The Woodlanders

A novel set in the wooded countryside of Hintock, where timber merchants, cider makers, and woodland workers live close to the trees. Grace Melbury returns from a fine education that her father hopes will lift the family's standing. Her future becomes tangled with the quiet woodsman Giles Winterborne, a charming newcomer, and the expectations of her village. Hardy examines love, class, and marriage within a deeply observed natural world.