Tess

[Courtney]

Tess of the d'Urbervilles is an extraordinary work of literature, capable of strongly impacting everyone who is willing to give it a chance. Thomas Hardy can be difficult to read at times, but he is well worth it. There is nothing more powerful than the scene when Tess is in the crypt where her ancestors were buried, and has nothing to wrap herself in but their old, decaying bones. Hardy is not for readers who need their books to have happy endings. I find him to be more of a realist, but he does leave hs readers with hope at the end of Tess, even if it is not to be found in Tess herself. She knows what must become of her, as does the reader when she lays on the sacrificial alter at Stonehenge, and she accepts her fate. I urge anyone to read this incredible work, but be warned, it is not for the faint of heart.