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    Far from the Madding Crowd
    Far from the Madding Crowd
    Far from the Madding Crowd
    Audiobook13 hours

    Far from the Madding Crowd

    Written by Thomas Hardy

    Narrated by John Lee

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Gabriel Oak is only one of three suitors for the hand of the beautiful and spirited Bathsheba Everdene. He must compete with the dashing young soldier Sergeant Troy and the respectable, middle-aged Farmer Boldwood. And while their fates depend upon the choice Bathsheba makes, she discovers the terrible consequences of an inconstant heart.

    Far from the Madding Crowd was the first of Hardy's novels to give the name Wessex to the landscape of southwest England and the first to gain him widespread popularity as a novelist. Set against the backdrop of the unchanging natural cycle of the year, the story both upholds and questions rural values with a startlingly modern sensibility.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJun 23, 2008
    ISBN9781400176984
    Author

    Thomas Hardy

    Thomas Hardy was born in 1840 in Dorchester, Dorset. He enrolled as a student in King’s College, London, but never felt at ease there, seeing himself as socially inferior. This preoccupation with society, particularly the declining rural society, featured heavily in Hardy’s novels, with many of his stories set in the fictional county of Wessex. Since his death in 1928, Hardy has been recognised as a significant poet, influencing The Movement poets in the 1950s and 1960s.

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    Reviews for Far from the Madding Crowd

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    107 ratings92 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Always trying to catch up on those books being sourced for movies/TV (there are dozens on that list right now... that I WANT to read. sigh.) Such a contrast to Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Wouldn't Tess wish she were Bathsheba Everdene? Other than some undisclosed things that happened before the book started, it seems as though Bath has had a pretty easy life compared to the misery that Tess suffers at every turn. Having three guys vying for your attention doesn't seem like such a bad problem compared to Tess. And other than that, some corn possibly getting ruined from the rain. And sheep drama. I can appreciate Hardy's layered prose in this one, but I think I'm on Tess's team. Bathsheba is a great heroine but which of three suitors she ends up with isn't the best premise for a book that suits me. It's sad to lose the Bathsheba in the first few pages, seeing her improperly for the time she was in, lean back on her horse to avoid low branches (let alone not riding side saddle.) This Bathsheba turns into a suitor juggler and then wishes for the time when she didn't have to deal with all of it. I think reading about Bathsheba's backstory would have helped relate to her. Maybe I would have liked this one better if I read it before meeting Tess. You can't beat Thomas Hardy when it comes to great pastoral prose though.
    • 5/5
      After reading many contemporary novels, Clock Dance the most recent,it is so good to be in the hands of a master again!Everything - plot, character, moods, tone, point of view, and so gloriously, the settings - is finely tuned and precisely and beautifully delivered.The only development that, to me, never got fully resolved was Boldwood (now, there's a name to live up to!) capitulating so quickly to Falling In Love.It would have seemed more in tune with his character to stay distant for a little longer until he could comprehend the nature of both his ownfeelings and Bathsheba's responses. Far From The Madding Crowd certainly stands as a testimonial for caution equally to lovers of both sex when Falling In Love!
    • 5/5
      The afterword of my 1960 copyright book begins with this, "To read the word of any famous author is in itself something of an art. A reader must develop the poise of courage in order to stay the judgement of his elders until he can read the work for himself." I have many friends who had to read this book for their 10th grade honors English class. They hate this book. As a 21 year old, I struggled with parts of this book, so I can only imagine being 15 and required to read it. The book follows the central character of Bathsheba Everdene. Bathsheba is a dark haired-dark eyed beauty who looks nothing like Julie Christie and who tempts several men around her. She has three main suitors. The first we meet being Gabriel Oak, who remains loyal to her throughout the book even though he is a poor shepard. We see Bathsheba grow and mature throughout the book. I know I questioned the experience of women during this time-period in England, and how constraining it must have been to be at the whim of men.Hardy has a way of describing the scenery so you feel as though it would appear right out your own window. This book was not exactly a fast read, but it was certainly something to be savored and it comes highly recommended to anyone who wants to escape to Casterbridge, England with a nice cup of tea.
    • 4/5
      Sometime last year I saw the 2015 film adaptation of Far From the Madding Crowd. It’s very picturesqueness and told an interesting story - a young single woman managing her own property - but it felt rushed, like it was too abridged. Reading the book made sense of my reactions to the film. The film is framed as Bathsheba’s story, opening with a voiceover from her. However, the book is only sometimes from Bathsheba’s point of view. Certain things occur off-screen - and the reader is left, along with other main characters, to fill in the gaps ourselves as to exactly what happened. I found this approach made Bathsheba’s choices seem much more convincing.The book is also very clear about the passage of time. That helps to provide needed context - and I was interested by the colourful portrayal of life for this farming community.I particularly enjoyed Hardy’s descriptions and the amusing way with words some of his characters have. Even though I knew where the story was heading, the way the story was told kept me interested. I didn’t always enjoy the story of Bathsheba’s multiple suitors, but I appreciated that they’re not thrown in to create artificial tension. Far From the Madding Crowd offers thoughtful, and at times surprising, commentary on courtship, male expectations of women, healthy relationship dynamics, and the consequences of mistakes.And I found a certain romance even more shippable than I did in the film.Another one of the best books I’ve read this year. The audiobook, read by Nicholas Guy Smith, is excellent.[...] said Oak; and turning upon Poorgrass, “as for you, Joseph, who do your wicked deeds in such confoundedly holy ways, you are as drunk as you can stand.”“No, Shepherd Oak, no! Listen to reason, shepherd. All that's the matter with me is the affliction called a multiplying eye, and that's how it is I look double to you—I mean, you look double to me.”“A multiplying eye is a very bad thing,” said Mark Clark.“It always comes on when I have been in a public-house a little time,” said Joseph Poorgrass, meekly. “Yes; I see two of every sort, as if I were some holy man living in the times of King Noah and entering into the ark [...]”
    • 3/5
      Okay, so I didn't actually finish this novel, beyond skipping ahead to read the second to last chapter. Actually, I don't think I actually finished Tess of the D'Urbervilles either. I guess not finishing Thomas Hardy novels is becoming a habit.

