The Mayor of Casterbridge Audiobook

Set against the backdrop of peaceful southwest England, where Thomas Hardy spent much of his youth, The Mayor of Casterbridge captures the author's unique genius for depicting the absurdity underlying much of the sorrow and humor in our lives.

Michael Henchard is an out-of-work hay-trusser who gets drunk at a local fair and impulsively sells his wife, Susan, and baby daughter. Eighteen years later, Susan and her daughter seek him out, only to discover that he has become the most prominent man in Casterbridge. Henchard attempts to make amends for his youthful misdeeds, but his unchanged impulsiveness clouds his relationships in love as well as his fortunes in business. Although Henchard is fated to be a modern-day tragic hero, unable to survive in the new commercial world, his story is also a journey toward love.

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"Simon Vance perfectly captures the musical essence of Thomas Hardy's prose. Modern readers may find it dense but, having read even a little Hardly with enjoyment and appreciation, one may find it near impossible to ever go back to the plodding, colorless tone of contemporary writing. Hardy could enclose several ideas and turns within a single brief phrase. "A curl of sardonic humor hung on the corner of his lip." A phrase like that would be impossible in most contemporary writing because modern writers have no environment or setting for such art. Such skill would just seem out of place. Yet Hardy could go on and on, pouring fabulous thoughts onto page after page. I delighted in Simon Vances use of accents, an essential to any good Hardy narration. The recording is smooth, without the least harshness. Be sure to carefully compare all the available versions, needless to say. On occasion, voice and microphone appear slightly mismatched, particularly in the case of female voices, but not so in this case. A true work of art on all counts. I liked it so much that I went back to using a fountain pen and bought several more, to use with different color inks. I would encourage everyone to enjoy Thomas Hardy... and go forward to using a fountain pen."

— Mousepensky (5 out of 5 stars)