Adventures abound. Jim shows pluck and courage. Long John Silver a terrific character. Captain Smollett all you'd want in a captain. Malaria, mutiny, marooned Thom Gunn, the Hispaniola piloted by Jim. Knives flying through the air. Israel Hands dead of gunshot and of drowning--at the hands of Jim. One more wonderful hour left. Audible reader is terrific, so good I (almost) don't want to read on my own.
"To all humankind, Tess was only a passing thought. Even to friends, she was only a frequently passing thought." Angel Clare is a good character. He's "enlightened," in so many ways, but when Tess's confesses her "crime," he reverts to ancestral form . . . Tess's "confession" comes earlier than I expected, right after Angel reveals that he has had a bad moment with a woman. Tess points out the similarity in their transgressions, though his is the only true transgression, expecting forgiveness. She doesn't get it. She returns to her mother . . . realizes she can't stay with her. Thoughts to suicide. Unhappiness that divorce is not possible. Departs. Tragic in that the two, if Angel could just see clearly, would indeed be a great couple, each adding to the other. Nature as a definite force involved in the tragedy. It's not neutral--when things go bad, the very skies mock Tess. Tess as unaware of the power of her bea...
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