Trumpet Major (Wordsworth Classics) - Softcover

Thomas Hardy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1853262463 ISBN 13: 9781853262463

Publisher: Wordsworth Editions Ltd, 1998

Synopsis

Trumpet Major by Thomas Hardy Thomas Hardy's only historical novel, The Trumpet Major is set in Wessex during the Napoleonic Wars. Hardy skilfully immerses us in the life of the day, making us feel the impact of historical events on the immemorial local way of life - the glamour of the coming of George III and his soldiery, fears of the press-gang and invasion, and the effect of distant but momentous events like the Battle of Trafalgar. He interweaves a compelling, bitter-sweet romantic love story of the rivalry of two brothers for the hand of the heroine Anne Garland, played out against the loves of a lively gallery of other characters. While there are elements of sadness and even tragedy, The Trumpet-Major shows Hardy's skills of story-telling, characterisation and description in a novel of vitality, comedy and warmth.

About this title

About the Author

Thomas Hardy was a poet and novelist of the naturalist movement. He trained as an architect. He was a religious man who was also deeply influenced by Darwin and fascinated by ghosts and spirits.During his lifetime, he was best known for his novels. His stories combine nuanced description of natural surroundings with the sense of impending moral crisis. He claimed that poetry was his first love, though, and in recent years his poetry has received much critical acclaim.

From AudioFile

Hearkening back to the Wessex of an earlier Napoleonic period, Hardy's novel creates a homely world of likeable, though sometimes dull folk, anxious to get on with the business of falling in love despite the threat of imminent landing by the French. With a seemingly infinite range of voices Benjamin Whitrow recreates each of them as only this trained English actor could. Hardy and Whitrow combine to create a world of charming local types: the gentle miller and his two sons; the crude but scheming Festus Derriman and his delightfully miserly uncle, old farmer Derriman; and the beautiful object of all their attentions, sweet Anne Garland. For readers used to Hardy's star-crossed characters, this romance is a delightful discovery. P.A.J. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Edition details

• Publisher: Wordsworth Editions Ltd
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1853262463
• ISBN 13: 9781853262463
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288