Product Description

With an introduction and notes by Charles P.C. Pettit, Thomas Hardy's only historical novel, "The Trumpet Major" is set in Wessex during the Napoleonic Wars. Hardy skilfully immerses us in the life of the day, making us feel the impact of historical events on the immemorial local way of life - the glamour of the coming of George III and his soldiery, fears of the press-gang and invasion, and the effect of distant but momentous events like the Battle of Trafalgar. He interweaves a compelling, bitter-sweet romantic love story of the rivalry of two brothers for the hand of the heroine Anne Garland, played out against the loves of a lively gallery of other characters. While there are elements of sadness and even tragedy, "The Trumpet-Major" shows Hardy's skills of story-telling, characterisation and description in a novel of vitality, comedy and warmth.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #116935 in Books
• Published on: 1995-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Customer Reviews

Historically interesting and well written
While this is not a great novel, it is an interesting and well written one. I found myself not caring too much about the love triangle that is the main part of the novel. This is quite a serious flaw, especially when you compare it to Far From The Madding Crowd, with which The Trumpet-Major has something in common. If the main plot is weak, the characters are not. They are as interesting and as fully realised as any character in Hardy. But the real strength lies in his description of England as it awaited Napoleon's invasion: The local colour, the patriotism mingled with fear of war, and the empathy with rural people as they live out their lives. If it is not one of Hardy's great tragic masterpieces, it is still a fine book, beautifully written, and one that I would recommend to anyone who wanted a good read.

Its place as one of Hardy�s lesser known novels is justified
The plot is a typical Hardy-eque love triangle/pentagon chronicle involving a dashing Trumpet-Major in the British army in Napoleonic England. It is very well related to the reader without being cluttered by any more than a superficial reference to the psyche of the characters.

Hardy uses a style that is easy to follow and is light and floral. His natural poetical persuasions shine through in the rambling descriptions of the surroundings and generally adds colour to the novel. It does seem, however, to have taken the space that other authors may have reserved for some sort of intellectual substance.

I overall enjoyed the novel as a peice of pastime reading, but had I been in the mood for something profound or witty, I would have been seriously let down. At the risk of being battered by my female friends, it is a bit of a girly book. I could not help thinking that Hardy maybe would have rather been writing a poem when he wrote The Trumpet Major; that is certainly where his strength lay.

This is not weak, but it certainly is not of the calibre of a Hardy masterpiece.

Second-rate?

The Trumpet Major is generally considered to be second-rate or light weight Hardy, but it needs to be said that "second-rate" Hardy is as good as the best of most other writers. The story is indeed almost insubstantial- a variant on the "eternal triangle" only in this case more like a "quadrangle". Three suitors, one a none-starter, are after one attractive and rather elusive girl. All the main characters are, as is customary with Hardy, strongly and lovingly drawn, and the historical background of the Napoleonic period with its gathering of armies and fear of invasion is lightly sketched and does not overwhelm the main theme of human relations in a small rural community. As a self-confessed Hardy addict I have to strongly recommend this book. It would make a good introduction to his work for one who has not previously encountered it.