Tess of the d'Urbervilles (Naxos)

By: Thomas Hardy

Narrated by: Anna Bentinck

Socially critical and emotionally complex, Tess of the d'Urbervilles is Hardy's masterpiece. It tells the story of Tess Durbeyfield, forced by her family's poverty to claim kinship with the wealthy d'Urbervilles. Violated by the son, Alec, her hopes of rebuilding her life with the gentle and bookish Angel Clare founder when he learns of her past. Sensitively read by Anna Bentinck.

Download the accompanying reference guide.Public Domain (P)2008 Naxos Audiobooks

Tragedy

This was the first Audible book that I've ever had trouble with skipping, so the previous reviews are correct. It does has some technical difficulties.

One more classic down. (this book was written in 1891).

Tess of the d'Urbervilles was quite modern and open minded in its day! It was well written and well narrated. However, I will never read it again. The pour heroine never catches a break and the story is incredibly depressing throughout.

A stirring tale.

this story was good from beginning to end. It was a story about love, youth and the mistakes of short-sightedness. You will truly love test as a person as much as you hate some other of the characters. This is one of the definite classic. A must-read.

Totally mesmerizing

I wish I could double my five stars. I loved this book. It has such intense emotions, twisting plot, beautiful portraits of country life 200 years ago (almost) and breath-taking sentences. What amazing writing, where one sentence carries you through several philosophical problems that seem to emerge from a simple country observation. And the reader is amazing, she does so many different accents. This is one of my very favorite books.

Emotionally exhausting

This is one of the most depressing books I have ever read!! I just don't know what to say. I enjoyed reading most of it. Hardy is a fabulous writer, but I hated the ending. I knew something crazy was coming, but it took me off guard, and knocked the wind out of me. Oh what a sad, depressing tale.

Now I started out saying I hated the ending, but thinking back on it, I realize that it was bittersweet. In fact there was a lot of sweetness in it. She finally got what she wanted and was extremely happy for a short time. But she just couldn't win. Some people just cannot sustain happiness, and of course, under the circumstances, happiness was not going to last for her.

This book wore me out. I felt exhausted when I finished it. It will be on my mind for days.

The narration by Anna Benlinck was top notch.

The Ravishes of Innocence

Tess of the d'Ubervilles, by Thomas Hardy, narrated by Anna Bentinck. This is one of the premier reads in all of English literature. If we define a tragedy as dealing with heart-rending events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character; then herein lies a tragedy unsurpassed by the Greek’s, Oedipus Rex, The Iliad and Prometheus Bound and Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, or King Lear. (Well maybe not unsurpassed but in the same league – yes.) One more preliminary item. I usually save a comment on the reader for last. This was a first class reading and so my praise comes first as well. Brilliant tone for each character. Do you sometimes forget who is who when starting a novel? Do not worry. Ms. Bentinck’s tone for each person re-depicts each character’s nature. When an actor is duplicitous, or officious or, as in our heroine adoringly good, Ms. Bentinck’s intonations and sounds are representative of that precise personality. Incomprehensible how magically she does this but it is genius that should not be bypassed.

I do enjoy Victorian romance novels. When it comes to beautiful communicative prose, Thomas Hardy is the amongst the best. When he speaks his words intone full color impressions in one’s mind. If you have not read a Hardy novel do it before you get too old to read or listen. Life is not fulfilled without a Hardy read. (Well, at least it is enhanced by a Hardy novel.) But, be cautious here. Tess is the most beautiful woman you will ever meet in literature. What Hardy does to her should have been the basis of a prosecutorial crime. She is naïve, gentle, loving of her family and friends, generous, effusive and just all one could want from womanhood. Hardy puts her in a bottle with the devil himself and gives the devil a baseball bat and lets him beat her to smithereens, time and again, and then again and again. All that originates from a priest’s simplistic statement about the origins of the name d’Uberville. Why should one read such a debauchery? Well there is the magic of Hardy’s words but if all you want is his word mastery better read his Jude the Obscure. In “Tess” though we are forewarned against adhering to societal values that are archaic, no longer providing value and this is all explained quite precisely on just how they destroy us rather than protect us. Victorian moral norms on sex and religion may be the only things that get more butchered in this novel then Tess herself. If you like how Charles Dickens undoes the English social fabric, you will be awed with Thomas Hardy’s ability.

There is one negative to the story. Tess, in her innocents makes so many wrongful judgment calls I found myself during one listen, just yelling out loud, “no not again stupid!” I actually also bought the book on Kindle, and watched the written pages go by as Ms. Bentinck read the words for me to view and hear. Did you know you can do that in Audible/Kindle?

Beautiful language, excellent narration

Great story, beautifully narrated, and the writing is gorgeous. I had never even seen the movie, so the ending was an unpleasant shock. Oh well.

a classic...and yet?

I really, really wanted to like this one and I listened all the way through hoping that it would grow on me. After all, it's considered to be a classic....Time after time I was annoyed by the main character - sweet, but what a victim she was! Perhaps an accurate picture of the times but annoying none the less.

Wonderful!!!

Great book and the narrator really brought the characters and story alive. Two thumbs up!! You won't regret listening to this one.

Very well done, but a dark story

Mr Hardy paints stories so well that you invest in them, but his stories are not fairytales.

Poor Tess

I kind of wish I hadn't of read it. Had to trudge through it for a class. Good, but sad. Bittersweet! Poor, poor Tess.