The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy

 

Around the World in 80,000 Pages - Book 13

Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy

You can read about my Around the World in 80,000 Pages challenge here.

Miles travelled: 680

Pages read: 5,404

Disclaimer: I'm rather behind on my reviews, so they will be super brief until I get caught up again.

I'm a big fan of Thomas Hardy, and have read most of his novels, but this one had so far escaped my notice.

Return of the Native centres around a clutch of inhabitants of Egdon Heath and follows the typical Hardy-esque trajectory of ill-fated tragedy. The novel has been described as the most 'pagan' of Hardy's works, and I would agree with this. There is a visceral-ness (is that a word?) which contrasts with some of his other works, a raw power centred around the heath itself.

The plot centres around a love...pentagram, I think (which fits the pagan tones), and the doomed lovers there in.

To my mind Return of the Native stands up against any of Hardy's novels, maybe a gnat's shoulder below Jude, which itself comes within an amoeba's whisker of Tess. It scored 116/140, gaining ★★★★★. The flag is that of Wessex (where-else) and the associated music is The Fog by Spiers and Boden.