I devoured Hardy as a teenager, but approached this book with some foreboding. I feared I would find it slow-going. It wasn't. I loved from the first Hardy's evocation of the Dorset countryside, its rural and urban landscape. Hardy specialises in telling us about lives which do not go well, and the story of the brooding, moody self-made Michael Henshaw, Mayor of Casterbridge is no exception. Although I was more convinced by his male characters than the female, I was drawn into the lives of the principal protagonists. It was obvious things would not end in a good way, but I was involved in the narrative, and in the detailed picture of a way of life already on its way out, a rural throw-back. This is a powerful and sympathetic study of a deeply flawed character, and the milieu in which he spent his life. ( )

A more modern Greek or Shakespearean tragedy in that the flaws of Henchard's character doom him to misery. Each of the characters are well rounded with both positive and negative qualities, ( )

Ho no no nothing serious man he cried with fierce gaiety these things always happen don't they? (215) the relentless descent of Henchard to his doom is both fascinating and increasingly painful as one cannot help but empathise absolutely with this Lear- like character. ( )

One of my favorite books of all time.

I'm in a foul mood. I should not take it out on this book which is among the best I have ever read. It's just that in the middle of writing a great review my keyboard died and after several hours needed to convince product support people this keyboard is indeed not able to pair anymore I wound up losing my original review and having to start off from scratch. Forgive me, Thomas Hardy, it was not your fault. Hopefully by the end of recreating this I will be in a much better mood.

Hardy's masterpiece starts off with an event designed to offend anyone who reads it. We are introduced to a man in a drunken stupor in an auction tent and who announces he's ready to sell his wife and child to the highest bidder. She, totally annoyed with him, signals her agreement with the offer. A sailor, taking pity on the woman, meets the drunk's demand and buys the wife and child. They immediately leave together. The next morning the drunk realizes his ridiculous mistake, repents, and tries unsuccessfully to find them. He goes to church and swears to avoid all contact with alcohol for twenty one years. While he tells anyone who asks that he did something dreadful under the influence of alcohol, what he did he tells almost no one. The man who becomes the mayor and richest man in Casterbridge has a secret which he is ashamed of. This sets the stage for the rest of their story.

Many of the reviews I write are of works that have been published more than a hundred years ago. After warning the reader with a spoiler alert I feel free to relate plot twists the reader might not like to know about before they read the book. In this case I'm departing from my usual style since there are so many plot twists it is hard to know where to begin. The author has gone out of his way not to hint at them before they occur and in many cases totally change where this story was going. This out of nowhere change is consistent with the personality the author is building. No one in the story is able to predict when the Mayor is going to switch gears. This story was originally published serially. Readers were anxious to find out what happened next. One can picture many pub discussions where patrons argue about what to expect with bets likely being ways to back up assertions. Rather than describe the plot line there are other aspects to address in this review.

The first is it's psychological dimension. Today we would describe this man as having a severe case of manic depressive disorder or some form of bipolar disorder. He swings widely between extremely opposite states. People he loves become people he hates. Friends become enemies. Allies become rivals. Rich go bankrupt. Beggars become patrons. Never is the change the result of anything they did. This makes him both lovable and feared. People learn not to trust him, they can't predict where he be at any moment. What is predictable is that whatever direction he takes he will boldly go in that direction. The highs and lows are just in his nature.

The second are the secrets. Everyone seems to have one. Even the good natured Scotsman who sings fondly of his homeland yet never seems to say why he never goes back. And of course the Mayor has some we're privy too but some only come out later. His wife has some she keeps from both the Mayor and some from even her daughter. This novel is on John Irving's top 10 list. It felt very Shakespearian. Things were never quite what they seemed. The rich man goes bankrupt. The peasant becomes the patron. The weather turns. The friend becomes an enemy. An enemy becomes a friend. A secret is revealed. A secret is concealed. Hardy's message seems to be nothing is exactly like what it seems on the surface, there's always more. Great for serializing.

The third is the role of women. There are three in this tale. None come across as someone Hardy was presenting as a person who might be a role model for others. The first is the wife who is sold in the auction. She's the clearest victim here. But her actions are explained by several as the result of her being a simple unquestioning person. Not someone who sets a path others should follow. She also keeps secrets. Then there's the daughter. She sees her own limits and is constantly trying to improve herself by reading and practicing handwriting and drawing. She's ready to go into the background when the Scotsman prefers the other woman. Again a little too passive. And then there's the other woman. Yet another victim but we see her as the schemer rather than anything else. Hardy loves giving us characters with both positive and negative sides. Great for realism. I may be expecting too much to want to see a woman as someone anyone could look to.

After reading the book I watched the movie. It was fairly faithful to the plot. The major difference was the movie was darker and emphasized the depression. It was harder to see the manic side. The only exception was the resilience of the Mayor after his fall into bankruptcy.

I feel better now. This is a great book. I recommend both the book and the movie. ( )