Far from the Madding Crowd
The spirited, independent Bathsheba Everdene inherits a farm and finds herself courted by three very different men—the steadfast shepherd Gabriel Oak, the obsessive farmer Boldwood, and the dashing, faithless soldier Troy—in Hardy’s rich pastoral drama of love and consequence. Set amid the seasons and labors of rural Wessex, the novel balances romance, tragedy, and comedy with a deep feeling for the land and its people. The first of his great Wessex novels, Far from the Madding Crowd made Hardy famous. Warm yet unflinching, it is a beautifully told story of passion and endurance, and one of the most satisfying of all Victorian novels.
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 Far from the Madding Crowd Audiobook Free
Listen to Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy free online. The full audiobook (14 hr 40 min, 57 chapters, read by volunteer narrators) streams free on this page.
Far from the Madding Crowd (1874) is a public domain work.
| # | Chapter | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01 - Description of Farmer Oak--An Incident | 11:23 | |
| 2 | 02 - Night--The Flock--An Interior--Another Interior | 19:35 | |
| 3 | 03 - A Girl on Horseback--Conversation | 18:58 | |
| 4 | 04 - Gabriel's Resolve--The Visit--The Mistake | 20:25 | |
| 5 | 05 - Departure of Bathsheba--A Pastoral Tragedy | 11:38 | |
| 6 | 06 - The Fair--The Journey--The Fire | 19:46 | |
| 7 | 07 - Recognition--A Timid Girl | 9:18 | |
| 8 | 08 - The Malthouse--The Chat--News | 48:45 | |
| 9 | 09 - The Homestead--A Visitor--Half-Confidences | 15:10 | |
| 10 | 10 - Mistress and Men | 13:29 | |
| 11 | 11 - Outside the Barracks--Snow--A Meeting | 11:57 | |
| 12 | 12 - Farmers--A Rule--An Exception | 10:11 | |
| 13 | 13 - Sortes Sanctorum--The Valentine | 8:45 | |
| 14 | 14 - Effect of the Letter--Sunrise | 10:07 | |
| 15 | 15 - A Morning Meeting--The Letter Again | 22:55 | |
| 16 | 16 - All Saints' and All Souls' | 6:58 | |
| 17 | 17 - In the Market-Place | 5:39 | |
| 18 | 18 - Boldwood in Meditation--Regret | 10:05 | |
| 19 | 19 - The Sheep-Washing--The Offer | 12:27 | |
| 20 | 20 - Perplexity--Grinding the Shears--A Quarrel | 12:46 | |
| 21 | 21 - Troubles in the Fold--A Message | 12:38 | |
| 22 | 22 - The Great Barn and the Sheep-Shearers | 21:13 | |
| 23 | 23 - Eventide--A Second Declaration | 13:50 | |
| 24 | 24 - The Same Night--The Fir Plantation | 13:20 | |
| 25 | 25 - The New Acquaintance Described | 7:45 | |
| 26 | 26 - Scene on the Verge of the Hay-Mead | 18:30 | |
| 27 | 27 - Hiving the Bees | 7:21 | |
| 28 | 28 - The Hollow Amid the Ferns | 12:33 | |
| 29 | 29 - Particulars of a Twilight Walk | 16:42 | |
| 30 | 30 - Hot Cheeks and Tearful Eyes | 10:31 | |
| 31 | 31 - Blame--Fury | 19:41 | |
| 32 | 32 - Night--Horses Tramping | 19:32 | |
| 33 | 33 - In the Sun--A Harbinger | 14:27 | |
| 34 | 34 - Home Again--A Trickster | 19:51 | |
| 35 | 35 - At an Upper Window | 8:05 | |
| 36 | 36 - Wealth in Jeopardy--The Revel | 17:52 | |
| 37 | 37 - The Storm--The Two Together | 15:04 | |
| 38 | 38 - Rain--One Solitary Meets Another | 7:40 | |
| 39 | 39 - Coming Home--A Cry | 8:16 | |
| 40 | 40 - On Casterbridge Highway | 17:53 | |
| 41 | 41 - Suspicion--Fanny Is Sent For | 22:27 | |
| 42 | 42 - Joseph and His Burden--Buck's Head | 25:12 | |
| 43 | 43 - Fanny's Revenge | 21:02 | |
| 44 | 44 - Under a Tree--Reaction | 15:11 | |
| 45 | 45 - Troy's Romanticism | 9:55 | |
| 46 | 46 - The Gurgoyle: Its Doings | 15:27 | |
| 47 | 47 - Adventures by the Shore | 8:09 | |
| 48 | 48 - Doubts Arise--Doubts Linger | 12:34 | |
| 49 | 49 - Oak's Advancement--A Great Hope | 13:01 | |
| 50 | 50 - The Sheep Fair--Troy Touches His Wife's Hand | 33:53 | |
| 51 | 51 - Bathsheba Talks with Her Outrider | 20:05 | |
| 52 | 52 - Converging Courses | 22:15 | |
| 53 | 53 - Concurritur--Horae Momento | 25:14 | |
| 54 | 54 - After the Shock | 10:44 | |
| 55 | 55 - The March Following--"Bathsheba Boldwood" | 10:50 | |
| 56 | 56 - Beauty in Loneliness--After All | 19:25 | |
| 57 | 57 - A Foggy Night and Morning--Conclusion | 11:50 |
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