I had the pleasure of watching the movie FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD last night. If you haven’t seen it in theaters, be sure to rent it at Redbox. What a romantic movie! The sweeping pastoral views of South West England will take your breath away! Our heroine, Bathsheba Everdene lives in the mid-19th century. Independent and spirited, she sees the disadvantages of marriage and turns down an offer of marriage given by a fairly well-to-do sheep farmer, Gabriel Oak, who subsequently loses all of his fortune though no fault of his own. Just as suddenly, Bathsheba inherits her uncle’s estate, thus reversing their social positions. Taking ownership of her new estate, Bathsheba displays more of her independence as mistress of her own farm, but she feels pressured to marry. Will she choose the her wealthy neighbor, a middle-aged farmer by the name of Boldwood? Or will she fall for the charismatic Sergeant Troy who sweeps into her life, lifting her off her feet? Being a bit too impetuous, Bathsheba makes the wrong decision and nearly finds herself in an intolerable situation. If not for the devotion of her hard-working foreman, Gabriel Oak–the same man who asked her to marry him first–she would have faced irreparable losses more than once. As a true romantic, I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a good romance. Nicholas Sparks has nothing on Thomas Hardy, who wrote in the 19th century. I enjoyed this particular story of his so much, I went and bought the book!
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