Robert M. (shotokanchef) reviewed on + 813 more book reviews
Although the experts deem this to be one of Hardys best novels, I found it to be a slow-moving soap opera: a triangular variation of the Hester Prynne-Rev. Dimmesdale saga, but much longer. In this, our heroine, Tess, seduced by a false dUrberville finally marries a Mr. Claire, the third son of a stalwart preacher, only to be immediately spurned by her new husband. What ensues are the trials and tribulations that she faces after being abandoned. It seems that what deserves forgiveness in the gander holds not for the goose. All this ends abruptly and unexpectedly in the conclusion. Hardy forces the readers imagination early in the story and again throughout; one must read between the lines and fill in the details. Thus, amplification of the seduction is largely in the mind of the reader, as are the fates of Tess and Mr. Claire at the conclusion.
