Tess of the D'UrbervillesTess of the D'Urbervilles
Score Classic
What it's about
Tess Durbeyfield is the beautiful daughter of a poor family in rural England when her father learns they descend from the noble d'Urbervilles. Sent to claim kinship with a rich family of that name, Tess is seduced and raped by its son, Alec. She tries to start over working on a dairy farm, where she falls in love with Angel Clare, a minister's son, but her past follows her.
Why it's worth reading
It was voted onto the BBC's Big Read and is Thomas Hardy's most powerful novel, an angry, heartbreaking story about how society punishes women.
You'll love it if you liked
Jude the Obscure
Anna Karenina
The Age of InnocenceGood to know
It's tragic from start to finish, with rape, the death of a baby, murder and execution. There are long descriptions of the countryside.
By the numbers
- Readers18 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller45 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #180 of the 219 young adult books we rank
- #707 of the 762 classics we rank
- #2493 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Moving
More by Thomas Hardy
Jude the Obscure
The Mayor of CasterbridgeIf you like this, read next
The Great Gatsby
Purple Hibiscus
Looking for Alaska
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The Brothers Karamazov
The Thorn BirdsExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Tess of the D'Urbervilles worth reading?
Yes. It was voted onto the BBC's Big Read and is Thomas Hardy's most powerful novel, an angry, heartbreaking story about how society punishes women. It ranks #2,493 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 58.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Tess of the D'Urbervilles about?
Tess Durbeyfield is the beautiful daughter of a poor family in rural England when her father learns they descend from the noble d'Urbervilles. Sent to claim kinship with a rich family of that name, Tess is seduced and raped by its son, Alec. She tries to start over working on a dairy farm, where she falls in love with Angel Clare, a minister's son, but her past follows her.
How long does it take to read Tess of the D'Urbervilles?
About 13 hours (535 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Tess of the D'Urbervilles?
If you liked it, try Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy or The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton.