Some thoughts on The return of the native

My oh my, this morning I sure had a hangover from last night... And I did not even drink that much wine and beer...

It wasn't too bad, so I could finish The return of the native today. The first novel by Thomas Hardy I have read in almost three two years. He used to be my favorite writer, but then I changed and didn't like his somber tone anymore. Just like I didn't like the Smiths anymore. But The return of the native got me, despite all the tragedies it contains. You know, what I don't like about his books is that Hardy's characters hardly ever seem to be able to escape destiny, while all the time you know that they only have to talk or be a little more optimistic to be happy and escape their eventual ruin. But what really gets me all the time is his wonderful writing. I don't know many writers who can write such beautiful prose. And the best about this novel is that Hardy gave it a much more positive ending then he had intended...

Anyway, I liked this novel very much. But tonight I will start with Henry James' Washington Square!