"Far from the Madding Crowd" by Thomas Hardy

Another enjoyable novel in my study of the English novel.  Stylistically very similar to most of the others, albeit with more harsh realism, perhaps along the lines of Middlemarch.

I appreciated the relative brevity of the book, without meandering story lines that go nowhere, or too many characters that it's difficult to follow.  Even though the book was published serially, Hardy stayed focus on one simple story, with few unnecessary characters or subplots.

Most enjoyable was the wonderful use of language, reminiscent of Jane Austen, although perhaps used more consistently throughout the book.

Hardy's use of nature is notable, reminding me of Radcliffe's Mysteries of Udolpho or Scott's Waverley.

But still, there is enough sameness in most (all?) of the English novels I've read so far that I will proceed to the next author in the course without pursuing another Hardy for now.