" Hardy at his sunniest, which is still only partly cloudy. It's a thin volume with an even thinner plot, but Hardy is all about characterization and here we see the the young novelist beginning to create his archetypal Wessex denizens, and can find in them the kernels of those to come. Ostensibly a love story, the novel also deals, as do most of his works, with the encroachment of modern technology on the established rural order. In this case, the traditional parish choir, composed of string players and singers, is being supplanted by an organ, and the community is divided by the change. Add to this that one of the lovers in the love story is in the choir and the other is the new organist, and you could have an exploration of the ironies involved, but Hardy chooses to gloss over them. In a way, it's refreshing that he doesn't kill off his heroine, but it would have been nice to see some sort of conflict or dramatic tension. I almost think he could have done away with the romance between Dick and Fancy and concentrated on the impact of the new vicar's decision to do away with the choir, which is infinitely more interesting. "
— Dave, 2/4/2014