Jude the obscure

Marriage is drama. Love is drama. Death is drama.

Sue Bridehead is an interesting "strong female character" before her time. Not only challenging in her choices (defying marriage traditions) but also in what she chooses to read--which makes her choices more interesting because she's coming at them from a different moral and intellectual basis. ANd the character of Philloston surprised me as well; he did not follow the tropes I expected.

I don't think Hardy picked a winner in the conflict he identifies between new/urban and old/rural thought and culture. No one in the story is happy, and much harm is done by one "side" to the other. So I get that Hardy is observing the change, but I don't think his conclusions about whether the change is good or bad are apparent.

3 1/2 stars

Oy vey. I don't know what to think about this book. Kinda liked it, kinda hated it. Sheesh, can it get any more depressing? Talk about a guy who thinks with his d!@#. I hated the character of Sue, what a kook. I hated Arabella too, though. She reminded me of my ex sister-in-law. yeah, that bad.

I have to think about this one for a while.

I was disappointed by this. I've not read any other Thomas Hardy works, and was expecting some great stuff here, but I found it mostly soap opera-like, with a weak arc, and not very interesting writing (as compared to, say, Dickens). Also, it has what I see as an excessive tragedy spike late in the novel that is not supported well.

We are so awful; to others and to ourselves. And Hardy has such a keen eye for that wretchedness. OK, that's enough Hardy to last me the next ten years.