My first was "The Woodlanders." I started it more from curiosity & enjoyed the first few chapters. Then before long...I was deeply in love with it. So in love, especially with the ending, that I felt like I needed to put off my next Hardy for a year, because my expectations were now so high!

The order in which i have ended up reading them : ▪︎ The Woodlanders ▪︎ Far from the Madding Crowd ▪︎ The Mayor of Casterbridge ▪︎ Tess of the D'urbervilles ▪︎ Desperate Remedies ▪︎ Return of the Native ▪︎ The Trumpet Major ▪︎ Hand of Ethelberta 8 done, 5 to go. Keeping Jude The Obscure for last.

What a wonderful video. Thank you for the Thomas Hardy advice. I've been putting off reading him because I was told (as you mention at the beginning) it's all gloom and misery in some of the novels. You've given me the push I needed to read one of his books.

Today I finished reading my first ever Thomas Hardy novel, Far From The Madding Crowd. I've fallen deeply in love with this book. Your video makes me want to read all of Hardy's works. I have found myself a new favourite Victorian author ❤

Thanks so much for the highly informative video on Hardy. Just discovered this at the point of being half way through Jude the Obscure, which is my first hardy book. Opps, ah well, I am thoroughly enjoying it and cannot wait to get into additional hardy books.

I saw Thomas Hardy and clicked so fast. I did start with Tess many, many years ago, and I loved it. It's my favorite book ever, not just from Hardy. However it took me forever to pick up any of his other books (I just didn't think to look into it for some reason lol). This year, I am making it a project to read them all (I want the first experience to all be physical books, not audio). I am sad I have 3 left (the well beloved, Jude, and Ethelberta) but thank goodness there are still his short stories and poetry to keep me company afterwards. And of course, rereads. (I have read Tess at least 2x a year for over a decade now. It's just one of my go to books when I need to feel grounded.) So far, Tess is still my favorite, but after, I would say the Woodlanders, Madding Crowd, Return, and surprisingly, Two on A Tower (if he only spent more time on the ending, it might actually have tied with Tess. That was the only drawback in the book.). I don't have one I hate, even with the books where I hate all the characters (looking at you, Mayor of Casterbridge). A fun thing is while reading Mayor, I got really excited to see a few people make a cameo: Farmer Everdene (Bathsheba's uncle) and an upcoming young Farmer Boldwood, both from Far from the Madding Crowd, as well as Farmer Shiner, from Under The Greenwood Tree. Somehow it made Hardy's imagined world seem more real. Also when they talk about the nature descriptions, more than just the words he uses, they mean it like you were saying in this video - it's how the people interact with their environment, and how the environment plays a role in the events that go on, and it is almost as if the setting becomes one of the main characters. Maybe one day I will make a youtube channel that talks just all things TH. Meanwhile, I love yours. Thank you for all you do, for inspiring me to read other victorian authors (like Trollope TWWLN), for writing a fun contemporary victorian inspired novel (Secrets), and just the enthusiasm for reading. You're amazing Katie! Keep up the awesome work.

@katiejlumsden

8 ай бұрын

Thanks very much :) Yes, I love seeing little cameos and the interconnected world - it's great. Hardy is so great. Making this video made me really want to do some Hardy rereading.

@Youknowwhoyounopoo

8 ай бұрын

@@katiejlumsden i smell group read/reread in the near future. Just say the word

Me and Hardy have a complicated relationship. Beautiful writer who I get to take a slow walk thru Wessex. My favorite is Under the Greenwood Tree. I've read a lot of these. I hate the miserable endings but like the story.

Thank you for saying you don’t think he’s much more depressing than other Victorian authors. I have been saying this to my family for the past few years. The first two Gaskell novels I read were North and South and Cranford and I felt like someone was dying every chapter. I have read 6 Hardy novels so far. Sure Tess is sad but I didn’t have any trouble getting through it. Jude the Obscure was kind of ruined for me because I knew something shocking happens so the whole book I was waiting for that moment and guessing what it could be. When it happened it didn’t hit me as hard as it should have.

@katiejlumsden

8 ай бұрын

Agreed, there are so many other depressing Victorian authors!

I started in quite an odd place with Hardy, I picked up both They Mayor of Castorbridge and A Pair of Blue Eyes and decided to read the latter first based on the blurb. I liked it so much that upon learning that it's considered one of his weaker works I've picked up a lot more of his books and I am really excited to read them. I'm a sucker for the more miserable classics, hence why wuthering heights is one of my favourite books ever so when my bookish friends said he was too miserable for them I was instantly intrigued XD

I loved "The Mayor of Casterbridge"! I'll definitely pick up "Return of the Native" next, and save "Far from the Madding Crowd" for later.🧡

I started decades ago with Tess of the D’Urbervilles and swore I would never read anything else by this author. However, last victober I decided to join the group of The Mayor of Casterbridge and really, really loved it. I plan to listen to four of his short stories this and/or next month and sometime later continue with other of his novels. And maybe, only maybe, will I reread Tess. Thank you dearly, Katie.

Totally agree on your reading tips. I most enjoy Hardy when I am in a certain reading mood. He expands the reading experience for me.

