No Subject

[Amanda]

Hey I am reading Tess for a project in school we got to pick anyone we wanted and my teacher told me to read this one because I couldn't decide. I am really glad I did! It is one of the best novels I have read- and I have read a lot I am glad that this is my last book Im reading for high school! However it has some sex and murder although they are not explicit. Have fun hope you decide to read it and that you like it!

[Carly Willcocks]

Don't read this book!!!!!!!!! It has too much description in it. I'm doing it for my GCSE coursework and believe me it's so depressing.

[Amanda]

I think that you should definetly choose this book to read. it is a little depressing at times but it is a really good book. You will be happy that you read it. After reading it go and watch the movie to.

[bobby green]

I guess that it could be characterized as depressing since I recently finished reading it while on a plane and actually started to gush tears towards the end. Just so you know my background. I am 46 years old, majored in English Literature as an undergraduate, and have probably read dozens of novels over the years. Not until this one had a book affected me so. <br><br>One question for you: Have you ever seen the film version which is entitled Tess? It was released in 1979 and featured Nastassia Kinski as Tess - I believe it was her first movie. As filmizations go, this one fares pretty close to the original text although there are the usual omissions and compressions. Anyway, if you are able to watch this, it might help you decide if the material is too depressing for you to bother reading the book. Hardy does have a very dry sense of humor which helps to balance the tragic elements of the story. However, his writing style is so ornamental, that it is sometimes difficult to locate the comedy. Good luck!

[Unregistered]

Yes, it's depressing; but it has a lot to say. I suppose it depends upon what you like. If you are concerned about it being depressing, I would suggest that you start with Far from the Madding Crowd by the same author; it has a happy ending.

[Sarah]

As a literature major I would not count this novel as one of my favourites but is a valuable source of material for a project piece, particularly in considering the position of women during this period. If I was back in secondary school I would have loved to have studied the work of Toni Morrison or Jeanette Winterson - check out their work. You'll be hooked.

[Unregistered]

I wouldn't call it depressing. Tess deserved the ending, because she was so stupid and naive. I couldn't find much of a plot in the book. Overall I thought it was pointless.

[Unregistered]

DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!! I AM CURRENTLY DOING AN ESSAY ON IT AND IT IS SO BORING AND DEPRESSING. THE WHOLE NOVEL IS TOO DESCRIPTIVE AND NEEDS TO GET TO THE POINT QUICKER!!

[sally]

i agree with amanda that its a great book and that it is depreesing at times and yes it is a great story but only because i watched it on film so i kind of agree that it is a drag to make you read it just to write an essay on it. i dont think its a book that you would like to read for fun.

[Eve]

I have to compare Tess with Wuthering Heights for my A Level exam, and I have to say that if I were you, I would definitely read Wuthering Heights and NOT Tess. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is a powerful, provoking novel about an intense, passionate love that traverses life and continues in death. The characters are wild, rebellious and amazingly deep and the story is told through the housekeeper. The lovers grow up in the novel and there is a whole new generation so the story returns full circle. Wuthering Heights is the book that has affected me much more than Tess and is quicker and more fun to read. It is based on thought and emotion rather than countryside descriptions. I THOROUGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!!!!<br>Although if u want something that isnt depressing, this book is a bit because it is deeply disturbing and thought-provoking, although it ends happily.

[Angela]

Yes, I think you should read this book. It's very touching. Find the simplified version of this book if you find it hard to understand the unabridged version.

[Unregistered]

I am thinking of reading this book for a school project, and I just wanted to know if it really is worth reading? I've heard it is well written as a book, but that it's so depressing I shouldn't choose it as a first choice.. Do you think I should?

[Cornellian]

DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!! I AM CURRENTLY DOING AN ESSAY ON IT AND IT IS SO BORING AND DEPRESSING. THE WHOLE NOVEL IS TOO DESCRIPTIVE AND NEEDS TO GET TO THE POINT QUICKER!!

Uh huh. Try reading Melville's Moby Dick.