The 5 Best Books by Thomas Hardy You Should Read

5 of the best Thomas Hardy books

The Greatest Books: Written by Thomas Hardy

The Best Thomas Hardy Novels – Interesting Literature

In an unexpected turn of events, a man named Diggory Venn rides into the heath, carrying a distraught Thomasin Yeobright in his wagon. Her planned nuptials with Damon Wildeve have been thwarted due to a mistake in the marriage license, a mishap we soon discover was orchestrated by Wildeve himself. Wildeve's affection for another woman named Eustacia Vye, and his manipulation of Thomasin to incite jealousy in Eustacia, is known to Venn. Venn, who secretly loves Thomasin, attempts to meddle, hoping to convince Eustacia to permit Wildeve to marry Thomasin. However, his efforts prove fruitless.

Clym Yeobright, Thomasin's cousin and the child of a stern widow also named Mrs. Yeobright, enters this complicated love triangle. Eustacia views Clym as her gateway from the oppressive heath and preemptively decides to fall for him, subsequently ending her liaison with Wildeve. Wildeve, now free, marries Thomasin. Eustacia and Clym are brought together by chance and her scheming, resulting in their marriage despite disapproval from Mrs. Yeobright. Wildeve, upon hearing of the marriage, starts yearning for Eustacia again, in spite of his wedded status to Thomasin. 

After marrying Eustacia, Clym grows distant from his mother, and soon enough, from his wife too. Eustacia's aspiration to relocate to Paris clashes with Clym's desire to start a school locally. Wildeve, now wealthy due to an inheritance, starts spending more time with the discontented Eustacia, a fact noted by the ever-watchful Venn. This illicit relationship culminates in a tragic incident, where Clym's mother succumbs to heat and a snakebite after being turned away by a panicking Eustacia, who feared being caught with Wildeve. The fallout from Mrs. Yeobright's death leads to the separation of Eustacia and Clym. In the height of a storm, as Eustacia plans to flee the heath with Wildeve's help, both she and Wildeve tragically drown. Venn, however, manages to save Clym. The story concludes with an eventual marriage between Thomasin and Venn, while Clym, affected by his trials and impaired eyesight, becomes a roving preacher, treated with skepticism by the local community.

The Return of the Native

El Regreso del Nativo

Michael Henchard, a hay-trusser in search of work, sells his wife Susan and infant daughter Elizabeth-Jane to a sailor named Newson for five guineas during a drunken auction. Overwhelmed by remorse the following morning, he fails to locate Susan and Elizabeth-Jane, prompting him to swear off alcohol for twenty-one years, his age at the time. Nearly two decades later, following Newson's death, Susan and Elizabeth-Jane, who believes Henchard to be a long-lost relative, track him down. Discovering that Henchard is the mayor of Casterbridge, Susan and he devise a plan to remarry to save Elizabeth-Jane from the truth of their past. 

Around the same time, Henchard employs Donald Farfrae, a young Scotsman, to manage his corn business. Despite an initial attraction between Farfrae and Elizabeth-Jane, Henchard's jealousy over Farfrae's business acuity leads him to ask Farfrae to leave. Shortly after her remarriage to Henchard, Susan passes away, and Henchard, realizing Elizabeth-Jane isn't his biological child, grows cold towards her. Elizabeth-Jane opts to stay with a new arrival in town, Lucetta Templeman, who, unbeknownst to her, was Henchard's lover while Susan was missing. Lucetta, in town to marry Henchard following Susan's death, instead marries Farfrae.

Upon discovering Lucetta's past relationship with Henchard, the townsfolk organize a mocking parade which results in Lucetta falling ill and dying. Meanwhile, Henchard's relationship with Elizabeth-Jane improves, but their reunion is cut short when Newson, presumed dead, arrives seeking his daughter. Henchard lies that Elizabeth-Jane is dead to avoid confrontation. Upon learning of Henchard's deceit, Elizabeth-Jane reunites with her biological father and becomes engaged to Farfrae. Henchard, unable to face his past mistakes, leaves town. He returns on Elizabeth-Jane's wedding day only to be rejected and dies alone, leaving a will stating his wish to be forgotten.