I studied Return of the Native for 'A' Level, I LOVED it. May or of Castorbridge is also one to start with in my opinion. It's quite an eye opener when it comes to female history.

There is a lot of different things in english culture than mine. You helped me realize it. And my mother says that differences are something that make life beautiful 20:06 beautiful.

I really love Thomas Hardy, I have only read two of his books but I really enjoyed them both ♡ I plan to read Jude this month

I’m starting this with a chuckle, Katie, as I read Tess a year or two ago and it was my first Hardy. I’m reading Far from the Madding Crowd now, and making note of the other novels you recommend. Thank you for this video, I enjoy this series very much.💕

I read Tess and Jude the Obscure when i was in high school 45 years ago, along with a couple others. I loved them! I think both of them seeped into my soul a little then and never left. A few months ago I started thinking about him again. Yeah, maybe I have to reread them. I can still picture the old Signet editions. I wish I still had them!

Thanks Katie - these 'tips' videos are all really helpful. I'm looking forward to watching your Elizabeth Gaskell one!

Bloody Boldwood was one of the funniest characters that I have ever read in a book. LOL....crazy coot thought he was a lady's man. haha.....layin down the old wood from Boldwood. AHHHHH.....Hardy is one of my favorites.

1998 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles', starring Justine Waddell as Tess, is a stunning screen adaptation, too - it's actually my favourite one.

@katiejlumsden

8 ай бұрын

I must see that sometime - I like Justine Waddell a lot.

@tom_k_d

8 ай бұрын

@@katiejlumsden ... I just realized someone uploaded the full version here at yt...

It's very important to start with one of his major novels by using one of those top 5 lists, and not by starting with something like "A Laodicean"

I'm currently enjoying 'A Laodicean' - I relate to Paula Power. This is beautiful novel, full of wonderful details - Hardy brought in his architect knowledge.

Watching this while finishing Jude The Obscure 👀 I’ll look into his other works before jumping to Tess Of The D’urbervilles haha

@katiejlumsden

8 ай бұрын

I mean, if you like Jude, you have nothing to fear from Hardy's other tragedies :)

Far from the Madding Crowd was my first Hardy and I didn't love it. Maybe I would enjoy it more now, though. Ive read Hand of Ethelberta on your recommendation last year and really liked that one.

I've been slowly been falling in love with Thomas Hardy slowly.

Last years group read The Mayor of Casterbridge was my first Thomas Hardy and I quite enjoyed it. Made me look forward to getting to some of his other works. Far From the Madding Crowd and The Woodlanders are were I plan to go next as they have the plots I'm more interested in.

I started with Mayor of Casterbridge. Guy gets drunk. Guy decides to sell his family. What an interesting premise!

Loved this video, especially because of the tip about nature writing. I have yet to read my first Hardy and that was one point I was worried about 🙂

@katiejlumsden

8 ай бұрын

Glad I'm not the only one XD

I started my Thomas Hardy with Tess, Jude the Obscure and The Mayor of Castorbridge, and as I haven't picked up another one in decades, I agree with you that they are not the place to start. I bought some of his short stories to try, and based on your recommendation will try Desparate Remedies. Thanks for all of the advice.

@katiejlumsden

7 ай бұрын

I hope you enjoy Desperate Remedies :)

I started (and finished!) with Tess. I got so mad, I threw it across the room. That was about ten years ago, and I still haven't quite convinced myself to try another Thomas Hardy!

@katiejlumsden

8 ай бұрын

Do try another :) There are many great ones!

I'd recommend Under The Greenwood Tree to anyone wanting to get off on the right foot with Hardy - not that it's representative but at least it won't leave you sobbing in a corner. The big Wessex novels are quite challenging, I think, because they're full of symmetries, symbolism and all that good stuff which can make the plots feel badly strained unless the reader exercises a fair measure of critical detachment. Not really your go-to guy for a rattling good yarn, but very rewarding if you're patient.

Hearing you explain how you didn't much like Hardy after the first two very slow ones and nevertheless continued on to the next four gave me a good chuckle - thank you. Perhaps it was an assignment but people aren't completely predictable (which is an observation in Shakespeare, probably the first observation). Sorry I couldn't join you yesterday for the sprints but hope you had a great time. Have a nice day.

@katiejlumsden

8 ай бұрын

I wasn't that I didn't like Hardy, exactly, just didn't love the first few books I've read by him, I guess.

I made mistake #1 and started with Tess of the D'Urbervilles, then went to The Mayor of Casterbridge, then Far from the Madding Crowd. I have read a few chapters of Jude the Obscure, we'll see how it goes. Of the three I've completed, I thought Far from the Madding Crowd took longer to get going but once I got into it I ended up liking it the most. I find his nature writing less intimidating because his books are on the shorter side, so when he does talk about nature or architecture or clothing or farming work, I don't feel bogged down when I have to look up a word. Though him I learned what felloes, dimity, bargeboards, staddle stones and yeaning are!