      Honestly, there was a lot to like about this novel. I liked Gabriel Oak. I love Hardy's use of crazy, creepy, mythic symbolism. I even liked the descriptions and the Shakespearian peasant characters. But halfway through it mostly just began to confuse and bore me, because the rest of Hardy's characters just confounded me.

      The funny thing is that my feelings about the book were summed up in a Henry James quote on the back of the book, saying that the only believable element were the sheep. (Henry James's pastime seemed to be saying offensive things about English novelists. He also made derogatory comments about Dickens.) The person writing the copy on the back of the book quoted him in order to say that he was wrong, but nearing the end I started to agree with him. Almost all of the conversations involving Bathsheba just sounded so strange and artificial, and all of her motivations were elliptical and contradictory. I just didn't know what to do with her after a while. If I'd had more time, I would have happily finished it properly, but I don't feel like I missed very much.
    • 4/5
      I've only read three of his books now, but I kind of love Thomas Hardy. Because he gets it. He gets how shitty social and moral conventions are to women. Does Hardy have an avid following like Austen or Dickens? Because he totally should! I demand more Hardy adaptations!

      Bathsheba Everdene - what an awesome name - is a beautiful, intelligent, confident, and fiercely independent young woman. Upon inheriting her uncle's farm, she moves to Weatherbury, where she attracts the attention of three very different men: loyal shepherd Gabriel Oak, reserved farmer William Boldwood, and dashing soldier Francis Troy.

      There are so many vividly drawn scenes - for instance, Bathsheba falls for Troy after he gives her a display of his swordsmanship. (How perfectly Freudian!) And Bathsheba is just such a wonderful character, female or otherwise. She makes her own decisions, some of which are mistakes, but she is strong enough to own to those mistakes and grow from them.

