Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
This is a tragic tale of a young woman named Tess who comes from a poor family in rural England. Tess is sent to work for a wealthy family, where she is seduced by a man who abandons her after she becomes pregnant. The baby dies, and Tess is ostracized by her community. She falls in love with a kind man, but when she confesses her past, he rejects her. Desperate and heartbroken, Tess murders her former seducer and is eventually captured and executed. The novel explores themes of fate, injustice, and the oppressive sexual morals of its time.
The 79th greatest book of all time
- Published
- 1891
- Nationality
- British
- Type
- Fiction
- Pages
- 400-500
- Words
- 151,097
- Original Language
- English
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following lists:
- 4th on Famous Authors Name Their Favorite Novels(from 1915) (New York Times)
- 9th on Top 50 Books (The Folio Society)
- 14th on 30 Books Every Adult Should Read Before They Die (The British Museums, Libraries, and Archives Society)
- 17th on The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read (Telegraph)
- 17th on The 100 Favorite Novels of Librarians (Bookman.com)
- 26th on The Big Read (BBC)
- 32nd on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
- 44th on The Complete 500: OCLC (OCLC)
- 51st on The 100 Greatest British Novels (BBC)
- 73rd on The 100 Greatest Novels (greatbooksguide.com)
- 79th on 100 Best Books (Montana State University)
- 90th on The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time (The Top 10 (Book))
- 183rd on The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users (Culture Café)
- 592nd on Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 110 Best Books: The Perfect Library (The Telegraph)
- One Hundred Best Books (1916) (John Cowper Powys)
- The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers (The College Board, an American not-for-profit organization)
- Masterpieces of World Literature (Frank N. Magill)
- The Book of Great Books: A Guide to 100 World Classics (Book)
- Best Books Ever (bookdepository.com)
- How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Reading List (Thomas C. Foster)
- The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written (Easton Press)
- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (Amazon.com (UK))
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- The Books You've Always Meant to Read (Waterstones)
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)
- Inteliquest's World's 100 Greatest Books of All-Time (InteliQuest)
- Landmarks of World Literature (Cambridge University)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)