Jude the Obscure (Wordsworth Classics) Paperback – March 31, 1998

I love this story so much. But at the same time it's so sad and Sue is so insufferable!! It is still such a good book though.

Loved it the first time I read it when I was a teenager. Still love it. It is better than Far from the Madding Crowd.

As with Tess of the d'Urbervilles, if you like tragic, historic romances, you'll love this book. For that matter, if you like soap operas, you'll probably like this book. Furthermore, it isn't nearly as overly wordy as Tess, or for that matter most 19th Century fiction. Its style is much more concise and direct than most of its contemporaries, although still a bit stilted by modern standards.But what's more, this book is worthwhile from another standpoint entirely: it is a scathing condemnation of traditional marriage("And so, standing before the aforesaid officiator, the two swore that at every other time of their lives until death took them, they would assuredly believe, feel, and desire precisely as they had believed, felt, and desired during the few preceding weeks. What was as remarkable as the undertaking itself was that nobody seemed at all surprised at what they swore.") and traditional religion, and of ruining one's life by living it to please society and its strictures; and while society has changed much since the days this book was written in (and about), there are those who would argue that those changes were not for the better; that liberalizing attitudes toward divorce, and toward living together without benefit of marriage, have been a seriously bad thing. This book is an excellent look at how it was not always such a good thing for people to be forced into marriages that were clearly not compatible, and forced to stay in them. And while, as I say, times have changed a great deal, there are still far too many people who marry just as precipitously as Jude did Arabella, or Sue did Phillotson, and with no better reasons. It says here that it is a distinct improvement in our society that when people make such a mistake, it can be rectified without totally destroying their lives forever after.Granted, if you're looking for a worthwhile or positive female character, this is not the book to read; of the two main female characters, one is conniving, mercenary, rude and vulgar, (reminding me a great deal of Moll Flanders, from the DeFoe title of the same name, but without her redeeming charm) while the other is neurotic, selfish, whiny, and inconsistent. If you're looking for a worthwhile female character, "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" is a much better choice. Or better yet, the aforementioned "Moll Flanders". But in general, this book is much better written than "Tess". For one thing, although it is just as much of a tragic romance, if not more so, the characters do not ALWAYS make the wrong choices. They occasionally make good choices, and get a little bit of happiness as a result. This makes for a much better balanced book, and a much more realistic one. But it is definitely not for everyone.

The book is new and arrived sooner that I expected.Thank you for include a book mark. Everytime I buy something here, Im so happy. Thank you!