Tess of the D'Urbervilles

‘Thomas Hardy's thrilling story of seduction murder cruelty and betrayal’ The TimesTess is an innocent young girl until the day she goes to visit her rich 'relatives' the D'Urbervilles. Her encounter with her manipulative cousin Alec leads her onto a path that is beset with suffering and betrayal. When she falls in love with another man Angel Clare Tess sees a potential escape from her past but only if she can tell him her shameful secret...ReviewThomas Hardy's thrilling story of seduction murder cruelty and betrayal ―The TimesLike the greatest characters in literature Tess lives beyond the final pages of the book as a permanent citizen of the imagination... Tess is that rare creature in literature goodness made interesting -- Irving HoweThomas Hardy'sTess of the D'Urbervilles has a lush sensuality about the heat of summer and the heat of lust which makes the gorgeousness of Hardy's heroine and his country of Wessex both seems utterly desirable as the tale of tragic fate unfolds ―The TimesHardy never used his ""country"" and his Greek ambitions to better effect -- Melvyn BraggTess's beauty and the effect that it has on others gave me a sense of the destructive power of sex -- Rufus WainwrightAbout the AuthorThomas Hardy was born on 2 June 1840. His father was a stonemason. He was brought up near Dorchester and trained as an architect. In 1868 his work took him to St Juliot's church in Cornwall where he met his wife-to-be Emma. His first novelThe Poor Man and the Lady was rejected by publishers butDesperate Remedies was published in 1871 and this was rapidly followed byUnder the Greenwood Tree (1872)A Pair of Blue Eyes (1873) andFar from the Madding Crowd (1874). He also wrote many other novels poems and short stories.Tess of the D'Urbervilles was published in 1891. His final novel wasJude the Obscure (1895). Hardy was awarded the Order of Merit in 1920 and the gold medal of the Royal Society of Literature in 1912. His wife died in 1912 and he later married his secretary. Thomas Hardy died 11 January 1928. <p><b>‘Thomas Hardy's thrilling story of seduction, murder, cruelty and betrayal’ <i>The Times</i></b><br><br>Tess is an innocent young girl until the day she goes to visit her rich 'relatives', the D'Urbervilles. Her encounter with her manipulative cousin, Alec, leads her onto a path that is beset with suffering and betrayal. <br><br>When she falls in love with another man, Angel Clare, Tess sees a potential escape from her past, but only if she can tell him her shameful secret...</p>