I love Thomas Hardy's characters because he allows them to be fallible, allows them to be unduly influenced by the rigid thinking of the time in which they live. They make bad decisions, and suffer for them, and we suffer along with them. How refreshing!

This book is incredibly rich, and there would be much to discuss in a class or book group. I actually think one of the most interesting characters is Alec d'Urbervilles. He is utterly contemptible, of course, but he goes through such changes in the book that he's fascinating to watch. A great bad guy.

Not surprisingly, Tess's and Angel's theme, the Double Standard one, shows up all over the place. I caught 3/4 of Sweet Charity on TV last night, remember that one with Shirley McClaine? Great dance numbers. She confesses her past in a fit of passion, and guess what happens? A scene certainly as heart-wrenching as the one in the crumbling d'Urbervilles mansion.

If you love classics, what are you waiting for? It's worth it, as are Hardy's other novels. If you are new to this sort of thing, reading it for a course or a class, you have a treat in store. Happy reading.

I'm many years out of college and thought I should start reading some more of the classics. Previous favorites of mine have been The Sound and the Fury, Jane Eyre, and Pride and Prejudice. I saw Tess of the D'Urbervilles on my sister's bookshelf and for about a year I considered reading it. Finally, I picked it up and began. Wow! I read it in about three days. I never expected I would feel so much by reading this book. I cried when she baptized Sorrow herself. Her concerns that he be buried in the churchyard and her efforts to ensure he was were touching. I wanted to help Tess Durbeyfield. I thought she was a very complex character--she was sweet and unworldly but she wasn't actually stupid. And she was strong in many ways--for example, her family relied on Tess for so many things--eventually even their support. In fact, I hated her family for not working harder and making their own sacrifices. All the burden was on poor Tess. I also wanted to shake some sense into Angel. He really did wrong by Tess--although he eventually realizes this, it comes too late. The only thing I really did not care for was the sudden inclusion of a minor character (who we met earlier)into the end of the book and the implication that she would play an important role in the future of a major character. I barely knew this minor character and NOBODY could compare to Tess of the D'Urbervilles. If you are reading this to find a good book, ignore the negative reviews by high-school students and buy this book NOW. It's unforgettable.

What a wonderful piece of literature, and quite a liberal (read: feminist) story for the time period it comes from! Not only are the characters well-drawn and utterly flawed (just like real humans) but the main plot reads as timeless.

The heroine (Tess) takes most of her life as it is thrown at her. When she finally decides to take some small measure of control of her fate, it is her very womanhood - and the lack of choice accompanying it - that is slapped back in her face.

A great love story in many respects, in the end the true love here is Tess' love of herself (and the reader's love for her), and her unwillingness to be a victim her entire life.

Thankfully, you'll find no happy endings in this book. What you will find is a story written by an early feminist, and characters that will stay with you forever.

There are people who will start reading this book then about 100 pages into it realize that it's going nowhere fast. Take my advice and keep reading. It gets much better, and more interesting. The ending is really good, and might have even upped this review a star.

ac

This novel, contrary to some of the other comments, is a wonderful piece of literature. Although not the most uplifting, it is a great example of Hardy and Deterministic and Naturalistic fiction. Despite Tess' best efforts (like Jude in the other Hardy novel), she is unable to escape the poverty and misfourtune which she attempts to leave behind. Although somewhat lengthy, the novel is one of the better pieces of British fiction to come out of the period.

my language arts teacher had my class choose a book to read. I had no idea what I wanted, because she wouldn't allow me to read anything by Stephen King, and I had no other ideas for something worth reading. My friend suggested Tess of the D'bervilles, and so I took it from the school library.

Unfortunately, I started reading it a week before I was supposed, and finished it the next day, and so I must choose another book to read for class.

This is an excellent book that makes you think about what women had to go through a few hundred years ago. It makes you think about the complete lack of backbone shown in Tess untill the very end, when she finally realizes the injustices done to her were NOT her fault. You must remember that she had not been brought up to understand certain things, and could not have understood how to cope, or over come with problems that many women of her time had to face.
The ending was excellent, and rather sad.
If you enjoy learning about history, I suggest reading this book.