      Hardy is truly one of the masters of his craft. Despite his books' gloomy reputations, he has a sense of humor that shines through. And I'm not a fan of descriptive prose, but his is gorgeous without being self-indulgent. I also learned more than I ever wanted to know about raising sheep and what can go wrong. (I admittedly did tune out whenever architecture or farming practices came up, but those passages don't last long.) I highly recommend this book if you're a fan of the marriage plot and/or soapy Masterpiece Theater productions.
    • 3/5
      Verhaallijn nog redelijk volgbaar, maar soms eigenaardige wendingen (cfr plots bewuste schijnvertoning van Gabriel). Essentie: jonge, arrogante, rusteloze vrouw kiest tot drie keer toe voor verkeerde man; de ?juiste? wacht deemoedig af.Visie: iedereen ondergaat zijn lot en reageert op de gebeurtenissen die hem overkomen; je eigen lot in handen nemen loopt faliekant af.Sterk beschrijvend, vooral natuuromgeving, bepaalt mee de stemming. Gabriel Oak is zoals Levin in Anna Karenina, en Valvert in Les MiserablesTroy is niet absoluut slecht, cfr berouw na dood Fanny.
    • 3/5
      My classic read for the summer, begun in early June and finally finished here at the end of August. My thoughts? A yes. A strong yes, really. A compelling heroine. A strong hero. Lots of difficulties. And a trip through nineteenth century rural England. What more could you want?
    • 4/5
      I and the others in my Book Group enjoyed Far From the Madding Crowd. It's a story of a young woman who inherits a prosperous farm in the mid-19th century in England and who isn't particularly interested in marriage, though she has three suitors. Eventually she does marry one of them, but it is a disaster because she falls for the one who is a sweet talker but doesn't have much else of value to add to the union.We were impressed with how much of a feminist theme was in this since it was first published in 1874. Not only did she eschew marriage, but the men admired her independence (and her great beauty).
    • 1/5
      I was bored to tears. I went through the first five chapters and found nothing remotely interesting. I've seen previews of the movie adaption and was curious enough to read the book first. Now I'm not sure I'll even bother to rent the movie.

