Tess of the D'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman

This was my first Thomas Hardy book, and it was a delight! I especially loved his use of subtle humor. I found myself literally smiling to myself with his inside jokes and satire. An excellent book. I reflected many times on how feminism has come so far in the last couple of centuries, and how much farther we need to go to get to a happy medium.

This is a must-read. "Tess" is a literary pondering on the true meanings of virtue and justice. This book affected me deeply: it inspired me with a strong desire to be more independent of society and peers in my judgment of right and wrong, as well as an admiration for a protagonist who symbolically conquered all.