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Title: Bit of a Letdown in the End
Review: This is part of my attempt to read classics and non-fiction as well as my usual speculative fiction this year. A few people noted that Hardy is a bit of a hard read, and that turned out to be true. His style is jagged and choppy, bouncing around quite a bit, and never giving you a true glimpse of some scenes important to know how to interpret (such as the question of Tess' seduction or rape by Alec d'Urberville). However, overall, it is an interesting story at least and I enjoyed the book. But considering the ending seemed to be rather ill-fitting to the rest of the tale, I'll have to pass on giving it a high rating. It was rather disappointing to slog through his odd phrasings and quirks, only to be let down at the end by the characters just magically changing personality traits. I think Tess was a weakling without a mind of her own for the most part, Angel was worthless, and the character with the most potential in the story is the so-called villain, Alec d'Urberville.
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