victorian England. It is a humorous study of resistance to change, and it enabled Hardy to express his affection and love for the Wessex countryside.

2 Reviews

I have to say this is my least favorite Hardy book I've read to date. The thing I like most about Hardy is the way he gets into his characters, their thoughts their motivations, this just seemed terribly superficial. There were a few passages that were beautifully written, but overall this really di ... (continue)

I have to say this is my least favorite Hardy book I've read to date. The thing I like most about Hardy is the way he gets into his characters, their thoughts their motivations, this just seemed terribly superficial. There were a few passages that were beautifully written, but overall this really didn't do it for me. For one thing it was very much written in dialect when the characters spoke and I didn't much care for that. I think part of the problem was also that the two main characters were called Dick and Fancy, which I kept reading as Dick and Fanny and then giggling like a 12 year old boy! But there just wasn't really much depth to this story. It was a mediocre love story, and the slice of life that it portrayed wasn't that interesting or insightful I thought. Still I have loved many other Thomas Hardy books so I won't hold this one too much against him and will keep reading the rest.

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Robot-mel said on Jun 9, 2010 | Add your feedback

Hardy wrote this at the beginning of his career as a novelist, and he wrote to please the reading public. This, his third novel, was a great success. It is a most delightful account of rural life and customs. The chapter "Going the Rounds" is an absolute masterpiece. The 'goings-on' of the Mellstock ... (continue)

Hardy wrote this at the beginning of his career as a novelist, and he wrote to please the reading public. This, his third novel, was a great success. It is a most delightful account of rural life and customs. The chapter "Going the Rounds" is an absolute masterpiece. The 'goings-on' of the Mellstock Quire is so quaint, so wonderfully funny as it reveals a life so far removed from today's. And the 'flirtation' scenes seem so real - hands touching accidentally at Mr Day's house, etc. Wonderful story! Absolutely delightful!

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GraJon said on Jun 10, 2008 | Add your feedback