Author:Thomas Hardy,Rosemarie Morgan,Shannon Russell
'The first of Hardy's great novels, and the first to sound the tragic note for which his best fiction is remembered' Margaret Drabble
Thomas Hardy's novel of swift passion and slow courtship is imbued with evocative descriptions of rural life, and with unflinching honesty about sexual relationships. Its heroine, Bathsheba Everdene, takes up her position as a farmer on a large estate, where her confident presence draws three very different suitors: the gentleman-farmer Boldwood, the soldier-seducer Sergeant Troy and the devoted shepherd Gabriel Oak. Each, in contrasting ways, unsettles her decisions and complicates her life, and when tragedy ensues, the stability of the whole community is threatened.
Edited with an Introduction and notes by ROSEMARIE MORGAN with SHANNON RUSSELL
Strikingly assured... A writer of unexpected sensibilities and uncompromising originality
—— GuardianCold Water is a thrilling pleasure... I don't think I've read such a good début in years
—— Alan WarnerVivid and stylish and endlessly, surprisingly filled with perfect, unexpected images... a beautifully written book, utterly original and the most exciting thing to have been published this year... Fantastic
—— Big IssueA truly original new voice in fiction. Her bleakly poetic first novel has an atmosphere all of its own: melancholy and profound yet shot through with the urgency of life and love
—— Shena Mackaywas hard to put down. Love, idealism, corruption and insanity in the Danish court of the Enlightenment: the world he draws is so complete, it s a very absorbing read.
—— Rachel Seiffert, Daily TelegraphOne of the most unusual and powerful fictional works of modern times.
—— New York Newsday