"Tess of the D'Urbervilles"

This book was on the reading list for my AP English class in high school. I thought I loved it then, but each time I read it I fall in love with it even more because I find something new that I didn't notice in my previous readings. "Tess of the D'Urbervilles", by Thomas Hardy, is a Victorian Novel that depicts what a truly pure woman is. I love this book because it challenges the social expectations of the time and has a heroine that probably appalled some of the women back then. Tess is a simple country girl that wasn't warned of the evils of the world. So when she ventures out on her own for the first time she gets herself in a bit of trouble with a boy. Now she is 'ruined' and she knows it, so she goes on to live her life and tries to be her best self. When a respectable gentleman falls in love with her she in no way leads him on even though she has fallen for him too. He asks her to marry him multiple times but she always says no, denying herself any type of happiness because she doesn't think she is worthy of it. Once he convinces her that he will always love her, no matter what, she agrees to marry him. Ah, but as soon as she tells him what happened to her, he acts like she is a stranger and leaves her. Over the next year she withstands multiple trials and hardships all while staying true to her husband and remaining a respectable lady. I'm not going to tell you what happens in the end because you will want to find out for yourself.

 I love Tess because no matter what happens, how bad things get for her, she always tries to be her best self. It's a sad tale that will make you happy and break your heart at the same time. This book is kind of thick and was written in the Victorian era so it will probably take a couple of weeks to read. However, it is time well spent. This will be a book that you come back to again and again. I would recommend it for anyone high school age and up. Let me know what you think! (The BBC mini-series for this book is really good too).