Tess of the D’Urbervilles
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- $0.99
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- $0.99
Publisher Description
Tess of the D’Urbervilles was a controversial work when it first appeared in the early 1890s. The serialized version of 1891 was heavily censored and the full novel of 1892 received mixed reviews, largely because it challenged the sexual morals of late Victorian England. The book’s reputation has since grown considerably and it is now routinely cited as Thomas Hardy’s masterpiece.
The richly descriptive narrative is rife with unforgettable vignettes of rural life in late 19th-century England but the story’s timeless power stems from its heart-wrenching romance and the tragic experiences – or fate, as Hardy might have put it - of the eponymous heroine.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Anna Bentinck ratchets up the melodrama for this full-blooded reading of Hardy's classic a staple of high-school English classes everywhere. Students desperate to penetrate Hardy's notoriously slow masterpiece should turn to Bentinck, who gives it an intense emotional coloring. She makes Hardy sound like a brother to the Bront sisters: passionate and brooding. Bentinck alternates between a crisp, precise narrative voice that sounds like Helen Mirren, and Tess's own voice, quavering, shallow and meek. Bentinck retains her composure throughout, and her assured performance may be a welcome rescue for struggling 11th graders across the country.
