feste_thejester's reviews
137 reviews

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

challenging emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

MAJOR plot spoilers because I can't contain my excitement about this book and I need to rant about it >:(

I can't articulate how much I love Hardy's writing style. Like, I CAN'T. IT'S SO GOOD.

Whilst I feel the plot was really quite slow at times, the way that he writes it absolutely made up for it. I think the best qualities of his writing stand out in his nature writing, and when he matches these incredible descriptions of landscape and the environment PERFECTLY with the heart-wrenching moments of the plot, all of a sudden it feels like you've got Hans Zimmer orchestrating the soundtrack in the background and you're on your knees sobbing.

My two favourite moments that support this are:
1) When Tess accompanies Angel as he sleepwalks. Bearing in mind, this is almost straight after the heart-wrenching conversation they both have where they confess their pasts and face the fact that they can't be together anymore. Angel, in his sleep, carries Tess through the house - she fearing that he's about to kill her out of disgust for her (which he doesn't feel that about her at all !!): 'If they could only fall together, and both be dashed to pieces, how fit, how desirable. However, he did not let her fall, but took advantage of the support of the handrail to imprint a kiss upon her lips— lips in the day-time scorned.' Still asleep, he believes and fears that Tess is dead ('"My wife— dead, dead!" he said.' - sorry, sir, but I'M dead now just reading this), and he carries her out into the dark fields, where they eventually end up at a churchyard. He lays her in an empty stone coffin and lays beside her. Tess, not wanting him to become ill from the cold, led him back to the house. I think it's the most devastating and beautiful scenes I've ever read in my life.

2) In the chapter before the last, Tess and Angel have travelled together for days, and eventually come upon Stonehenge. Tired and aware that they will not be able to go much further, they lay together atop one of the alters amongst the stones, as the sun comes up. This is the final happy moment between the two of them and is immediately followed by devastation, as Tess is escorted to prison, where she meets her end. The audiobook really did me dirty by including the sound of eight bells tolling as it describes in the book (the only audio accompaniment used in the whole narration?! They really saved it for that moment, huh).

Anyways, I want Thomas Hardy to write my autobiography, then I can die happy - unlike Alec (who I hate more than anyone I've ever come across in a book ever).

Content Warnings