In the Woodlanders more than any of Hardy's other novels the live's of the characters are interwoven with the rhythm of the 'woods' which surround them. Nature takes centre stage. Hardy's prose and mastery of the English language is once again supremely evident throughout. For me Hardy does not evoke in this novel the same level of pathos for his characters, as for example in Jude the Obscure. The story line did not draw me in, rather it was the coming into being and falling away of nature superimposed onto the lives of the characters that I found most enthralling. I would not recommend it as a 'first' Hardy novel, but for those who have read his other novels, you will not be… Read more
