I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn't do it for me. Coming from Thomas Hardy, I was looking for much more morbidity and darkness, and this youthful, devil-may-careish style just doesn't suit him very well. I thought Bathsheba far too wavering a character to take her headstrong attitude seriously, and Boldwood was anything but his namesake, sauntering about with a stick up his ass the majority of the time. I sympathized for Gabriel at first, but as time went on, he became too self-righteous and I stopped vying for him. I honestly think a tragic ending for all of them would have been more suitable, and brutally ironic. ( )

Reason read: TBR takedown
This book was Hardy's fourth published novel. It is set in Wessex (rural sw England) and the idyllic but hash life of a farming community. The time period is Victorian England. The main female character is Bathsheba Everdene. She is not your typical female in that she is an independent female farmer. She does not want to lose her independence. The three male characters, all suitors of Bathsheba, are William Boldwood (gentleman farmer), Gabriel Oak, (hired hand), and Sergeant Troy (Don Juan in uniform).

The themes are love, honour, and betrayal. I found myself at times disliking Bathsheba and other times liking her. Gabriel is the loyal faithfaul friend, William Boldwood is the obsessive, Troy is a false horse and Bathsheba, usually so smart and careful fails to see the danger.

This book is unlike other Hardy books that I've read. It was the happiest. There are references to characters of this book in Mayor of Castlebridge. It is not as tragic as Tess nor as depressing and nihilistic as Jude the Obscure. It can be called a romance with three suitors. ( )

At its very soul, Far From the Madding Crowd isn't an emotional rollercoaster, but a see-saw which, slowly but steadily, keeps shifting between normalcy and heightened passions. The story is set in the English Countryside, and Thomas Hardy paints a beautiful picture of its backdrop while artfully placing the lead characters as isolated individuals in a vastly spacious land.

The story focuses on 4 leads and their intertwined lives in the small town of Weatherbury, and their respective arcs represent the strongest aspect of Thomas Hardy's writing. Besides foolproof characterizations, the writing fully succeeds in making the reader aware of the exact states of the characters through dialogues which are profound and completely representative of their emotions.

While the reader might feel redeemed with the closure provided by the character arcs, they might also notice that the set-ups to various interactions in the story become repetitive, which cause the moments between dialogue to become a bit dull. There is also a heavy reliance on metaphors while describing certain scenes, which, on some occasions might make the reader feel detached from the actual scene and focus more on fully grasping the relentless usage of metaphors.

Far From the Madding Crowd can be best described as a romantic dark-comedy, and through the journeys of its characters, provides some fascinating takeaways to the reader, mainly about dealing with adverse situations and handling romantic heartbreaks. It represents a bumpy ride towards maturity, catalyzed by various canon events, and besides being an engaging story, is bound to give the reader a small dosage of inspiration as it ends. ( )

Old style writing, takes a bit to get into. May get back to

This goes on the list of favorites. Hardy has a way with words that bring depth and understanding to the character interactions along with the setting. At times I was drawn on as by the poet to sense the world that Bathsheba, Gabriel, Sgt. Troy, Mr. Boldwood, and the other characters lived in. There is sadness, beauty, truth, and so much more to this novel. Bathsheba is her namesake as Hardy imagines in 19th century England. A strong and honest woman.

This will be a book to revisit in the future. Can there be any better review than that? ( )