Thomas Hardy weaves a rich pastoral tale that examines the foibles of humanity: pride, vanity, greed, passion...and gives us a touching love story with a realistic ending. Set in Hardy's Wessex country, the setting is as much a character as his cornucopia of delightful human characters. What I love best about Hardy is how his setting evokes (like a Greek god) story. Through beautiful description, imagery and evokative language, this is not the sort of book you want to race through to see what happens. But to read slowly and savored like sipping a dark, rich coffee. Let it linger.

I first read Thomas Hardy in university and have since read just about every novel he has written. "Far...Crowd" is by far the best. His description of the English countryside, the intrigue of the characters and how they will eventually meet up with each other, and the rich language all make for an intelligent read. It is comforting to know that amongst all the modern dribble there is still available the likes of Hardy. Even though Bathsheba is a shallow individual who manipulates those around her, I found the strength of Gabriel Oak sustained me throughout the story. Modern novels have been built around the central theme of Hardy's novel, but no one has used the language as appropriately as he.