Tess of the D Urbervilles

By Thomas Hardy,

Book cover of Tess of the D Urbervilles

Book description

HarperCollins is pround to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.

'My life looks as if it had been wasted for want of chances! When I see what you know, what you have read, and seen, and thought, I feel what a nothing I am!'

Challenging the hypocrisy and…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked Tess of the D Urbervilles as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Tess of the D'Urbervilles has the dual quality of a being great work of literature, and a polemic which faces the issues of poverty and oppression—an incredibly honest, balanced portrayal of all aspects of rural life. Many of my personal problems reflected the traumas faced by the tragic heroine.

This is my favorite classic novel, partly because I’m a fan of soap operas featuring long-suffering heroines. No one in fiction suffers more than Tess Durbeyfield, and no one deserves it less than she does. Tess is pure and good, yet Hardy assures she is never boring.

The doomed scoundrel here is an aristocrat named Alec D’Urberville, no relation to her. When she is sent to Alec’s doorstep because her dad thinks their families might be connected, it leads to a litany of disasters for Tess. There’s a rape, a scandalous pregnancy, and much misfortune. Because society in the 1870s…

From Benji's list on that destroy some devious scoundrel.

Want books like Tess of the D Urbervilles?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Tess of the D Urbervilles.

Browse books like Tess of the D Urbervilles

Book cover of The Talented Mr. Ripley
Book cover of Jamaica Inn
Book cover of The Big Sleep

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,187

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in soap opera, Christianity, and angels?

Soap Opera 22 books
Christianity 679 books
Angels 59 books