Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
This is a tragic tale of a young woman named Tess who comes from a poor family in rural England. Tess is sent to work for a wealthy family, where she is seduced by a man who abandons her after she becomes pregnant. The baby dies, and Tess is ostracized by her community. She falls in love with a kind man, but when she confesses her past, he rejects her. Desperate and heartbroken, Tess murders her former seducer and is eventually captured and executed. The novel explores themes of fate, injustice, and the oppressive sexual morals of its time.
The 117th greatest book of all time
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Total Points: 2187
This book was first published in 1891
41 Lists
- score: 190 -- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die - 2006 (Weight: 180)
- score: 180 -- The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time - 2007 (Weight: 180)
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- score: 166 -- 30 Books Every Adult Should Read Before They Die - 2006 (Weight: 160)
- score: 165 -- The 100 Greatest British Novels - 2015 (Weight: 160)
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- score: 148 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read - 2009 (Weight: 140)
- score: 127 -- The Great Books Podcast from John J. Miller - 2025 (Weight: 120)
- score: 105 -- 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature - 2021 (Weight: 105)
- score: 94 -- Have You Read 100 Great Books? - 1950 (Weight: 89)
- score: 94 -- 101 Significant Books - 1989 (Weight: 89)
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- score: 81 -- The Big Read - 2003 (Weight: 70)
- score: 81 -- All-Time Classics, According to Academics - 1985 (Weight: 81)
- score: 70 -- 100 Best Books - 2010 (Weight: 70)
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- score: 33 -- The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time - 2004 (Weight: 30)
- score: 21 -- The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users - 2008 (Weight: 20)
- score: 11 -- The Telegraph’s 100 Novels Everyone Should Read - 2009 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- An Expert's 200-Book List - 1973 (Weight: 10)
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- score: 10 -- The 100 Greatest Novels - 2007 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- Readers’ Top 100 Novels Of All Time - 2026 (Weight: 10)
- score: 6 -- One Hundred Best Books (1916) - 1916 (Weight: 10)
- score: 1 -- Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time - 2024 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Complete 500: OCLC - 2024 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The 100 Favorite Novels of Librarians - 1999 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Top 50 Books - 1997 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 500 Must Read Books - 2013 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written - 1979 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers - 2002 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 110 Best Books: The Perfect Library - 2008 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Inteliquest's World's 100 Greatest Books of All-Time - 1993 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime - 2014 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Best Books Ever - 2006 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Landmarks of World Literature - 2012 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Books You've Always Meant to Read - 2020 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 100 Must-Read Classics, as Chosen by our Readers - 2022 (Weight: 1)