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The Well-Beloved Audiobook
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(3.00) - 412 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
"The Well-Beloved" captures the haunting journey of Jocelyn Pierston, an artist in search of the ideal love, embodied in the elusive "Well-Beloved." This ethereal figure shifts from one woman to another throughout Pierston's life, reflecting Hardy's exploration of the transient nature of desire and the pursuit of an unattainable ideal. Set against the backdrop of the Isle of Slingers (inspired by the Isle of Portland), the narrative delves into themes of obsession, the passage of time, and the changing tides of human affection, offering a poignant meditation on the art of love and the futility of its perfect form.
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"A brilliant, archly humorous depiction of a hapless, romantic sculptor pursuing an ideal nimbus of womanhood as manifested in three generations of women from the same family. Only in Hardy."
— David (4 out of 5 stars)
The Well-Beloved Listener Reviews
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" I agree with many others, this isn't the best of Thomas Hardy, but I can clearly see his style. Just an odd story of what I think some people go through when falling in love. Never quite being happy with their "well beloved" finding an excuse to get out of relationships, hoping to find it in another. "
— Shirlyn, 2/18/2014 -
" Thomas Hardy is one of my favorite authors but, this is not one of my favorite books written by him. It fell short in so many ways. I wasn't left feeling anything at the end of the story, which is not how he usually makes me feel. "
— Kim, 2/15/2014 -
" I was excited when I found out this story was about a sculptor, but it was only a whim of the author. It was more a character flaw in the story than a calling, which is too bad. Sculpture is one of the harder art forms to be called to. I had hoped for more about the art. But it was mostly about the emotional life or lack of one of the main character. "
— Gloriavirtutisumbra, 2/14/2014 -
" A weird story. I'd suggest starting with Jude the Obscure or Hardy's poems instead. "
— Mark, 2/5/2014 -
" interesting study of art and love in the life of one sculptor. "
— Stephanie, 1/11/2014 -
" This book was hard to get through. I didn't really understand the message. "
— Pauline, 11/20/2013 -
" Well written, as always, but this time the characters didn't engage me as much as they usually do in Hardy's novels. "
— Lynne, 7/12/2013 -
" A very different Thomas Hardy story. The protagonist is in love with infatuation,with the result that none of his relationships develop into real love. "
— Jennifer, 9/30/2012 -
" I found it a little impossible to examine the courtship of several generations of women in a family. Sometimes I wonder what Hardy actually was like with women in real life and whether his fantasties were omni-present in his writings. "
— Elaine, 2/17/2012 -
" Great book! Good balance of historical tidbitry, and continuing relevance. "
— Tina, 1/5/2011 -
" I have enjoyed some of Hardy's other works more, but this was well-written and an interesting story. The theme revolves around an artist's ideal of love, which is always the same, but continually flits from one mortal woman to the next. The ending was full of irony and quite satisfying. "
— Jennifer, 10/13/2010
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.