The Mayor of Casterbridge (Collins Classics)

· Sold by HarperCollins UK
4.7
19 reviews
Ebook
432
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.

‘The movements of his mind seemed to tend to the thought that some power was working against him.’

When Henchard, an out-of-work hay-trusser gets drunk and sells his wife at a country fair, his life will never be the same. Eighteen years later, his wife and daughter return to Casterbridge to find that Henchard has become Mayor. Although he’s spent most of his life attempting to repent for his actions, he remains a rash and impetuous man. Hardy portrays Henchard as a tragic hero, searching for love and acceptance from the community around him, posing the overarching question of whether we shape our own fate, or whether life deals us an inevitable hand.

Ratings and reviews

4.7
19 reviews
Tony Cairns
July 10, 2017
There is a very moving radio adaptation, with the actress Ruth Wilson as Henchard's daughter. The story's conclusion, (whereby Michael Henchard pursues self-effacement to the point of nihilism), embeds itself in the reader's memory, becoming more resonant with time.
4 people found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?
Rinesh Retheesh
November 7, 2014
One of the most popular work of Thomas hardy
6 people found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?
V. Shrivastava
September 13, 2014
Simply the best classic tragedy ever!
4 people found this review helpful
Did you find this helpful?

About the author

Thomas Hardy was born in 1840 in Dorchester, Dorset. He enrolled as a student in King’s College, London, but never felt at ease there, seeing himself as socially inferior. This preoccupation with society, particularly the declining rural society, featured heavily in Hardy’s novels, with many of his stories set in the fictional county of Wessex. Since his death in 1928, Hardy has been recognised as a significant poet, influencing The Movement poets in the 1950s and 1960s.

Rate this ebook

Tell us what you think.

Reading information

Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.