Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy

A young man from a poor, working-class background, passionate about education, who aspires to become a professor. His teacher, a respected role model who turns out to have feet of clay. An independent, free-spirited woman. Another who is scheming, selfish and flirtatious. Dominating their lives is the magnificent university town of Christminster. All these and a host of other colorful, memorable characters inhabit the pages of Thomas Hardy's monumental fourteenth novel published in 1895. Thomas Hardy's fame as a novelist rivals that of even Dickens in Victorian literature. Creator of unforgettable novels like Far from the Madding Crowd, Tess of the d'Ubervilles, Under the Greenwood Tree and the Mayor of Casterbridge, his essential humanity and the depth that he brings to his characters are what sets him apart. A largely self-taught man, he went on to become a skilled architect and restorer of old buildings. His life-long love of languages, music, country-side life, languages and...