      Moving on!
    • 5/5
      Move over, Dickens. Thomas Hardy has replaced Charles Dickens as my favorite Classical English author. The tone of "Far From the Madding Crowd" is pleasant, moving from descriptive narrative to humor to tragedy seamlessly. Unlike Hardy's later writing (such as "The Mayor of Casterbridge" and "Jude the Obscure"), FFTMC is light, entertaining, and structured with a pleasant ending. The later works mentioned are substantially darker, more pessimistic in nature; FFTMC is Hardy the optimist. As a general summary, the book follows the lives of Gabriel Oak (ostensibly the main character), Bathsheba Everdene, a young woman of stolid character coming of age; Mr. Blackwood, a farmer who becomes insanely in love with Bathsheba; and Sergeant Troy, a young soldier who woos, and wins, Bathsheba's hand in marriage. That is where the action kicks in. What impresses me most is Hardy's ability to instill dry wit into his description of an event, construct characters who come across as real, and create for us a world one can believe in. Clearly written, coherently structured, well paced, we can clearly see in Hardy the transition from "old, classical, English literature" to a more modern English classic. At 400+ pages, and a formal command of English (with surprising hints of modernity), this is a book that takes almost no effort to read - Hardy grabs the reader in the first chapter, and doesn't let go until the end.Well worth the reading - one would be the better for having read it.
    • 4/5
      I read this many years ago and it is one of Hardy's best novels.
    • 5/5
      After a cautious start, due mostly to language of the period, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The English countryside,the weather & the mood and feelings of the characters are described in such detail that I almost felt like I was there amongst the characters and involved in the events.Three very different suitors are vying for the affections of the beautiful, highspirited Bathsheba, who unwittingly manages to become entrapped to more than one of these men. Love proves to be quite fickle with some dire consequences.The further I progressed through the story,the more difficult it was to put down. A dictionary beside me helped with the occaisional bygone word and would recommend this novel to anyone who appreciates a tempestuous love story set in a bygone era where manners and propriety and honour are all important.
    • 5/5
      A story of independent Bathsheba and the three very different men who loved her set in Thomas Hardy's Wessex. Tragic and passionate.
    • 5/5
      I love the way Thomas Hardy writes, so lush and evocative. This book is about a young woman with a very great sense of herself and loses it in a fit of emotion, and the man who loves her steadfastly and honestly with no strings attached. Wonderful book. I could read Hardy all day long.
    • 5/5
      Only my second Hardy, but I think it’s safe to say I’m a fan.I loved everything about this book: the twisty story of friendship, love, and figuring life out, the character development, and especially the completely unorthodox female character that is Bathsheba Everdene. She goes from poor to rich, and from independent and brazen to lovesick and sad and then back again. So very good!
    • 4/5
      Another rural story with tangled romantic relationships from Hardy. I continue to enjoy his writing greatly.
    • 5/5
      An extraordinary work for a 34-year-old writer. Bathsheba Everdene is at the center of things, only dimly aware of her effect on those around her in a compelling story of love and regret.
    • 4/5
      This is the story of farmer Bathsheba Everdene and the three men who love her. There were lots of things I liked about the book: the good humour of the conversations between the farm labourers, the character of Gabriel Oak and the strong sense of seasons/harvest/reliance on the weather.On the other hand, there was (and I think I always feel this with Thomas Hardy) a pervading sense of doom and gloom. Hardy has a very masculine narrative voice and often comments on things Bathsheba does as being typical for a woman (or not). Certain touches were excellent; the discovery of all the jewellery and clothes Boldwood had bought for Bathsheba, the fact that Boldwood's failure to secure his harvest from the rain is the surest evidence of his mental deterioration and the shocking revelation by Bathsheba that she married Troy because he told her he had seen a more beautiful woman than her and could not promise to be true.But... I struggled a bit with Troy's supposed irresistibility (although the description of their not terribly happy subsequent married life was well done). I did not understand why Fanny failed to meet with Troy when she followed him to his barracks. In looking back, Troy makes it clear that she stood him up - why? [I have since discovered the chapter which explains this as an appendix to my version - very annoying as it helps the story make sense and casts light on Troy's character]. I could have done without all the references to Greek mythology and the obsession with the stars in the (rather slow) opening chapters. The romance at the end felt very natural and provided a satisfactory conclusion.
    • 5/5
      Great book fully deserving of the title of classic. The fact that people who have reviewed this have such varied and vehement views about all of the various characters in the book suggests that it has been written well. A true classic is both loved and hated in equal measure. I can't imaging not falling in love with this book. If you have loved and lost then you will see yourself here somewhere.
    • 2/5
      Nothing special.
    • 5/5
      Lovely, simply lovely. I was enchanted by all the characters, and just amazed that this was one story where I really could not see the plot coming down the street waving flags and yelling "Here I come!" like most stories these days. The story floored me and kept me glued till the end. I loved it!
    • 4/5
      I don't know what it was with this Hardy, especially as so many people give it a 5 star rating, but I felt like I was really labouring through the first half of it. It seemed to take so long for the scene setting of the three suitors before the story really got going, and compared with other Hardy novels I've loved I wasn't feeling the characters for the first 150 pages or so.Once it finally got into its stride it was standard Hardy gold - drama, tragedy, wonderful characterisation. I just wish it hadn't taken quite so long to pull me in.
    • 5/5
      The main character of this 19th century British classic is Bathsheba Everdene, an independent woman who through an inheritance gains ownership of a farm. Bathsheba is feisty, smart and both willing and able to succeed in a man's world. That is until she falls in love with Sargeant Troy, a womanizer and overall scoundrel. This book could be a 19th century version of 'Why Women Choose the Wrong Men'. Although the language and the setting make this a classic, the personalities and the motivations were very much relevant to today's times.

