READ: 13.03.17 - 19.03.17

BOOK: Tess Of The D'Urbervilles

AUTHOR: Thomas Hardy

GENRE: Classic

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: One day John Durbeyfield is given the impression that he may have noble blood, and may be a D'Urberville- a noble family thought to have died out. Tess is the oldest child of John Durbeyfield, and is sent to try and gain kin with the remaining 'members' of the D'Urberville family, which leads her to meet Alec D'Urberville- the man that will ruin her. Throughout the novel you see Tess fall in love with Angel Clare, a parson's son, and you feel the internal conflict she faces as she looks back to her traumatic past experiences.

REVIEW: So this book did take me a while to read, not just because it was long but also because it is slightly slow in places. In general, I really liked this book, and grew to become very fond of all the characters in it. I could relate heavily with Tess, and a lot of the relationships in the novel are almost parallels to potential modern-day relationships.

There is an interesting focus on morals in this book, and where your sympathies should lie. There are rich emotions that Hardy paints perfectly, and the characters' flaws make them all the more believable. It is a tragic novel, one that just kept getting sadder and sadder even when things were looking bright.

FINAL VERDICT: It isn't my most favourite book of all time, but it was still an interesting and enjoyable read. I probably wouldn't revisit it unless I had a lot of time on my hands.

RATING: 8/10