Far from the Madding Crowd cover art

Far from the Madding Crowd

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Far from the Madding Crowd

By: Thomas Hardy
Narrated by: George Hagan
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

 Far from the Madding Crowd is Thomas Hardy's fourth novel and his first major literary success.

Published in 1874, it tells the tale of Gabriel Oak, one of three suitors for the hand of the beautiful and spirited Bathsheba Everdene. He must compete with the dashing young soldier Sergeant Troy and the respectable, middle-aged Farmer Boldwood. And while their fates depend upon the choice Bathsheba makes, she discovers the terrible consequences of an inconstant heart.

Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928) was an English novelist and poet of the naturalist movement.

Please note: This is a vintage recording. The audio quality may not be up to modern day standards.

Public Domain (P)2009 RNIB Classics Heartfelt Solider

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Tess of the D'Urbervilles cover art
The Trumpet-Major cover art
Hardy: The Mayor of Casterbridge cover art
The Return of the Native cover art
A Pair of Blue Eyes cover art
Jude the Obscure cover art
The Custom of the Country cover art
The Woodlanders cover art
Under the Greenwood Tree cover art
Jane Eyre cover art
Under the Greenwood Tree cover art
Anna Karenina cover art
The Mill on the Floss cover art
A Room with a View cover art
Sir Gibbie cover art
Elantris (1 of 3) [Dramatized Adaptation] cover art
All stars
Most relevant  
This is a great way to tick some classic literature off your 'books to read' list. It was beautifully narrated and an enchanting listen that whisks you away to a bygone era of romance and drama.

Brilliant Classic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It sounds like a recording from the 1950s, but this somehow fits the story. A very enjoyable listen.

Ancient and venerable

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Top class in every respect. Great story. Great narrator! I enjoyed every minute of the story. I loved it . To

Top class in every respect

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Written in 1874, this, although maybe slow to start by modern standards, proved interesting and entertaining.

Follow Gabriel Oak and Bathsheba Everdene on their paths, and revel in the detail.

Marvellously well read, and the short cameos - such as the sword routine are truly memorable.

Excellent.

Decided to listen to more classics!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
this audiobook has been absolutely delightful . it isn't just narrated it is acted, with each character being bought to life ways both wonderful and expressive, with different voices and the use of dialect. this gives greater depth to the overall experience. it reminded me of stories on the radio or recordings I would listen to on a playtime record player as a little girl. hardy's tale will always be one of my favourites and this will be my absolute favourite way of encountering it. I loved loved loved this recording, it just carried me along gently to a conclusion that I already knew but couldn't wait for. I didn't want it to be over either and I am going to do something now that I never do...I am going to listen to it all over again straight away. I cannot recommend this audio book highly enough, thank you Audible for bringing it to me

delightful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book with George Hagan's narration is my all time favourite listen. His characterisations are so perfect and individual that they come alive for you. As a lover of all Thomas Hardy books I may be biased but this one has to be his best.

A great classics story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Loved the 2015 film & it inspired me to read the book again as I’d forgotten almost all of it when I read it about 30 years ago: only remembered the long descriptive prose, the unusual name Bathsheba, the shepherd & the fire in the haystacks! I remembered that I only managed to finish the book in the end but, it was tough going!

Seeing the wonderful 2015 film the romance of the story was highlighted but, I didn’t really notice the humour that’s in the book.

This humour is really brought to life in the performance & acting by the reader in this audiobook! I found myself laughing quite a bit!

There is only 1 thing really that stops me from giving this the full 5 stars & that is the lack of editing as the reader quite noticeably numerous times stumbles a bit while reading aloud & that could have been edited out or redone in another take, as it were. Also, the sound quality dips a bit in places!

Otherwise this is a really good audiobook that’s well performed & helped me to revive a book that I could only say I read but, had actually forgotten most of it! I appreciate the book much more now as I can really see why it’s a classic that’s stood the test of time! It’s romantic, funny & vividly descriptive of an England that has gone but, is still how most people around the world sees it: highlighted by Danny Boyle’s 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony; lovely to see in the film but, can get a bit tedious reading the long descriptions in the book & hearing it isn’t!

Saw the funny side as opposed to the romantic of the 2015 film!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great story, performance was good but made me realise how good audible is usually when you hear the occasional stumble over words and background noise. Not often enough or bad enough to spoil it though.

seemed a little less professional

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.