I liked this book more than I expected—definitely better than Tess of the d’Urbervilles, which felt much sadder and heavier. Far from the Madding Crowd had a nicer tone and characters that were easier to like. Bathsheba was an interesting main character, and I liked how independent she was, even when she made mistakes. Gabriel Oak was my favorite—loyal, kind, and someone you can really root for. Hardy’s writing made the countryside setting come to life, which I enjoyed. Some parts of the story were a bit slow, and a few scenes dragged on longer than they needed to. But overall, it was a solid read with a more hopeful feeling than other books I’ve read by Hardy.

Usually I would never ever write this, or say this. But I think you can tell this story was written by a man. It is absolutely interesting, full of surprises, has an interesting development of certain characters. But there just is something I miss about the language, the storytelling. Maybe it was the translation I read (german). No idea. Still I really enjoyed the story of Bathseba (allegory to the Bathseba in the bible?) Oak, Boldwood and Troy. Can't wait to read the new translation that will be released here in Germany in May.