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Cover of Far from the Madding Crowd

Far from the Madding Crowd

Thomas Hardy, 1874

Victorian novels

Gabriel Oak and Bathsheba Everdene enter a rural story in which work, independence and desire resist easy agreement.

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Listen free: the LibriVox audiobook, read by volunteers. Press Listen in the reader to hear each chapter as you read.

Length
57 chapters
Reading time
About 9 hr 30 min
Words
135,691

Contents

  1. Preface3 min
  2. Chapter 1: Description of Farmer Oak; An Incident8 min
  3. Chapter 2: Night; The Flock; An Interior; Another Interior12 min
  4. Chapter 3: A Girl on Horseback; Conversation12 min
  5. Chapter 4: Gabriel’s Resolve; The Visit; The Mistake13 min
  6. Chapter 5: Departure of Bathsheba; A Pastoral Tragedy8 min
  7. Chapter 6: The Fair; The Journey; The Fire14 min
  8. Chapter 7: Recognition; A Timid Girl5 min
  9. Chapter 8: The Malthouse; The Chat; News27 min
  10. Chapter 9: The Homestead; A Visitor; Half-Confidences8 min
  11. Chapter 10: Mistress and Men8 min
  12. Chapter 11: Outside the Barracks; Snow; A Meeting7 min
  13. Chapter 12: Farmers; A Rule; An Exception7 min
  14. Chapter 13: Sortes Sanctorum; The Valentine5 min
  15. Chapter 14: Effect of the Letter; Sunrise6 min
  16. Chapter 15: A Morning Meeting; The Letter Again15 min
  17. Chapter 16: All Saints’ and All Souls’4 min
  18. Chapter 17: In the Market-Place3 min
  19. Chapter 18: Boldwood in Meditation; Regret7 min
  20. Chapter 19: The Sheep-Washing; The Offer8 min
  21. Chapter 20: Perplexity; Grinding the Shears; A Quarrel8 min
  22. Chapter 21: Troubles in the Fold; A Message9 min
  23. Chapter 22: The Great Barn and the Sheep-Shearers15 min
  24. Chapter 23: Eventide; A Second Declaration9 min
  25. Chapter 24: The Same Night; The Fir Plantation9 min
  26. Chapter 25: The New Acquaintance Described5 min
  27. Chapter 26: Scene on the Verge of the Hay-Mead13 min
  28. Chapter 27: Hiving the Bees4 min
  29. Chapter 28: The Hollow Amid the Ferns8 min
  30. Chapter 29: Particulars of a Twilight Walk11 min
  31. Chapter 30: Hot Cheeks and Tearful Eyes7 min
  32. Chapter 31: Blame; Fury13 min
  33. Chapter 32: Night; Horses Tramping12 min
  34. Chapter 33: In the Sun; A Harbinger11 min
  35. Chapter 34: Home Again; A Trickster14 min
  36. Chapter 35: At an Upper Window6 min
  37. Chapter 36: Wealth in Jeopardy; The Revel12 min
  38. Chapter 37: The Storm; The Two Together10 min
  39. Chapter 38: Rain; One Solitary Meets Another5 min
  40. Chapter 39: Coming Home; A Cry6 min
  41. Chapter 40: On Casterbridge Highway10 min
  42. Chapter 41: Suspicion; Fanny Is Sent For15 min
  43. Chapter 42: Joseph and His Burden; Buck’s Head17 min
  44. Chapter 43: Fanny’s Revenge15 min
  45. Chapter 44: Under a Tree; Reaction10 min
  46. Chapter 45: Troy’s Romanticism7 min
  47. Chapter 46: The Gurgoyle: Its Doings12 min
  48. Chapter 47: Adventures by the Shore4 min
  49. Chapter 48: Doubts Arise; Doubts Linger8 min
  50. Chapter 49: Oak’s Advancement; A Great Hope8 min
  51. Chapter 50: The Sheep Fair; Troy Touches His Wife’s Hand22 min
  52. Chapter 51: Bathsheba Talks with Her Outrider12 min
  53. Chapter 52: Converging Courses16 min
  54. Chapter 53: Concurritur; Horae Momento16 min
  55. Chapter 54: After the Shock6 min
  56. Chapter 55: The March Following; “Bathsheba Boldwood”6 min
  57. Chapter 56: Beauty in Loneliness; After All13 min
  58. Chapter 57: A Foggy Night and Morning; Conclusion8 min
  59. Endnotes1 min