Far from the Madding Crowd

Far from the Madding Crowd (1874) was the first of Hardy's Wessex novels and remains one of his most popular. The strong-willed and beautiful Bathsheba Everdene arrives to take charge of her late uncle's thriving farm at Weatherbury, thus ensuring that life in the area will never be the same again. She attracts three suitors, each of whom is very different: the faithful shepherd Gabriel Oak: dour gentleman-farmer William Boldwood; and the dashing seducer Sergeant Francis (Frank) Troy. Impulsive and independent, Bathsheba's wavering passions commit her to none and yet to all of them with some disastrous consequences.