I never thought I would ever read another Thomas Hardy novel. Tess, Mayor and Jude the Obscure were enough. Then I read a Virginia Woolf quote hailing Far From the Madding Crowd and decided to buckle down and read that as well. It is one of Hardy's early books and it was well worth the read. It's independent female protagonist, Bathsheba Everdene, manages to get herself into some awkward (and funny) scrapes and comes out of it all without being hanged or broken to pieces.
(I looked up to see if Katniss Everdeen was named after Bathsheba Everdene, and SHE WAS!)
When will someone name a girl, Bathsheba?
Some other good reads as of late: Orphan Train, Andrew's Brain and David and Goliath.
What are you reading?
Meet Bathsheba Wilson Bigler Smith (1822-1910), Fourth General President of the Relief Society of the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bathsheba_W._Smith
Good one, Tom! Hardy was a favorite author of mine as a college student. I read everything of his I could get my hands on after my high school English teacher compared me to thr heroine in "The Return of the Native." And Polanski's film version of "Tess"--nothing short of wow. I like a weighty novel.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting trivia about the Everdene name! Bonus: Far From the Madding Crowd is free on Kindle today (maybe always?)
ReplyDeleteFor strong heroines over a 100-year span in Uruguay, i recommend The Invisible Mountain by by Carolina De Robertis.
I am not familiar with his work but am going to see if they have any of it in my local libraries English section!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea Katniss was named after Bathsheba...cool. I really liked Far From the Madding Crowd. I'm reading Kate Morton's The Secret Keeper.
ReplyDeleteI don't know any Bathsheba's, but I do have a FB friend who named her daughter Tabitha and I love that.
ReplyDeleteI just re-read Far from the Madding Crowd last month and loved it. When I read it in two nights in college I did not love it.
ReplyDeleteI also love Under the Greenwood Tree by Hardy. It actually ends happily and is quite funny.
I'm reading What Alice Forgot. It's OK.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading Doris Lessing's The Fifth Child, and you're going to cringe when you read this next title: The Fault in Our Stars. I know, I know, but all the high school girls would pull it out during English class, and sneak read, so I had to know.
ReplyDeleteKaty, I read THE FAULT IN OUR STARS and I loved it.
Delete