For anyone who wants to sample some of Hardy’s writing in a small way, I recommend his wonderful short story “On the Western Circuit”. It has shades of Tess and “Cyrano de Bergerac” wrapped up with a nice ironic twist. The lives of a beautiful, naive country girl, her employer the wistful and bored wife of a wine merchant and a sophisticated London lawyer become entangled.

My first Thomas Hardy was Tess when I was around 13 and I love it. Last Yr in my mid 40s I read The Mayor of Casterbridge and this Yr I've read Jude and I'm currently reading Far From The Madding Crowd. I'm finding Madding Crowd a slog which surprises me as apart from Tess it's the one I'm most familiar with the plot. I REALLY want to enjoy it

@rachelbosworth2438

8 ай бұрын

Just an update on my previous comment, I'm now almost finished with Madding Crowd and thoroughly enjoying it, thankfully. My next read is going to be a first read ever of Dracula

Hardy should have asked himself when pondering his ending chapters: "What would Jane Austen do"?

I started reading Hardy with Tess of the D'Urbervilles, but translated into my language (beautiful translation) and I loved it!! I don't mind reading about misery. Actually I think I like it. This summer I started The Mayor of Casterbridge, but in English. Oh Lord, do I find it difficult. I like the story, but the wording is difficult for a non-native English speaker. I couldn't understand a word of how Casterbridge looks like, though I searched the words up. I put the book down, but I feel obligated to push through 😅. So, I will resume it before the end of the year. I was thinking that in the future you perhaps could add a little mention regarding English difficulty of Victorian (and classics in general) books for people who are quite advanced in English, but non-native speakers. I love your content, happy reading!

@katiejlumsden

8 ай бұрын

To be honest, I feel like as a native English speaker, I find it really hard to judge what would or wouldn't be more accessible for non-native English speakers, if that makes sense? Sorry, I wish I could be more helpful on this, but it's a bit of a blind spot, I guess.

Desperate Remedies is my favorite Hardy novel so far. I've also read Far From the Madding Crowd and The Mayor of Casterbridge. I don't know if Hardy is for me with the least Hardy-like novel being my favorite.

@katiejlumsden

8 ай бұрын

Maybe try The Trumpet Major, The Hand of Ethelberta, A Pair of Blue Eyes or A Laodicean - those are maybe a bit more action-packed, like Desperate Remedies.

I started with Tess last year and actually really loved it. I then read Jude and did enjoy it but probably not as much as Tess - there was just something about the turn of events in Jude that made me so miserable that I struggled with the book - did not see that stuff coming

any recs for where to start with “bad hardy”? i’ve read Return of the Native, Mayor of Casterbridge, Tess, The Woodlanders, Jude, and Far From the Madding Crowd, in perhaps that order of preference. I’ve tried to wean myself off Hardy and am almost done with the Chronicles of Barsetshire, but i kind of want to return. What is his next best book? I’d like to stay in Wessex, was thinking maybe Two on a Tower (DH Lawrence seems to put it in the company of the above) or maybe A Pair of Blue Eyes, as i’m curious about the passage with the trilobite. any recs welcome, and many thanks!

@katiejlumsden

5 ай бұрын

So, my favourite that you haven't read is Desperate Remedies, which I adored - it's a wild ride. The Trumpet Major is a really solid read, too. I also really liked The Hand of Ethel Berta, but most people don't! I wasn't really a fan of Two on a Tower, but a lot of people love it - I think I'm in the minority with it being one of my least favourites of his whole body of work.

@101dalmatiansmystery9

4 ай бұрын

many thanks! @@katiejlumsden

He's certainly my favourite Victorian poet, I really love his poetry. I've read 'The Mayor of Casterbridge' and 'Far From the Madding Crowd' - I preferred the mayor, I would have thought it would be the other way around but I have more sympathy for the mayor. Maybe he's not good at writing romance well?

@katiejlumsden

8 ай бұрын

I think he's got some great love stories, in a way - maybe his unrequited love stories are stronger, thinking about it.

👋❤️

Which edition or cover design is those books

@katiejlumsden

3 ай бұрын

I think some are Penguin Classics and some Collector's Library.

Great video, although I’ve only read three of Hardy’s novels so far and I did read Tess first followed by Jude and then Maddening Crowd. Maddening Crowd was my least favourite! 😅 maybe I just love bleak sad books…

How could you not love Michael Henchard in Mayor of Casterbridge? The opening scene - we've all thought about selling what he sold? Haven't we?

Just finished reading Mayor of Casterbridge, I did like the descriptions of the country compared to Dickens descriptions of London. Hardy's background is better. I liked Far From the Madding Crowd the best so far. I thought that the Mayor of Casterbridge was very depressing but it was almost a book about how NOT to live.

Katie, I know you love Dickens but at the risk of being shot down in flames, I find him much more inaccessible to read than Hardy. I'm sorry 😢

@katiejlumsden

8 ай бұрын

Haha, that is of course fine. Dickens probably IS more inaccessible than Hardy. Also, Dickens is totally wacky and weird, so I always understand if people don't get on with his books.

@rachelbosworth2438

8 ай бұрын

@@katiejlumsden I haven't turned my back on dickens altogether as I still own but haven't read Nicholas Nickleby and Great Expectations

Just DON'T