The Hand of Ethelberta - A Comedy in Chapters (Paperback)

from startingover

It has to be said that this is not one of Hardy's best novels. But it's not awful, either, and is definitely worth reading if you have an interest in Hardy's work. First published in 1876, it appeared two years after 'Far From the Madding Crowd' and two years before 'The Return of the Native'. Th...

from PhilSyphe

"The Hand of Ethelberta" may be considered the runt of Hardy's litter, but that doesn't mean it should be avoided. This is light fiction with some good comedy blended in. I like moments such as when Picotee - Ethelberta's sister, and my favourite character - criticises a man for laughing like thi...

from startingover

It has to be said that this is not one of Hardy's best novels. But it's not awful, either, and is definitely worth reading if you have an interest in Hardy's work. First published in 1876, it appeared two years after 'Far From the Madding Crowd' and two years before 'The Return of the Native'. Th...

from nordie

Read as part of the Hardy group. I'm going to have to call this book quits without finishing. Got most of the way through, got distracted by about 8 other books, and have had difficulty getting back into it. Another time, and I might complete it. It was...ok. The first (and I think only) Hardy ...

from

The Hand of Ethelberta is very different from other novels I have read by Thomas Hardy. It is quite long for a start, and it seems to me to resemble a Charles Dickens novel, much of it set in London. It concerns Ethelberta who is the dominant figure of the family, a very strong and determined wom...