Tess of the d'Urbervilles

De: Thomas Hardy

Narrado por: Davina Porter

Tess Durbeyfield, a peasant girl and cast-off descendant of English aristocracy, has become one of the most famous female protagonists in 19th-century British literature. Betrayed by the two men in her life - Alec D’Urberville, her seducer/rapist and father of her fated child; and Angel, her intellectual and pious husband - Tess takes justice, and her own destiny, into her delicate hands. In telling her desperate and passionate story, Hardy brings Tess to life with an extraordinary vividness that makes her live in the heart of the reader long after the novel is concluded.

Public Domain (P)1994 Recorded Books, LLC

excellent publication and performance

The performance and writing was extremely well done. I could picture everything in my minds eye. this sad story provided much to ponder upon. I can see why this story has survived the centuries and been deemed such a masterful piece of literature. I am, however, thankful for my understanding of the very flowery speech. while I can easily imagine young ladies of the 16th through 19th centuries pleasantly reading this piece, I highly doubt many grown women of today would have an easy time of it, unless they had Spark Notes to assist. The spoken English language has been considerably abbreviated and therefore much has been lost.

Wonderful production

A wonderful classic, narration made it even better. One of my favorite Hardy stories. Would love to listen to again and again.

A beautiful book beautifully narrated

Tess of the D'Urbervilles is such an incredible and powerful novel. Davina Porter provided a brilliant narration - her accents were flawless!

Bucket list item checked off

This book has been in my to read list for decades. So sad, tragic, and depressing. Although far too much details for my modernized brain, for it's time it is easy to see why it is a great classic. I'm glad I took the time to this book.

BRITISH GENTLEMEN HAVE A LOT TO ANSWER FOR!

I love Davina Porter's narration and hated the ending of this great novel. I enjoyed the descriptions especially of how the lower classes looked for work, the working conditions, i.e., the temp work of those times! This is a sad story about a girl who was good and beautiful and deserved some mercy. Sorry, this is all I can write just now.

A true classic

This beautifully written, intensely sad story is not a great one to read when you're not in the best mood yourself. That said, it's one I'm sorry I waited so long to pick up. I did a combination audio/kindle read because Davina Porter (one of my absolute favorites) narrated this on the Audible version.

An elegant narrative and lyrical composition make this one a true classic. But, reader beware, it's not a feel good read.

Beautiful but tragic

I can't believe I've never read (or listened to) Hardy before. The novel is full of stunning insights and subtlty. What a fine introduction to this great author. The reader is superb as well.

Lengthy Soap Opera

Beautiful writing. So beautiful I put up with the drawn it, overly dramatic story all the way through.

I felt deep sympathy for the main character much of the time but at other times just wanted to shake her or slap her for her thinking and her subsequent actions.

After the story went on and on and on, it ended in a most unsatisfying way.

Heart Braking

I wasn't expecting that ending! After suffering through so much with Tess to then experience her death! 😭

The Novel as a *Ball of Light in One's Hand*

As one reads Thomas Hardy's 1891 novel, it can be terribly tough to swallow the unremitting victimization of Tess, a poor but "pure" girl from a rural family. Hardy's theme calling on readers' sympathy for the female protagonist, while in many novels would be a glaring weakness, is by novel's end its supreme strength. I cannot think of another novel that comes close to the power and effectiveness in its scathing indictment of men's exploitation of poor women in Victorian society as does "Tess of the D'Urbervilles."

The novel was reportedly scandalous at publication due to its empathetic treatment of a "disgraced" woman. Truth hurts most. Hardy slammed home the absurdity of existing Victorian mores whereby exploited women of poverty were deemed at fault for their sexual and economic exploitation and for their impoverishment. In this way, Tess is the type of book Ezra Pound referred to as "a ball of light in one's hand"--hoisted with the exclamation, Shame on You and Stop the Absurdity!

I hold a special place in my literary heart for such fearless, forceful and arresting attacks over the ages on arrogant, affluential a-holes.

In the story, poor Tess is mercilessly manipulated by two men. First, Alec D'Urberville, a citified cad, rapes and impregnates her on her first job (and, much later, fraudulently seduces her). Then she moves away to work on another farm where she is heavily romanced by and falls in love with Angel Clare who quixotically envisions Tess as a pure and heavenly female who he likens to Demeter, the Greek goddess of fertility. The idealistic character of Clare's expectations renders him unable to forgive Tess for not being a virgin when they married, and causes him to abandon her.

By no accounts is Tess's story uplifting. History shows however that Hardy's most-read novel was a necessary ball of light and one of the most paradigmatic, kick-butt social novels ever.