Editions

Page /
100%
  1. Home
  2. Fiction Books
  3. Return of the Native
Return of the Native

  • Imprint: Vintage Classics

  • ISBN: 9780099518983

  • Length: 512  Pages

  • Dimensions: 198mm x 31mm x 129mm

  • Weight: 404g

  • RRP: £6.99

Return of the Native

'Tremendous...utterly absorbing' Independent

Proud, passionate Eustacia Vye marries Clym Yeobright in the hope that he will help her escape her cramped rural existence. But when their relationship falters and her old lover Damon Wildeve reappears with an unexpected inheritance, Eustacia is faced with a series of decisions upon which multiple lives depend. In a world where misunderstandings can be fatal, Hardy’s atmospheric tragedy moves inevitably towards a disastrous climax on the brooding wilds of Egdon Heath.

'Hardy's novels hold a Shakespearean power of creating a unique world' John Bayley

See also: Jude the Obscure

  • Imprint: Vintage Classics

  • ISBN: 9780099518983

  • Length: 512  Pages

  • Dimensions: 198mm x 31mm x 129mm

  • Weight: 404g

  • RRP: £6.99

Reviews

  • Throbs with a very Victorian sense of geologies, pre-histories and even astronomy; you can feel the planet moving under the feet

    Daily Telegraph

  • Inimitably brooding style

    The Times

  • Besides my complete identification with its heroine, I loved the sheer relentless power of the writing.

    Maeve Haran, Independent

  • Splendid

    Daily Telegraph

  • The Return of the Native is . . . thoughtful, valedictory, poetic, tinged with the somberness of an uncertainty which seems to well up from the depths of the author's own subconscious . . . Hardy's sense of the tragic life of human beings, mere small fragments of consciousness in a vast uncaring universe, comes directly from his own youthful awareness of the place and circumstances described in the novel.

    John Bayley

More from this Author

View all View all
View all View all

About the Author

Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy was born in Dorset in 1840 and became an apprentice architect at the age of sixteen. He spent his twenties in London, where he wrote his first poems. In 1867 Hardy returned to his native Dorset, whose rugged landscape was a great source of inspiration for his writing. Between 1871 and 1897 he wrote fourteen novels, including Tess of the D'Urbervilles and Jude the Obscure. This final work was received savagely; thereafter Hardy turned away from novels and spent the last thirty year of his life focusing on poetry. He died in 1928.

Thomas Hardy

Read more

/content/dam/prh/articles/adults/2020/september/must-read-classics-main-image-1800x1200.jpg

Recommendations

100 must-read classic books, as chosen by our readers

They broke boundaries and challenged conceptions. We asked you for your must-read classics; from iconic bestsellers to lesser-known gems, these are your essential recommends.
/content/dam/prh/articles/adults/2020/july/Literary-map-UK-main-image.jpg

Features

A literary tour of the United Kingdom

From Bram Stoker's Whitby to the sprawling country pile that inspired Virginia Woolf's Orlando, this is the definitive staycation travel guide for book lovers.
/content/dam/prh/articles/adults/2019/may/Vintage-reading-list-hardy-apc.jpg

Recommendations

5 of the best Thomas Hardy books

Thomas Hardy is perhaps one of the most famous English writers of all time, as his books challenged the oppressive Victorian social conventions and as a result he faced much criticism. Here are five of his best books.

Our Use of Cookies

We use cookies on this site to enable certain parts of the site to function and to collect information about your use of the site so that we can improve our visitors’ experience. For more on our cookies and changing your settings click here

Our Use of Cookies

We use cookies on this site to enable certain parts of the site to function and to collect information about your use of the site so that we can improve our visitors’ experience.

For more on our cookies and changing your settings click here

Strictly Necessary

Strictly Necessary cookies enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility. You may disable these by changing your browser settings, but this may affect how the website functions. See More.

Analytics

Analytics cookies help us to improve our website by collecting and reporting information on how you use it. These cookies may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages. See More.

Preferences & Features

Preference and Feature cookies allow our website to remember choices you make, such as your language preferences and any customisations you make to pages on our website during your visit. See More.

Targeting / Advertising

Targeting cookies are used to make advertising messages more relevant to you and your interests. They perform functions like preventing the same content from reappearing, ensuring ads are displayed and, in some cases, selecting content based on your interests. See More.