Though first published towards the end of the 19th century, The Return of the Native presents many themes that are still relevant today: jealousy, infatuation, the importance of family, and a desire to do something worthwhile in life. In beautiful prose that is, at times, nearly poetic, Hardy describes the land and country life in the English heath. We read about bonfires, Maypoles, group hair cutting sessions, a holiday mummers play, and the chaos caused when a bucket is lost down a well. If this sounds a bit dull, rest assured there are multiple complicated relationships, clandestine meetings at midnight, and even a woman dressing as a man, all of which would please Shakespeare immensely. As with other novels of the Victorian era, it can be frustrating to read about women’s roles, or lack thereof, in society and the limited choices available to women at the time.
What a strange sort of love, to be entirely free from that quality of selfishness which is frequently the chief constituent of the passion, and sometimes its only one! The reddleman’s disinterestedness was so well deserving of respect that it overshot respect by being barely comprehended; and she almost thought it absurd.
After having read and enjoyed Far From the Madding Crowd, another Thomas Hardy masterpiece, I discovered The Return of the Native mentioned in a list of the top ten best audiobooks. I’m not sure if I would grant the audiobook “top ten” status; but, I will gladly admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the 1985 audiobook version narrated by Alan Rickman. He does a marvelous job. As a coworker claimed, “Alan Rickman could narrate the dictionary and it would sound wonderful.” It’s difficult to believe it has been a year since the world lost such a wonderful artist and human being.