Desperate Remedies
Hardy’s first published novel is a tense tale of romance and crime in which a young woman, entangled between suitors, is drawn toward a charming architect while a mysterious steward’s dark past threatens ruin and murder. Blending the sensation-novel plotting popular in his day with the brooding rural atmosphere that would become his hallmark, it moves through secrets, blackmail, and a fire toward a gripping climax. Though an early work, it already shows Hardy’s gift for landscape, fate, and the constraints of Victorian society. A suspenseful introduction to one of England’s greatest novelists.
About the Author
Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) was an English novelist and poet whose fiction, set in a half-imagined Wessex, probed fate, class, and the constraints of Victorian society. His major novels are cornerstones of English literature.
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Listen to Desperate Remedies Audiobook Free
Listen to Desperate Remedies by Thomas Hardy free online. The full audiobook (15 hr 56 min, 27 chapters, read by volunteer narrators) streams free on this page.
Desperate Remedies (1871) is a public domain work.
| # | Chapter | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 00 - Prefatory note | 1:55 | |
| 2 | 01 - The Events of Thirty Years | 36:48 | |
| 3 | 02 - The Events of a Fortnight | 33:35 | |
| 4 | 03 - The Events of Eight Days | 42:47 | |
| 5 | 04 - The Events of One Day | 12:50 | |
| 6 | 05 - The Events of One Day | 53:16 | |
| 7 | 06 - The Events of Twelve Hours | 56:41 | |
| 8 | 07 - The Events of Eighteen Days | 39:38 | |
| 9 | 08 - Part 1 - The Events of Eighteen Days | 29:15 | |
| 10 | 08 - Part 2 - The Events of Eighteen Days | 27:38 | |
| 11 | 09 - The Events of Ten Weeks | 50:50 | |
| 12 | 10 - The Events of a Day and Night | 52:36 | |
| 13 | 11 - The Events of Five Days | 49:43 | |
| 14 | 12 - The Events of Ten Months | 57:42 | |
| 15 | 13 - Part 1 - The Events of One Day | 38:38 | |
| 16 | 13 - Part 2 - The Events of One Day | 32:01 | |
| 17 | 13 - Part 3 - The Events of One Day | 23:36 | |
| 18 | 14 - The Events of Five Weeks | 24:20 | |
| 19 | 15 - The Events of Three Weeks | 28:37 | |
| 20 | 16 - The Events of One Week | 33:57 | |
| 21 | 17 - The Events of One Day | 23:16 | |
| 22 | 18 - The Events of Three Days | 46:04 | |
| 23 | 19 - Part 1 - The Events of a Day and Night | 42:55 | |
| 24 | 19 - Part 2 - The Events of a Day and Night | 42:18 | |
| 25 | 20 - The Events of Three Hours | 16:06 | |
| 26 | 21 - The Events of Eighteen Hours | 41:29 | |
| 27 | 22 - Sequel | 17:15 |
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