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The Mayor of Casterbridge
The Mayor of Casterbridge | Thomas Hardy
This 1886 novel may be Hardys most intense and gripping narrative. We first see the central character, Michael Henchard, as a drunken and unemployed hay-trusser who sells his wife Susan and his daughter Elizabeth-Jane at a fair. When he is eventually reunited with the two, he has become the contented and prosperous mayor of a thriving market town. But the downward spiral begins. Henchards fall is hastened by a series of coincidences and quarrels, and by his own jealousy and pride. Though the perspective on events that Hardy gives us is often that of other characters (Elizabeth-Jane in particular), Henchard remains the central focus; in the end he is a tragic figure, bankrupt, emotionally broken and an outcast from society. Prepared by one of the worlds leading Hardy scholars, this edition includes a critical introduction and a range of background materials from the period. Historical documents (concerning such topics as the corn laws and the practice of wife-selling) and contemporary reviews help set this remarkable novel in the context out of which it emerged.
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KCofKaysville
Mayor of Casterbridge | Thomas Hardy
Pickpick

Quite a good, but sad story, about how a drunken action can have long-term consequences. The main character is also self-destructive and proud, but does have some good qualities. There are deceptions or instances of bad luck that compound the sadness. The language is a bit hard to read, being old-fashioned, with classical allusions, but my copy had good footnotes that helped. Worthwhile if you are up for it!

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KCofKaysville
Mayor of Casterbridge | Thomas Hardy
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Starting a classic I have wanted to read ever since I saw The Claim, a Western movie, based on it.

bibliothecarivs I love Hardy and just saw The Claim for the first time a couple weeks ago. I haven't read The Mayor yet. I look forward to your thoughts. 8mo
KCofKaysville @bibliothecarivs I have only read some poetry but have seen movies of some novels 8mo
26 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Centique
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And my haul was just three old Penguins (got to think of the weight of my suitcase!) 😋

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martellax
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This book is a brilliant and somewhat intriguing story. I believe it is one of, if not the best work, produced by Thomas hardy. With multiple twists and multiple chances for a character redemption arc which penultimately fails, it most certainly is not a boring read. Instead, you end up empathizing and loathing the main character of Micheal Henchard all at the same time.

Soubhiville Aw, cute pooch! 3y
martellax @Soubhiville i think he was enjoying the book more than me!!! 3y
PhilipE Not as cute as my awesome poodle but . . . Lol. I loved Mayor of Casterbridge. Amazing how he can create someone you want to hate and root for. 3y
25 likes3 comments
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GatheringBooks
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Martta
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Pickpick

One of my favourites from world classics. 👍

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Martta
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I'm so surprised how much I'm loving this! As world classics go Thomas Hardy keeps surprising me on how modern twists and turns the stories seem to take. Also I'm suprised how well he describes women. It is really nice to see an old world classic that has toughtfully created female characters.

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Reviewsbylola
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I ordered these two books with the intention of making one of them my #firstreadof2020. Now the question is, which one do I choose?! 🥰🤔

I may or may not have read LW in its entirety when I was much younger but I can‘t be entirely sure. As far as Thomas Hardy, I‘ve only read Tess of the d‘Urbervilles.

umbrellagirl I vote for the Mayor of Casterbridge. That‘s a gorgeous cover. 5y
Marni My vote is Little Women 5y
Bookwormjillk Little Women! 5y
See All 11 Comments
Cinfhen Little women/ I read it earlier this year and I was so pleasantly surprised 💜 5y
Ruthiella Little Women! 😀 5y
LeahBergen Little Women. 😄 5y
LiteraryinPA I vote for Little Women! 5y
MariettaSG Little Women 5y
JenniferP I read both of these in December and enjoyed them both. I think Mayor of Casterbridge is my favorite Hardy book. 5y
Mdargusch Little women! 5y
Bookzombie This is my same feeling about LW! Did I read it or did I see one of the movies so young or read an abridged version? I plan on getting to it this year. 5y
73 likes11 comments
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Kristelh
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❤️ Hardy‘s descriptions of fall, unfortunately we bypassed that yellow stage and the leaves all fell to the ground in a soggy mess. #reading1001 #1001travelingbookswap #groups

Liz_M Snow in October, in the cities at least, is probably not good for fall colors. 6y
11 likes1 comment
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Kristelh
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BookwormM When I read this at school I hated it when I read it again as an adult I really appreciated it 6y
Kristelh @bookwormM I‘ve liked everything I have read by Hardy. 6y
BookwormM Hardy is one of my favourites 👍 6y
8 likes1 stack add3 comments
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CoffeeNBooks
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CoffeeNBooks
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One of my favorite purple-covered books for #PurpleRain #PrinceofJuly @vkois88 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

vkois88 It's a beautiful cover. Sounds like an intense story 6y
Cathythoughts An exam book ! Good 👍🏻❤️ 6y
71 likes3 comments
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SaraBeagle
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Starting my third Hardy of the month!

