Far From The Madding Crowd

About Us

"Don't any of you assume that because I am a woman I am not capable.  I'll be up before you're awake, afield before you are up and breakfasted before you are afield. In short, I shall astonish you all."

Bathsheba Everdene inherits a farm and, against the prevailing views of the time, decides she will manage it herself. Her independent streak attracts three suitors, each offering something different. First, the dependable and thoughtful shepherd, Gabriel Oak. Then the prosperous and eligible gentleman farmer, William Boldwood.  Finally the dashing and reckless grenadier, Sergeant Frank Troy.  Who, if any, will gain the affections of this strong willed young woman?

Set in rural Dorset, Far From the Madding Crowd was Thomas Hardy's first successful novel which announced his future as an accomplished writer. It resonates with his complex characters and their idiosyncrasies. Characters who are passionate, reckless and often flawed. In Bathsheba Everdene Hardy created one of the many strong female characters who would dominate his stories.