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Tess of the D’Urbervilles (Abridged) Audiobook
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(3.00) - 81,981 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The chance discovery by a young peasant woman that she is a descendant of a noble family changes the course of her life. When Tess Durbeyfield is driven by family poverty to claim kinship with the wealthy D'Urbervilles and seek a portion of their family fortune, meeting her "cousin" Alec proves to be her downfall. A very different man, Angel Clare, seems to offer her love and salvation, but Tess must choose whether to reveal her past or remain silent in the hope of a peaceful future. With its sensitive depiction of the wronged Tess and powerful criticism of social convention, Tess of the D'Urbervilles is one of the most moving and poetic of Hardy's novels.
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"What a sad and tragic story! It says so much about the plight of women in Victorian England and how one act can ruin a life forever. Although, to be honest, I don't place all of the blame for Tess' plight on Alec taking advantage of her. She and her foolish pride were her own worst enemies. Thomas Hardy seems to have a penchant for unnecessarily long winded descriptions of details that I don't find important to the story, but otherwise, I loved it....even with it's sad ending."
— Mochaspresso (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Hardy’s most striking and tragic heroine, Tess is a woman of intense vitality and innate goodness, and the author’s favorite character.”
— Barnes & Noble, editorial review
Tess of the D’Urbervilles Listener Reviews
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" Good story even though Tess can be maddening at times. "
— Caroline, 2/20/2014 -
" I would like it more if the major theme wasn't "Women's lives sucked in the 1890's" "
— Caren, 2/16/2014 -
" This very rugged and ordinary tale is made into something special in its originality and uniqueness for the time period it was written in. The life of a simple and beautiful young girl and the trials she faces to love are heartbreaking and told exquisitely. "
— Tess, 2/8/2014 -
" Stonehenge? What the crap?? lol "
— Jessica, 1/20/2014 -
" This was an amazing book with a complete surprise ending. Poor Tess. "
— Misty, 1/20/2014 -
" This book is written as a tragedy, & it is amazingly sad...but it's also quite refreshingly candid & matter of fact about things that happened back in the time frame it was set in. I was shocked at the ending, NEVER saw that coming.....well worth the read... "
— Lisa, 1/17/2014 -
" I've had inner turmoil for days on how I feel about this book. In the end I have to give it a high rating. Thomas Hardy wrote a beautiful, moving, and tragic novel that left me pondering for days on whether I hated it (which I did at times) or loved it. Ultimately I chose love! "
— Kristy, 1/5/2014 -
" Lovely story - one of the first classics read as an adult "
— Justine, 10/16/2013 -
" Wow!! Quite a terrible life... My first tragedy :( "
— Jenny, 9/23/2013 -
" Tess' story was tragic, but non the less the book was still a great one! I really enjoyed reading it. "
— Jovani, 9/17/2013 -
" A sad story but a real classic. I've read this several times and I am always gripped by it. "
— Lorraine, 5/30/2013 -
" sad story of missed chances "
— Christne, 4/14/2013 -
" Way to break my heart :'( "
— Kirsty, 2/3/2013 -
" I got really into it, but was so disappointed with the end. So depressing! "
— Brittney, 11/16/2012 -
" One of my favourite writers of the English countryside and it's deep, sensuous life. "
— Edward, 11/13/2012 -
" This was a good read - another one I wanted to cross off my list, but the ending surprised me!!! It was dry in some places, but I liked the characters and storyline. I was surprised, again, by the ending, but it was a proper ending for the story as it unfolded. "
— Janice, 9/21/2012 -
" Long long long (i'm a fan of brevity), but really enjoyed the story. "
— Cari, 3/9/2012 -
" This plot kept me turning the pages, but it was not an upbeat book. "
— Allison, 12/22/2011 -
" I enjoyed the story although it took a while to get past some of the dialect of the time. Once I began to understand it, I could get into the story. It was interesting to see the choices Tess made and to follow her journey. "
— Shirley, 12/19/2011 -
" I had to read this in high school...I absolutely did not like it. I understood the symbolism of it but hated the ending,actually I disliked the beginning. So I basically loathed the book as a whole. I tried to pick it up again recently but...it did nothing to change my view. "
— Abby, 11/2/2011 -
" I have tried to read this book 3 times and just cannot do it. This puzzles me, as I have enjoy Hardy's other works. Three chances are enough. "
— Donna, 9/25/2011 -
" Not a happy story. Tragic without fulfillment. "
— Aimeeshirk, 9/20/2011 -
" I went through a phase of reading anything I could get my hands on by Thomas Hardy (I was 17!). I still love this book! "
— Clare, 5/17/2011 -
" I really enjoyed it! Though I ended up not liking Angel in the end. "
— Jessica, 5/17/2011 -
" I went through a phase of reading anything I could get my hands on by Thomas Hardy (I was 17!). I still love this book! "
— Clare, 5/17/2011 -
" I really enjoyed it! Though I ended up not liking Angel in the end. "
— Jessica, 5/17/2011 -
" I went through a phase of reading anything I could get my hands on by Thomas Hardy (I was 17!). I still love this book! "
— Clare, 5/17/2011 -
" I really enjoyed it! Though I ended up not liking Angel in the end. "
— Jessica, 5/17/2011 -
" This is my all time favourite book. It stayed with me for days after I had finished reading it. "
— Ann, 5/16/2011 -
" A lot of times when I have violent hatred for a novel I end up reading it again and loving it. I anticipate that this will be one such novel, but boy howdy did T. Hardy piss me off as a writer. "
