Following in Hardy's footsteps

On holiday in Dorset it's difficult not to stumble across some Hardy references and so as the rain came down we headed to Dorchester (Casterbridge) to take shelter from the bad weather. A walk down the high street included a trip into a bookshop and a chance to browse the Hardy shelf.

Having read the likes of Mayor of Catserbridge, Tess, Two on a Tower and Jude in my late teens and early twenties and with it being a holiday I plumbed for a copy of Wessex Tales. This short story collection was composed when Hardy was at the height iof his powers and it shows. He delivers confident stories of country life and before you know it he has drawn you into a rural life in the nineteenth century.

A perfect companion to a holiday in Hardy country.