For those anxious for my thoughts, I recorded it to watch tonight.

I've now watched Episode One - very well done and the girl is excellent.

It's not a happy story, by the way, if you're looking to be cheered up on Sunday nights.

Episode Two - equally marvellous (if you missed it, catch up on Sunday)... it really does capture the essence of Hardy and the girl playing Tess is magnificent.

I remember as an adolescent crying throughout reading it.

Indeed - all Hardy's novels are miserable yet wonderful - a bit like Leonard Cohen.

One of the others (Jude? Madding Crowd?) made me cry even more.

JK2006 wrote:

One of the others (Jude? Madding Crowd?) made me cry even more.

Very probably "Jude The Obscure"! One of the bleakest but most powerful novels ever written. It created such an uproar when published that Hardy never wrote another novel after it. That one might had hit a few spots for you JK when you read it at a young age since Jude Fawley's ambition and goal is to attain a University education.

The BBC did a great dramatisation of it in the early 70s with Robert Powell in the main role and there's the more recent Christopher Ecclestone movie which I've not yet seen to choose from.

When I first met my ex, we were introducing each other to fave books and I gave her "Jude". She did read it but berated me afterwards because she thought it was depressing, bleak and twisted! But then, so is real life sometimes...

Oh dear, the only question for poor Tess has to be - can it get any worse?

Sadly the answer is - oh, yes.

wonderful......but so sad