      I both listened and read this book - great narration by Nathaniel Parker (the Artemis Fowl narrator) who gives a stellar performance of the quirky rural characters in this book. This is only the 2nd Thomas Hardy that I've read, but I've enjoyed them both. Great author.
    • 4/5
      Far From the Maddening Crowd by Thomas HardyWhen Bathsheba Everdene, a beautiful young woman full of life inherits a farm and moves to the remote country she creates chaos in the hearts of the local men. She finds that her overseer has been stealing from the farm and fires him, determined to run the farm herself.Gabriel, a local sheep farmer who is poor but rich in integrity soon proposes marriage to her but Bathsheba refuses him. She is not in love with him though she likes him very much.Later she mischievously sends a valentine card to the wealthy farmer Boldwood. He too falls in love and becoming obsessed with her also proposes marriage. She refuses him as well for the same reason. She is not in love with him.Then a handsome and charming young scoundrel of aman, Sergeant Troy appears and Bathsheba falls madlyin love with him. They secretly wed but Bathsheba soon discovers that his one true love is one of her maids and that he is still in love with her.Bathsheba eventually learns that Sergeant Troy is an unfaithful small minded husband who can be trusted neither with her heart nor her farm. When the young maid Fanny, who loved the Sergeant is discovered dying giving birth to his stillborn child he becomes terribly and inconsolably remorseful and leaves Bathsheba.But this classic has much more to it than just the romantic interests. There is much about the farming and husbandry of those days that I found to be quite interesting. There are crops to be grown and harvested. There are also the interactions between all of the people in the novel.My least favorite character was Bathsheba herself. She was a fairly flat character and even the peasant folk seemed to have more body to them.I found this book to be lively & exciting which I know is quite the opposite of how some view Hardy's work. However I really enjoyed it and recommend it to those of you who enjoy the classics and to all Hardy lovers.
    • 4/5
      I’m still working my way through Hardy’s novels one-by-one, having purchased a vintage set off eBay after a few late-night drinks. This one was less depressing (Jude) and less epic (Tess) than Hardy’s best. But still a wonderful read, with caddish baddies and homely goodies. And the early twist with the sheep is better than the later twist with the marriage.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book and am amazed that I hadn't read it before now. It is charming, delightful and poignant all at the same time!Gabriel loves Bathsheba, pure and simple and when she turns him down he accepts it, but carries on looking out for her.She doesn't know what she wants and gets herself into a right pickle by doing the wrong thing, but Gabriel is there! She nearly loses all but Gabriel is there.Things take a dreadful turn and I won't give away any more of the story! Except to say it is well worth the read, even trying to understand the local dialect of the characters.
    • 5/5
      Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy1874 WessexI had seen this movie in the late 60's with my grandparents. Had no idea what it was about but it's a classic. I also ordered the paperback a few months ago and haven't gtten to it. But now I have it on audio so I hope I enjoy it.Quite a different type of book subject from what I'm used to reading. Love all the descriptive details, makes me feel as if I am there.Sexual scenes. Basheba Everdeen entices 3 men in her village. A farmer Gabriel Oak falls in love with her but she is not in love with him. Liked hearing of the sheep and their routines and when Gabriel realizes something is amiss. Love hearing of the bartering to get a shepherd's hook. He finds her in a nearby town where she's become a farm owner via her uncle. She's so head strong.Soldier Frank Troy needs to have the marriage bands announced....Landowner William Baldwill-it's rumored he was jilted at the alter and that's effected him in later years...Baldwill wants to marry her but again she's not in love with him. Love the chat about molting and shearing of the wool from the sheep.Like legacy of pocket watch! I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
    • 4/5
      I had previously read 2 of Hardy's other works, so I was not all that surprised that this one played out the way it did. Bathsheba, the heroine of the story, is living with a poor aunt in the hill country tending sheep, & meets Gabriel, himself a sheepman, having come down from the position of bailiff to a large landholding. When he loses his sheep to a tragic accident concerning a young & untrained dog, he is left penniless, & hires himself out as a shepherd at a job fair. By then, Bathsheba has inherited a large estate from her uncle when he passes away, & as it turns out, Bathsheba on the grounds of their previous friendship & initial romantic feeling for each other, hires him, but won't marry him. She eventually marries a ne'er do well soldier by the name of Troy, who is not a good man, to say the least. She also has to contend with Farmer Boldwood, who owns the neighboring estate, & who she on a whim sends a Valentine to, & causes him to fall in love with her, even though he is twice her age.This book is a tragedy in the sense that she makes bad choices throughout, & has to deal with the consequences of those, as well as the men in her life. However, it does eventually have a happy ending......
    • 4/5
      I have no idea why this book did not impress me quite as much as Hardy's "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" or "Mayor of Casterbridge". After all, all the elements of a solid drama were there: a vulnerability of a beautiful woman precariously balanced against her stoicism, the unrequited love, sudden passion sprung as a result of a silly whim, tragic denouement for some and happy ending for others, intriguing insights into the human nature by the author... Bathsheba Everdeen and Gabriel Oak are the two co-protagonists, while Boldwood and Troy seem to be secondary characters that, to me, appear on the scene only to offset Bathsheba's weaknesses. Though Bathsheba is at the center of it all and, for a woman of that era, is certainly a redoubtable personality, Gabriel Oak seems to be the most positive and appealing character out of the four. Hardy dwells on the village life of the area, going into detailed description of nature and the colorful local characters - whose life, though "far from the madding crowd", gets suddenly disrupted by the unpredictable and volatile events. And yet, somehow, for me, neither the plot nor the deliverance of the narrative were at the level of Hardy's two aforementioned novels.