Independent and spirited Bathsheba Everdene has come to Weatherbury to take up her position as a farmer on the largest estate in the area. Her bold presence draws three very different suitors: the gentleman-farmer Boldwood, soldier-seducer Sergeant Troy and the devoted shepherd Gabriel Oak. Each, in contrasting ways, unsettles her decisions and complicates her life, and tragedy ensues, threatening the stability of the whole community.
Wessex is Hardy’s creation, an area of south-west England, “a merely realistic dream country”. The Mayor of Casterbridge, another popular Hardy novel, is also set in Wessex.
I love strong female characters. Bathsheba is a proud, independent and determined young woman – no side-saddle for her! A remarkably modern character for its time.
“It is difficult for a woman to define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express theirs.”
READ NOW: Far From The Madding Crowd
PUBLISHED: 1874
GENRE: Classic
PAGES: 433