The Mayor of Casterbridge

El Alcalde de Casterbridge

John Durbeyfield, an impoverished hawker, is stunned to discover that he is a descendant of the noble d'Urberville family. His eldest daughter, Tess, captivates a young man at a village dance. Hoping to improve their circumstances, her parents send her to the d'Urberville mansion under the presumption that the resident Mrs. d'Urberville will aid their daughter. Unbeknownst to Tess, the d'Urbervilles residing in the mansion are no relations of hers; the merchant Simon Stokes merely adopted the d'Urberville name upon retirement. Tess, feeling guilty over causing a family accident, reluctantly accepts a job tending fowls on the estate, offered by Alec d'Urberville, Mrs. d'Urberville's lascivious son.

Despite resisting Alec's advances, Tess falls prey to him after a fair and becomes pregnant with his child, whom she names Sorrow. The child dies shortly after birth, plunging Tess into a year of despair before she finds employment as a milkmaid at Talbothays Dairy. Here, she experiences happiness and forms friendships with her colleagues. She also reconnects with Angel Clare, the man she'd bewitched at the village dance. They fall in love, and although troubled by her past, Tess accepts Angel's marriage proposal.

After their wedding, both Tess and Angel confess their past indiscretions. Tess forgives Angel's affair with an older woman, but Angel struggles to accept Tess's past with Alec, leaving her to start a new life in Brazil. Tess, facing hardship, has a run-in with Alec, now a preacher, and is shaken by his proposal of marriage. With her family facing eviction after her father's death, Tess is tempted by Alec's offer of help but staunchly refuses. Angel, upon his return and the revelation of Tess's situation, is disheartened to find that she has returned to Alec. Tragically, Tess, in her despair, murders Alec and flees. Angel helps her hide, but they are eventually found. Tess is arrested and executed, leaving Angel and Tess's sister, Liza-Lu, to mourn her fate.

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Tess de los D'Urbervilles

Jude the Obscure

Jude el Oscuro

At the outset, Bathsheba Everdene, an attractive yet penniless young lady, crosses paths with Gabriel Oak, a humble farmer whose life she saves one night. Despite his marriage proposal, Bathsheba turns him down, unable to return his affections. After inheriting a profitable farm from her late uncle, she relocates to the town of Weatherbury.

After a catastrophic incident annihilates Gabriel's farm and livestock, he leaves farming and ends up seeking employment in Weatherbury. Following his successful attempt to save a farm from a fire, he inquires about job opportunities and is employed by none other than Bathsheba. As Bathsheba navigates farm ownership, she playfully sends a valentine to neighbor Mr. Boldwood reading "Marry me". This sparks an obsession from the wealthy and attractive Boldwood who seeks her hand in marriage. Despite initial refusal, Bathsheba eventually agrees to reconsider Boldwood's proposal.

During the same night, Bathsheba encounters charming Sergeant Troy, unaware that he has recently fathered a child with Fanny Robin, a local girl he nearly married. Troy's attraction to Bathsheba incites Boldwood's anger. Bathsheba, having rushed to warn Troy of Boldwood's fury, succumbs to Troy's persuasion and marries him, to the disapproval of her constant companion, Gabriel. Following Fanny's death in childbirth and the revelation of Troy's paternity, a remorseful Troy vanishes, presumably drowned. With Troy believed dead, Boldwood becomes increasingly insistent about marrying Bathsheba. However, Troy reappears at an ill-timed moment, just after Bathsheba agrees to Boldwood's marriage proposal at a Christmas party. In a fit of rage, Boldwood shoots Troy dead, leading to his lifetime imprisonment. Months later, Bathsheba finally marries Gabriel, who by now has become a successful bailiff.

5 Best Thomas Hardy Books of All Time

The Return of the Native

The Mayor of Casterbridge

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Jude the Obscure

Far From the Madding Crowd

Sources

What To Read Next

5 Best Thomas Hardy Books of All Time

The Return of the Native

The Mayor of Casterbridge

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Jude the Obscure

Far From the Madding Crowd

Sources

What To Read Next

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