Tess Of The D’ Urbervilles

“Did it never strike your mind that what every woman says some women may feel?”

Set in the thriving countryside of England, this is the story of a vibrant young girl, Tess, who was leading a life of considerable agency, freedom, happiness, and aspirations. However, everything changed when her family discovered they were descendants of nobility and inherited the heavy and consequential surname of d’Urberville. Suddenly, Tess from the countryside became Tess d’Urberville, and with that name came the restrictions of England’s upper-class society. She could no longer think, act, or live on her own terms. Conforming to her new reality began to stifle and drain her spirit. The final nail in the coffin was her encounter with Alec d’Urberville, which irrevocably altered the course of her life. Written with profound emotional depth and thought-provoking prose, Tess’s journey is an ode to women and a call to never give up on the power they hold within.