Far From the Madding Crowd – A Book and Film Review by Kate Lindop.

Thomas Hardy's Far From The Madding Crowd (Published in 1874) has been on my 'must read' list for as long as I can remember so it was with some excitement that we decided upon it as our Bookclub novel for the month.

As an avid bookworm, having no previous relationship with Hardy was something I was keen to rectify – and I'm so glad that I did.

As Hardy's fourth but most successful novel, Far From the Madding Crowd tells the intricate, complex tale of the beautiful, independent and feisty Bathesheba Everdene and her three suitors – Gabriel Oak – the reliable, hard-working and dedicated shepherd, William Boldwood - the rich, reclusive older farmer and the dashing, careless soldier Sergeant Frank Troy - who proves that good looks are not the only prerequisite for a happy marriage!

The novel is based upon the themes of unrequited love, wealth and poverty and chance and luck. The rural landscape, nature and the changing seasons also run as a significant thread throughout the whole plot.

The cast are supported by a number of bumbling 'country bumpkin' characters who add humour and narrative to the plot (although at times, some of their dialogue was akin to reading Shakespeare) and they are essential to the overall pace and feel of the book – slow, lazy, relaxed and carefree, reminding the reader of hazy days in the countryside and emphasising the quiet, unassuming way of life away from the 'Madding Crowd' which we assume is the hustle and bustle of city life.

The novel builds to a dramatic and tragic finale before readers are given the much-longed for happy ending proving that true, steady, reliable love – and patience! - conquer all and this seemed a fitting end to the novel.

Our Bookclub were so enamoured with 'Far From the Madding Crowd' that we were delighted to discover it was being re-released at the cinema and a group trip was quickly organised.

Being unfamiliar with the famous 1967 Schlesinger film adaptation, I was keen to see Madding Crowd on the big screen. Carey Mulligan played an excellent Bathsheba – in fact portraying her as warmer and more likeable than in the novel and other notable castings included Michael Sheen as Boldwood.

Whereas Hardy's novel is embedded with romantic, evocative and poetic descriptions of the countryside, I found these to be somewhat lacking in this version of the film, which at times felt like it was missing the point. Some of the major stand-out scenes in the novel had been omitted for the big screen and most notably, the role of the countryside 'crowd' was significantly downplayed with these characters appearing seldom and with no great addition to the plot.

Gabriel Oak, played by Matthias Schoenaerts is depicted as quiet, responsible and dependable yet I felt that he lacked the 'oomph' and backbone of Hardy's Gabriel and I struggled to will him on to his triumph at the end of the film.

I'm sure that many people will have watched this new adaptation of the film and really enjoyed it. I enjoyed it myself, although left the cinema feeling that Hardy's magnificent writing could not be lived up to on the big screen. I would be interested to watch the original 1967 version of the film and see if my feelings changed!

To conclude, Far From the Madding Crowd was an excellent novel, enjoyed by all members of Bookclub and once again we found ourselves agreeing that film adaptations very rarely live up to books!

Nantwich Bookworms meet on the first Sunday of every month at the Black Lion pub, Nantwich.

For further information follow us on Twitter @booknantwich or email nantwichbookworms@gmail.com