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.