The Mayor of Casterbridge

The Mayor of Casterbridge
Thomas Hardy
231 pages

Summary: Direct from Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A739SD0/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1)

A cruel joke at a country fair goes too far when a drunken laborer auctions off his wife and child to the highest bidder. So begins The Mayor of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy's gripping tale of a man's rise and fall amid the natural beauty and human brutality of a rural English community. First published serially in 1886, the novel was an immediate success with critics, who praised its realism and poetic style. Rich in descriptive powers and steeped in irony, this timeless tale offers a spellbinding portrayal of ambition, rivalry, revenge, and repentance.

My Opinion:
This was an interesting novel. All the troubles started due to Micheal Henchard's obsession with himself. He is a self-absorbed  person. That personality caused him to make impulsive decisions and sell his wife, lie to a town, hate an innocent and friendly man, and other things. If he had cared about how his actions affected others, then there would not have been a story.

Besides Henchard's infuriating personality, the book was a page-turner. I was very curious about how Elizabeth-Jane would turn out due to the circumstances. I am glad that she finally caught Farfrae. She deserved someone who respects her and knows her past.

In describing this book, the plot is very widespread. I would sum it up to be about how one impulsive drunk's decision shook up a town to its core. For example, Henchard's display towards the royal personage was ridiculous. A lot of his inherent displays of vengeance were stupid in theory and impulsive. All they did was make himself look bad.