Far from the Madding Crowd cover art

Far from the Madding Crowd

Penguin Classics

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

This Penguin Classic is performed by Olivia Vinall, who is known for her roles in Apple Tree Yard and The Woman in White. This definitive recording includes an introduction by Rosemarie Morgan.

Independent and spirited Bathsheba Everdene has come to Weatherbury to take up her position as a farmer on the largest estate in the area. Her bold presence draws three very different suitors: the gentleman-farmer Boldwood, soldier-seducer Sergeant Troy and the devoted shepherd Gabriel Oak. Each, in contrasting ways, unsettles her decisions and complicates her life, and tragedy ensues, threatening the stability of the whole community. The first of his works set in Wessex, Hardy's novel of swiftpassion and slow courtship is imbued with his evocative descriptions of rural life and landscapes, and with unflinching honesty about sexual relationships.

(c) 1874, Thomas Hardy (P) 2019 Penguin Audio

 Classics Solider
All stars
Most relevant
The plot is timeless and events are all very believable. Nice to have a woman in the main role especially for a nineteenth century novel.

Great story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
While I enjoyed the performance I felt like the narrator used the same voice for Boldwood and Troy as it was difficult to tell who was who at times

The Drama and Characters

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved losing myself in Thomas Hardy's Wessex and Olivia Vinall's narration was brilliant. Highly recommend.

Expertly narrated

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
There’s a missing chapter (chapter 16), which means all chapters after that are out of order.

Missing Chapter!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
great plot, but marred by lots of mispronounced words along the way as well as the relentless cheerfulness of the reader's voice which suggests she's not always understanding the tone of what she's reading.

uneven performance

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews