Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Tuesday Intro: Tess of the D'Urbervilles

On an evening in the latter part of May a middle-aged man was walking homeward from Shaston to the village of Marlott, in the adjoining Vale of Blakemore or Blackmoor. The pair of legs that carried him were rickety, and there was a bias in his gait which inclined him somewhat to the left of a straight line. He occasionally gave a smart nod, as if in confirmation of some opinion, though he was not thinking of anything in particular. An empty egg-basket was slung upon his arm, the nap of his hat was ruffled, a patch being quite worn away at its brim where his thumb came in taking it off. Presently he was met by an elderly person astride on a gray mare, who, as he rode, hummed a wandering tune.

Tess of the D'Urbervilles
by Thomas Hardy

Tess of the D'Urbervilles is my book for the latest classics spin and it's time to get started. I read the first two chapters and have decided to download the audiobook read by Simon Vance. Read/listen combinations seem to work well for me when it comes to classics these days. What do you think of the intro?


 Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the opening paragraph (sometime two) of a book she decided to read based on the opening. Feel free to grab the banner and play along.

19 comments:

  1. I love the intro to Tess--the first part of the book is definitely my favorite part, and I like the way Hardy sets up the time immemorial feel to the book. It almost has a folkloric feel to it.

    I am finding listening to classics to work well for me also. The one book that didn't work as an audio was Anna Karenina. The Russian names were just too hard to differentiate and I had to read it to get it.

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    1. JaneGS - Up to chapter 5 now and it's wonderful! The audio/print combo is working well, but I can see how that night not be the case when Russian names are involved.

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  2. I have been meaning to read this one so many times. One of these days I'm really going you. Lol. Hope you enjoy it.

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    1. Darlene - This is my second attempt with Tess. The last time I left the bookmark just before page 200... hoping for better success this time!

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  3. I haven't yet read this book, but saw a movie adaptation that I loved....I do love that opener. I would definitely keep reading. Thanks for visiting my blog.

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    1. Laurel-Rain Snow - I will definitely be checking out movie adaptations when I'm done!

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  4. I would definitely listen to Simon Vance read this book!!

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    1. Nise' - Simon Vance makes every book worthwhile ;-)

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  5. I didn't know Simon Vance did the audio of this one! That would be really good.

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    1. Melissa - Simon Vance is making this MUCH more pleasant!

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  6. Great classic choice! I remember reading this book years ago and enjoying it. Thanks for visiting my blog.

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    1. Catherine - I really enjoy the classics and am glad this one came up on the spin.

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  7. Simon Vance yes -- I'd continue, but not sure if I would read the print version...LOL

    Thanks for joining in JoAnn

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    1. Diane - This would be tough going for me in print alone... loving Simon Vance's narration though!

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  8. I love the sharp nod he gives. I can imagine that voice in his head that he is agreeing with! Thanks for visiting my First Paragraph Tuesday

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  9. I read this years ago, but don't remember anything about it. I would definitely keep reading based on the intro though.

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  10. I listened to this one in the car a few years ago and had to go back because I thought I missed something important so listen carefully :)

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    1. Stacybuckeye - I'll keep your advice in mind... have already referred back to the book a number of times.

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  11. I've always wanted to read this one!

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