Saknicole Yesssssss! I know the Hardy addiction too. I liked this one alright. I still need to watch an adaptation! 6y
SaraBeagle @Saknicole I haven‘t watched any. Recommendations??? 6y
Saknicole @SaraBeagle the 2003 version isn't bad! I watched some of the 70s miniseries but this book didn't really entice me to watch the whole thing. 6y
25 likes3 comments
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Michael_Gee
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Stopped by the Pink Elephant antique mall on our way home and picked up a couple goodies. 😁 (a man sells his wife at auction? What?! Hadn‘t heard of this one!)

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MrsMalaprop
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ladym30 Beautiful!! 7y
LeahBergen 😍😍😍 7y
55 likes2 comments
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tnociti
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Love this so much. #travelingbookswap

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hes7
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Got a couple books in the mail today, finally. One to my sister-in-law (who wants to read one of my all-time favorite books! 🙌🏻) and the other for #1001BookSwap.

@tnociti I apologize in advance for all the tape (not pictured). 😬

Princess-Kingofkings Tell me more about #1001BookSwap 7y
hes7 @Princess-Kingofkings It‘s a book club organized by @JenP and a group of 4-5 take turns reading and mailing books from the list 1001 Books to Read Before You Die. 7y
86 likes2 comments
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mck_di_the_jedi
Mayor of Casterbridge | Thomas Hardy
Pickpick

Recommended from a reading course. This was a lovely book that took a satisfying amount of time to read.

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Verity
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And this was our last stop of the day: Max Gate which Thomas Hardy designed himself (he trained as an architect) and which his brother built for him using bricks made by the family brickyard. So definitely a house with Hardy all over it.

Kaye Isn‘t that just beautiful ♥️ 7y
27 likes1 comment
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parttimedomestic
Mayor of Casterbridge | Thomas Hardy
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November #TBR
This month I‘m working on reading books I already own, because my to be read bookshelf is getting a little cramped!

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Saknicole
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While in #Anchorage I added a few books to my bedside #tbr list. I found what I was looking for: Call the Midwife and A Hero with a Thousand Faces at my favorite #titlewavebooks 🌊

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Saknicole
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Better sell all this finery and buy myself grammar books and dictionaries and a history of all the philosophies! #booksarebetter #tbrbingo #Hardy

Kimberlone Good quote! How are you liking it? I think watching the miniseries turned me off of the book.... 7y
Saknicole @Kimberlone definitely not as good as Far From the Madding Crowd, but it's alright: you know I love Hardy, haha. Hopefully the second half redeems the mayor to the point where I can actually forgive him. The first half was a really fast read and kept me going for sure! 7y
Kimberlone @Saknicole the mayor is the worst. I think that's why I decided to skip the book. You do have a strange affinity for Hardy and his ultra-depressing stories 7y
WhatDeeReads But I like my finery too. #conflicted 7y
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hes7
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I was a terrible student when it came to finishing required reading, but now that the pressure's off, I might need to give some classics #OneMoreTry. #JuneTunz

Felso What will you pick first? 7y
gibblr I loved The Scarlet Letter when I was in high school and didn't read Hamlet until I taught it, but also loved that! 7y
Cinfhen I so hear you...required reading is a double edged sword 🙄😬 7y
Books88 Same! 7y
drbethandherkindle I didn't finish Walden either…but I sold mine at the end of the semester 🙄 7y
94 likes5 comments
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PurityofEssence
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Pickpick

Finishing this book, I was left with a web of complicated emotions. First: it's my belief that mostly everyone in this book, with the exception of Elizabeth-Jane, is loathsome. Second: my dislike of the characters did not prevent me from feeling great sympathy for them. This is a profoundly sad book. There's lots to say about Hardy's dense psychological themes, but it's the emotion that left its impression on me; it's close to heartbreaking. 🤘🤘

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