Victimized by lust, poverty, and hypocrisy, Tess is a woman whose intense vitality flares unforgettably against the bleak background of a dying rural society. Shaped by an acute sense of social injustice and by a vision of human fate cosmic in scope, her story is a singular blending of harsh realism and indelibly poignant beauty.

This tale of love--from reckless fervor to selfless constancy--is firmly rooted in the rich rural byways that Hardy knew so well. Bathsheba Everdene, determined to run the farm that has always belonged to her family, is loved by three men: the local farmer Boldwood, a solid, yet passionate squire; Gabriel Oak, a quiet devoted shepherd; and fascinating, ruthless Sergeant Troy. In this powerful, dramatic story, Bathsheba, capricious and willful, comes...

The story of a headstrong man who rises to become the richest corn merchant and chief citizen in his town. Despite his great wealth and power, however, the man cannot forget his past.

After Michael Henchard becomes the mayor of Casterbridge, the wife and children he sold at a fair 18 years previously reappear.

In the people and the towns of Wessex, the soul of England is revealed with a keenness of understanding and a vividness of style that is unequaled in fiction. Hardy said of this charming romance, "It is a true picture at first hand of the personages, ways, and customs which were common in the villages of fifty years ago.".