Set on the wild coast of Cornwall, this novel follows Elfride Swancourt, the young daughter of a rector, who is courted by two men. One is a modest architect of humble background, and the other is an older writer with more polished views. Elfride's attempts to manage her feelings and her secrets lead to difficult choices. Hardy draws on his own early experiences in Cornwall and builds a story of love, class, and the cliffs and sea.
Quotes
For of all the miseries attaching to miserable love, the worst is the misery of thinking that the passion which is the cause of them all may cease.