The Return of the Native

Egdon Heath, the brooding stretch of open country at the center of this 1878 novel, is almost a character in its own right, shaping every life that touches it. When Clym Yeobright gives up a comfortable career in Paris and comes home to the heath, the restless and beautiful Eustacia Vye sees in him a chance to escape the emptiness she despises. Their marriage, built on mismatched dreams, sets off a slow tragedy of misunderstanding, wounded pride, and thwarted longing. Hardy surrounds them with rustic neighbors, a returning rival, and the strange reddleman Diggory Venn, weaving folklore and fate into the plot. The result is one of his darkest and most atmospheric books. This free PDF and EPUB edition brings Hardy’s classic to a new set of readers.