Showing results by author "Thomas Hardy" in All Categories

"A Laodicean" by Thomas Hardy is a captivating romance novel that follows the story of Paula Power, a wealthy heiress torn between her duty to marry for financial stability and her desire to follow her heart. As she navigates through the obstacles of love, social status and personal growth, Paula discovers the true meaning of happiness and fulfillment. This audiobook is filled with vivid descriptions of the Victorian era, complex characters and unexpected plot twists that will keep you engaged until the very end.

The finest voices reading a wonderful selection of poetry accompanied by selected classical music.

We begin with one of Hardy’s best regarded stories, 'The Fiddler of the Reels'. Here Hardy exposes a supernatural and demonic theme, against a realistic and historical background of the Great Exhibition of 1851 and the first trains. A typical Wessex girl is gripped by the power of music and dance when a lone fiddler casts his spell on her, causing her cloying but plain suitor to leave suddenly for London.

Two on a Tower' is Hardy's ninth novel and contains perhaps his most complete treatment of the theme of love across the class and age divide, and also the fullest expression of his fascination with astronomy and science.

Adapted from the story by Thomas Hardy. A woman and a man... words of love whispered on a summer night. Later, there is a child, but no wedding-ring. And then the man leaves the first woman, finds a younger woman, marries her - it’s an old story. Yes, it’s an old, old story. It happens all the time – today, tomorrow, a hundred years ago. People don’t change. But this story, set among the green hills of southern England, has something different about it.

Cuando todos los dedos te señalan, rendirse no es una opción. Tess proviene de una familia de campesinos en el empobrecido Wessex. Un día recibe la noticia de que su apellido pertenece a una estirpe de nobles normandos. Al enterarse, sus padres la presionan para que se introduzca en los círculos aristócratas y obtener beneficio, algo a lo que Tess se niega. Pero el poder de la aristocracia caerá sobre ella con hostilidad y repugnancia y la sociedad no tardará en condenarla por el mero hecho de ser mujer.

Poems can evoke within us an individual response that takes us by surprise; that opens our ears and eyes to very personal feelings. Forget the idea of classic poetry being somehow dull and boring and best kept to children's textbooks. It still has life, vibrancy and relevance to our lives today.

When Tess Durbeyfield is driven by family poverty to claim kinship with the wealthy D’Urbervilles and seek a portion of their family fortune, meeting her ‘cousin’ Alec proves to be her downfall. A very different man, Angel Clare, seems to offer her love and salvation, but Tess must choose whether to reveal her past or remain silent in the hope of a peaceful future.

Set in Egdon Heath, a wild tract of country in the southwest of England, this is a masterpiece of dramatic tension. Clym Yeobright, a diamond merchant in Paris, returns to his home in Egdon, where he falls passionately in love with the sensuous, free-spirited Eustacia Vye. She, while in a brief state of infatuation, marries him, hoping he will take her away to a more exciting life in Paris. But Eustacia's dreams of escape are not to be realized.

A gripping collection of weird and fantastical stories of supernatural and unbelievable happenings. "Pomegranate Seed" by Edith Wharton; "The Tiger" by Hugh Walpole; "When I Was Dead" by Vincent O'Sullivan; "The Fire" by Charles John Cutcliffe Hyne; "Satan's Circus" by Eleanor Smith; "The Coffin Merchant" by Richard Middleton; and more tall stories....

This collection includes two of the most notable titles from author Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Far from the Madding Crowd.

Jeune paysanne innocente placée dans une famille, Tess est séduite puis abandonnée par Alec d'Urberville, un de ses jeunes maîtres. L'enfant qu'elle met au monde meurt en naissant.

"The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion" is a short story by Thomas Hardy that follows the encounter between a young woman and a homesick soldier. The sparks of passion immediately set their souls on fire, but their love is hampered by social conventions and prejudice. In a direct, almost fatalistic way, Thomas Hardy paints a rather gloomy picture of the social conditions of the time, and how often human relationships fell victim to its whims.

Many giants of literature originate from the shores of these emerald isles: Shakespeare, Dickens, Chaucer, The Bronte sisters, and Austen. Most people would willingly add the name Thomas Hardy to that list. Far From the Madding Crowd, Tess Of the D’Urbervilles, and The Mayor of Casterbridge are but three of his literary masterpieces. Lesser known, yet equally impressive, are his short stories. Enjoy this delightful collection, read for you by Richard Mitchley.

Following a series of misfortunes, Tess Durbeyfield leaves her impoverished family to seek work with her rich relations. Her new employer, Alec d’Urberville, seems charming and kind. Tess has a mind of her own, but she is vulnerable and alone among strangers. Can she trust Alec? A year later Tess meets Angel Clare, and they fall in love. If Angel discovers the truth about Tess’ past, will he still love her?

In this classic novel, Gabriel Oak is a shepherd struggling to get ahead when Bathsheba Everdene moves next door. Although he loves her, she sees him as a friend and rejects him for two other suitors. After she leaves town, she and Gabriel are reunited years later, once everything has changed.

"Barbara of the House of Grebe" is a short story from Thomas Hardys collection "A Group of Noble Dames". It is a dark that intertwines madness and desire. Barbara Grebe is already promised to a wealthy lord when she elopes with another young man, Edmond Willowes. He suffers a terrible disfigurement, and the couples love begins to falter. Hardys pessimism is revealed in his total rejection of the idea of eternal love, certain of its ephemerality.

Experience the tragic tale of a young woman's struggle against societal norms and fate in 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles' audiobook, narrated with emotive depth and vivid imagery. Follow Tess' journey through love, betrayal, and redemption in this masterpiece of Victorian literature.

We all love animals, even if sometimes its only from afar on TV or at a zoo. But many of us have felt a closer friendship and companionship with our friends in the animal world. We talk and react to them as if they really do understand us. Perhaps they do. In this volume Hardy, Thackeray, Carroll, DH Lawrence, Emily Dickinson, and many others share their words with our ears.

Can desire, that never-ending pursuit of something magical and special - be ever satisfied? This last novel by 19th century realist Thomas Hardy (Tess of the D'Ubervilles, Jude The Obscure, Far From The Madding Crowd) tells the story of the sculptor Jocelyn Pierston's search for the ideal woman, through three generations of a Portland family. One of Hardy's most neglected novels and a precursor to Shaw's Pygmalion, it is a semi-autobiographical tale of an artist pursuing his muse through the forms of many women.