Thomas Hardy (1874)
Hardy’s tale of the beautiful and tragically independent young woman who alters the lives of three men threatens to veer into the realm of straight-up melodrama were it not for the beautiful way the story is told. Set in the English countryside, the book is rich in details of rural 19th-century life, characters are striking and memorable, and for this reader, it was a satisfying second foray into the world of Hardy’s literature.
2 Things @ Once 
I was crazy about that book when I was in high school. Such a bookworm I was back then. I need to reread it. I remember a movie with Julie Christie in it that at the time I thought was so romantic. Wonder what I’d think of it now?!!
This past year I reread two books I loved in college and was surprised by how much my opinion of them had changed. It made me realize how much experience and context play into how much I like or dislike a book, or a movie for that matter.