Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - The Mayor of Casterbridge

Pormestarin tarina kertoo Michael Henchardin tarinan. Nuoruudessaan Henchard myy juopotellessaan vaimonsa ja vauvansa eräälle merimiehelle. Novelli lähtee oikeastaan liikkeelle siitä, kun merimiehen kadottua merelle Henchardin vaimo lähtee nyt jo aikuisuuden kynnyksellä olevan tyttärensä kanssa etsimään entistä aviomiestään. Kun he löytävät tämän, he saavat huomata että mies on rikastunut ja kohonnut korkeaan yhteiskunnalliseen asemaan.

Ehkä ajalle tyypilliseen tapaan kirja on täynnä menneisyyden paljastuksia, juonittelua, avioliittoja ja kurjuuden maksimointia. Nykylukijalla on ehkä tarve “olla jonkin hahmon puolella”. Vaikka kirja kertoo Henchardista ja hän on eräällä tavalla tarinan päähenkilö, Henchard ei ole mukava mies, eikä hänestä todellakaan ole helppo pitää.

Tarinan edetessä Henchard sabotoi muiden elämää, mutta päätyykin tuhoamaan omaansa. Henchardin hahmo on hyvin ristiriitainen ja hänen kohtalonsa on loppujen lopuksi koskettava.

Content Warnings

heather_freshparchment's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

edwardian_girl_next_door's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I love this book, for the simple reason that it's just an overall damn good book. I read it for pure enjoyment, and I was not disappointed. Something about the plot twists was so satisfying -- it was like a soap opera but with more eloquent language and a few Victorian literature stereotypes thrown in. The only critique I have is that the ending was rushed and incomplete.

Lucetta's death in particular just didn't sit right. You mean to tell me this woman survived Jersey, several incidents that almost lead to her exposure, married Henchard's rival, and then died when she saw a bunch of puppets??? And the onset of this was just her fainting??? Very lame indeed. The "rekindling" of Elizabeth and Donald Farfrae's romance was also rushed. The connection they had in the beginning seemed natural enough, but it seemed like Elizabeth got second best after Lucetta died. There was no time given to redeveloping their relationship as the narrative jumped through time while focusing on the remorseful Henchard. Their marriage was really unfair without any backstory behind it -- it was almost like Donald Farfrae cared more for Lucetta, and that was disappointing.

Perhaps Hardy was tired of writing it, which most writers can understand; but even Dickens, with his mammoth sagas and intricate webs of characters, ended most of his stories in a timely fashion. Even so, I give it four stars. The middle was so captivating and well-executed that I couldn't give it anything less. Just please check the content warnings, as the beginning is a little distressing.

Content Warnings