Hard Times

Hard Times. Charles Dickens. Penguin Publishing (first published in 1854). 321 pages. Source: Audio Library

First sentence: Now what I want is facts.  Teach these boys and girls nothing but facts. Facts alone are wanted in life.

Plot: The 'terrible mistake' was the contemporary utilitarian philosophy, expounded in Hard Times (1854) as the Philosophy of Fact by the hard-headed disciplinarian Thomas Gradgrind. But the novel, Dickens's shortest, is more than a polemical tract for the times; the tragic story of Louisa Gradgrind and her father is one of Dickens's triumphs. When Louisa, trapped in a loveless marriage, falls prey to an idle seducer, the crisis forces her father to reconsider his cherished system. Yet even as the development of the story reflects Dickens's growing pessimism about human nature and society, Hard Times marks his return to the theme which had made his early works so popular: the amusements of the people. Sleary's circus represents Dickens's most considered defence of the necessity of entertainment, and infuses the novel with the good humour which has ensured its appeal to generations of readers.

My thoughts:  This is a hard one for me as are all Dickens novels.  The story that I in my head most followed was that of poor Louisa.  The youngest daughter of Thomas Gradgrind.  She was married off to a man twice her age and went to live in a home where there was no love at all.  Louisa had never had a love interest but when James Harthouse arrives and tries to win her heart she runs back to her father and tells him what an error he made in having her marry the old Mr. Bounderby.  

Mr Bounderby is furious that Louisa left him but he is determined to find the man who has robbed his bank.  The thief all along is Louisa's older brother who has fallen on Hard Times and has taken money consistently from Louisa to cover his debts.

This story was a little hard to follow at first but I soon had it figured out in my head who everyone was.  I'm glad that I have read this one but it's not my favorite Dickens novel.

Anges Grey

Anges Grey. Anne Bronte. Wordsworth Classics. Originally published 1847. 168 pages. Source: Purchased from Betterworldbooks.com.

First sentence: All true histories contain instructions: though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity, that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely for the trouble of cracking the nut.

Plot: At age 19 Anne Brontë left home and worked as a governess for a few years before becoming a writer. Agnes Grey was an 1847 novel based on her experience as a governess. Bronte depicts the precarious position of a governess and how that can affect a young woman. Agnes was the daughter of a minister whose family was in financial difficulty. She has only a few choices for employment. Agnes experiences the difficulty of reining in spoiled children and how wealth can corrupt morals.

My thoughts:  I like Bronte's style of writing.  After the last book I read this one was a calm and enjoyable read.  Not all of the situations that Anges was in was calm and enjoyable but over all I enjoyed this one. 

Anges was a very kind young woman. She had no skill or trade in which to earn money to help support her family so she convinced her mother to help her secure a position as a governess.  Having no real knowledge of raising children other than her own experience as a child she found her first position.  It was not a favorable experience as the children were greatly spoiled and she had no control over them at all.

Her second situation was somewhat better as the children were much older.  The issues she dealt with were along the line of lack of character building.  She did have some villagers that she was able to minister to through acts of kindness.  The new parson was very kind and Agnes had some very tender feelings for him.  But she was tormented by Miss Murray in that Miss Murray wanted every man to love only her.  

Anges returned home after the death of her father to help her mother with a school she had started in order to make a living.  Anges was sad to be leaving Mr. Weston, the parson, but she had hopes of seeing him again.

This was a nice read and I wish I had taken the time to sit and enjoy it more.  It took me a lot longer than it should have being as busy as I was in March.  I would read this one again.

The Mayor of Casterbridge

The Mayor of Casterbridge. Thomas Hardy. Dover Publications 2004. 256 pages. (Source: Betterworldbooks.com)

First sentence: One evening of late summer, before the nineteenth century had reached one-third of its span, a young man and woman, the latter carrying a child, were approaching the large villiage of Weydon-Priors, in Upper Wessex, on foot.

Plot: A cruel joke at a country fair goes too far when a drunken laborer auctions off his wife and child to the highest bidder. So begins The Mayor of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy's gripping tale of a man's rise and fall amid the natural beauty and human brutality of a rural English community.

First published serially in 1886, the novel was praised by critics for its realism and poetic style. Most agreed, however, that its plot hinges upon unlikely turns of events. Hardy replied, "It is not improbabilities of incident but improbabilities of character that matter." In this book — originally subtitled "A Story of a Man of Character" — the author perpetually tests his characters with frequent intrusions by the hand of fate. Rich in descriptive powers and steeped in irony, this timeless tale offers a spellbinding portrayal of ambition, rivalry, revenge, and repentance. 

My thoughts:  I LOVE Thomas Hardy!  He is a very intreguing author.  He makes me focus on the words that are written and not just read them quickly (you can't).  From the first I was struck by this strange tale.  Though it took me longer to get through than I planned due to being busy with the holidays and our son home I am happy to say this one did not let me down!  

It was not a predictable tale that's for sure.  Michael Henchard gets his wife and daughter back 18 years after a terrible mistake he made by selling them while drunk only for his wife to die and leave him with a terrible truth.  Life is not what Henchard has expected it to be.  There were many twists to this tale but it's strange how life works out for him.  

I enjoyed this one very much!