Admittedly, it had some large shoes to fill—after all, I just finished Brave New World, which has become an instant favorite. But it wasn’t just its failure to live up to Aldous Huxley that killed any love I may have for it. I disliked it for the following reasons:
-The main character (Tess) was weak and simpering—she made so many choices that just wanted me to tear my hair out in frustration. Her devotion to her husband, even when he was being a major d-bag to her, might be touching to some people, but it just made me want to throw up.
-For personal reasons, I detested the ending. I don’t want to give anything away, but if you read it, you will know why.
-It sucked two days of my life away—days I could have spent reading Shakespeare or Tolkien or a worthier author on my list.
Well, at least now I can say I’ve read it (bragging rights—my number one reason for reading most of what I read). If you are considering reading Tess, I will say that the narrative was gripping and startling in places, and Thomas Hardy’s commentary on society and religion was insightful. And I will admit, I did enjoy this quotation:
“The more intelligence a man has, the more one sees how unique every man is. Common people do not see what distinguishes one man from another.”
But other than that, Tess of the d’Urbervilles is, simply put, not my cup of tea.
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