— Bridget, 5/16/2011 -
" This is my all time favourite book. It stayed with me for days after I had finished reading it. "
— Ann, 5/16/2011 -
" A lot of times when I have violent hatred for a novel I end up reading it again and loving it. I anticipate that this will be one such novel, but boy howdy did T. Hardy piss me off as a writer. "
— Bridget, 5/16/2011 -
" A lot of times when I have violent hatred for a novel I end up reading it again and loving it. I anticipate that this will be one such novel, but boy howdy did T. Hardy piss me off as a writer. "
— Bridget, 5/16/2011 -
" This is my all time favourite book. It stayed with me for days after I had finished reading it. "
— Ann, 5/16/2011 -
" Supposedly Hardy's best book. Certainly the most touching and heart-wrenching. "
— Deepti, 5/12/2011 -
" Supposedly Hardy's best book. Certainly the most touching and heart-wrenching. "
— Deepti, 5/12/2011 -
" Supposedly Hardy's best book. Certainly the most touching and heart-wrenching. "
— Deepti, 5/12/2011 -
" This took me a while to get through. Tess I found to be a very frustrating character. I discussed it with a friend who studied this book for a class and she enjoyed it more than me. Maybe I needed to have a class that studied this book to really get more out of it..... "
— Martianngray, 5/11/2011 -
" This took me a while to get through. Tess I found to be a very frustrating character. I discussed it with a friend who studied this book for a class and she enjoyed it more than me. Maybe I needed to have a class that studied this book to really get more out of it..... "
— Martianngray, 5/11/2011 -
" This took me a while to get through. Tess I found to be a very frustrating character. I discussed it with a friend who studied this book for a class and she enjoyed it more than me. Maybe I needed to have a class that studied this book to really get more out of it..... "
— Martianngray, 5/11/2011 -
" Good in passages but it goes on a bit. "
— Adil, 5/8/2011 -
" Good in passages but it goes on a bit. "
— Adil, 5/8/2011 -
" Good in passages but it goes on a bit. "
— Adil, 5/8/2011 -
" What can I say? It's Hardy's masterpiece! "
— Tasneem, 5/7/2011 -
" What can I say? It's Hardy's masterpiece! "
— Tasneem, 5/7/2011 -
" What can I say? It's Hardy's masterpiece! "
— Tasneem, 5/7/2011 -
" I would kill Angel if I could. Hate hate hate hate HATE him! To death! Give me a knife someone! "
— Michelle, 5/6/2011 -
" I would kill Angel if I could. Hate hate hate hate HATE him! To death! Give me a knife someone! "
— Michelle, 5/6/2011 -
" I would kill Angel if I could. Hate hate hate hate HATE him! To death! Give me a knife someone! "
— Michelle, 5/6/2011 -
" One of the worst books I've ever read - a moralistic tale full of cliched characters that each stand for a different moral virtue (or sin.) There is nothing of substance to latch on to in the plot in order to feel invested in the story. "
— Caroline, 5/4/2011 -
" One of the worst books I've ever read - a moralistic tale full of cliched characters that each stand for a different moral virtue (or sin.) There is nothing of substance to latch on to in the plot in order to feel invested in the story. "
— Caroline, 5/4/2011 -
" One of the worst books I've ever read - a moralistic tale full of cliched characters that each stand for a different moral virtue (or sin.) There is nothing of substance to latch on to in the plot in order to feel invested in the story. "
— Caroline, 5/4/2011 -
" Read for the nth time last October... I never get tired of this book. It still comes across as sensational and action-packed - it must have seemed quite shocking when first published. "
— Jane, 4/30/2011 -
" Read for the nth time last October... I never get tired of this book. It still comes across as sensational and action-packed - it must have seemed quite shocking when first published. "
— Jane, 4/30/2011 -
" Read for the nth time last October... I never get tired of this book. It still comes across as sensational and action-packed - it must have seemed quite shocking when first published. "
— Jane, 4/30/2011 -
" Make a mistake and you're screwed. "
— Jennifer, 4/28/2011 -
" This is the absolute best classic I have ever read. I am a senior in college as an english major and I plan on using this book as my thesis. "
— Nicole, 4/28/2011 -
" Make a mistake and you're screwed. "
— Jennifer, 4/28/2011 -
" This is the absolute best classic I have ever read. I am a senior in college as an english major and I plan on using this book as my thesis. "
— Nicole, 4/28/2011 -
" Make a mistake and you're screwed. "
— Jennifer, 4/28/2011 -
" This is the absolute best classic I have ever read. I am a senior in college as an english major and I plan on using this book as my thesis. "
— Nicole, 4/28/2011
About Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy (1840–1928), English poet, dramatist, and novelist, was born on the Egdon Heath in Dorset. He studied in Dorchester and apprenticed to an architect before leaving for London, where he began to write. Unable to find a public for his poetry, which idealized the rural life, he turned to the novel and met with success as well as controversy. The strong public reaction against some of his darker themes turned him back to writing verse. Today several of his novels are considered masterpieces of tragedy.
About the Narrators
Martin Shaw is an award-winning English actor known for his distinguished theater career and over one hundred television roles, including the popular Detective Constable Doyle in The Professionals. He lives in Norfolk, England.
Lindsay Duncan is a Scottish stage, television, and film actress. She has won two Olivier Awards and a Tony Award for her performance in Private Lives. In addition to her screen and stage performances, she has also lent her voice to several audio books, including Marrying the Mistress, Brother and Sister, and Aesop: The Complete Collection.