Thomas Hardy has always been the otherwise favourite of many readers who begin to read him. For the absolute beginners as well as for those who have been reading him for a while, Hardy’s aura is his art of weaving his stories from the ordinary lives of ordinary people and making it connect with the world in such a way that readers think the stories to be theirs rather than of the characters who are characterised in the novel. How many of you (the readers) have read Far from the Madding Crowd by him? A stunning novel which depicts fancy as well as truth – what we desire is not always granted and what we are granted cannot always be our desire. There is one Oak and one Bathsheba Everdene. There are others – Boldwood and Troy. And we are made to sympathise with Oak… there’s the art of Thomas Hardy – arousing pity.

Story begins with Oak being the interest of Bathsheba. However, once she knows the humble nature and belongings of Oak, her ambition does not allow her to accept the love proposal that Oak extends. We are divided into ayes and noes. Some of us feel she had to accept it while others feel she is right. Later, we are told that Oak has dried of luck and his sheeps died, all of them. He is ruined. Bathsheba inherits too much of luck from her uncle and she becomes the commander in chief of the farms and estate.

Luck brings Oak and Bathsheba together but in different roles. Oak is the same – caring and humble. Bathsheba is the same – ambitious and sporty. She lands in trouble with Boldwood and Troy and breaks down before being supported by Oak, finally.

So, we can see that Mr Hardy has made ‘luck’ the hero of his novel. Luck commands the stars and everything revolves around it. On the flip side, we have Oak, Gabriel Oak. He is humble, amiable and always caring for Bathsheba. Troy is a cunning flirt, a libertine and Boldwood is headstrong. They later collide and get out of Bathsheba’s luck.

To sum up, the novel is very friendly for the readers – it offers a great story and a very well-developed plot. Hardy’s vision that luck is supreme gets a reflection in the theme. Language is always splendid as Hardy’s language always is. For the readers who want to taste a drop of the classic Victorian nectar, they have it in Far from the Madding Crowd. Go for it and enjoy the triumph of luck… and love!

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review by Sanjit for BooksToRead