I did not get around to reading this book prior to it’s publication date and it has since been archived therefore I cannot leave a review at this time.

Excellent reading of the novel and accompanying revision guide.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an ARC of this book in exchange for my feedback.

Really useful for students studying Tess of the D'Urbervilles. I would really highly recommend this for any student, though it would make the text a lot more accessible for students who potentially have difficulty reading physically (e.g. dyslexic students).

There's a really good mixture of key information, as well as the full text, and I found it easy in an audiobook format to shift between the two and dip in and out of the different bits of information. Having sections on characters, themes, structure, and historical context provides such a well-rounded context to the reading and the inclusion of chapter summaries and key quotations was incredibly useful.

I have formerly read Studying The Great Gatsby, also have Wuthering Heights , and the one fault I find with all of them is that the summary of the entire story is in the first track. Whilst the summaries are good, and quite useful for students and those for whom English is a second language, I do think the audio would be much better at the end after all the other parts have been read in the original text.

However the reader is in fine form and enjoyable to listen to.

A helpful package for A level (or GCSE) students that prefaces a reading of the full text with critical discussions and commentary. Some of it is standard (but necessary) character stuff but it's especially helpful that there's an extensive section of key quotations which allow the student to think about these for themselves without being told why they're significant.

The overall take on the novel sees it through contemporary horizons of non-consent, identity, class and the representation of women. A thoughtful adjunct to reading the novel which helps focus on the complexities of the book and Hardy's own historicity especially in regard to patriarchy and religion.