I had no idea what this story was about when a friend dragged me to see the new adaptation of Far From the Madding Crowd with Carey Mulligan. Thank god she did because I looooooooooved it. To the point where I was almost afraid to read the book. What if it didn’t live up to the movie?
FFtMC tells the story of Bathsheba Everdene, a headstrong woman who ends up inheriting and running a Weatherbury farm in Victorian era England. She is very young at the start of the book so we get to see her go through some major character development. She’s an interesting character, equally easy to love and easy to hate. Three suitors get drawn into her world: Gabriel Oak, the steadfast and practical shepherd from her past, Farmer Boldwood, a respected but obsessive man, and Sergeant Troy, a handsome and romantic soldier.
To be honest, I still liked the movie a little better because it manages to swerve from some of Hardy’s unpalatable Victorian misogyny, but the book was definitely worth reading. This was my first Hardy and I can see why his writing has held up. He definitely had a way with the words. Holy beautiful prose Batman. His talent at painting scenes and characters with words and phrases made me feel as if I was actually living out my life on a 19th century farm. Minus all the physical hardship of course. The other thing I really admired about the writing was Hardy’s impeccable pacing. The plot isn’t showy, but for something so pastoral, it glides perfectly along, never getting bogged down or rushing through the best parts. Do yourself a favor and read this. If you have a hard time reading older books, try the audiobook out. Jamie Parker was a wonderful narrator who brought the story to life (after I sped up the playback a little).
