A Laodicean, Thomas Hardy
A Laodicean, Thomas Hardy
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A Laodicean
A Story of Today

Author: Thomas Hardy

Narrator: Clive Chafer

Unabridged: 14 hr 35 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/26/2016

Categories: Fiction, Classic

Synopsis

Paula Power, the daughter of a wealthy railway magnate, inherits De Stancy Castle, an ancient castle in need of modernization. She commissions a young architect from London, George Somerset, to undertake the work. Somerset falls in love with Paula. But Paula, the Laodicean of the title, meaning a person who is lukewarm or halfhearted, is torn between George’s admiration and that of Captain De Stancy, whose old-world romanticism contrasts with Somerset’s forward-looking outlook.Paula’s vacillation in her romantic life is also reflected in her views about religion, politics, and social progress, a dilemma faced by people in the Victorian era as industrialization was beginning to greatly change their lives. Paula will have to decide between the two men, however, or risk losing them both.

About Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy (1840–1928), English poet, dramatist, and novelist, was born on the Egdon Heath in Dorset. He studied in Dorchester and apprenticed to an architect before leaving for London, where he began to write. Unable to find a public for his poetry, which idealized the rural life, he turned to the novel and met with success as well as controversy. The strong public reaction against some of his darker themes turned him back to writing verse. Today several of his novels are considered masterpieces of tragedy.

About Clive Chafer

Clive Chafer is a professional actor, director, producer, and theater instructor. Originally from England and educated at Leeds and Exeter universities, he has performed and directed at many theaters in the San Francisco area, where he makes his home, and elsewhere in the US. In 1993 he founded TheatreFIRST, Oakland’s professional theater company, where he served as artistic director until 2008. 

Reviews

Goodreads review by MJ

The least pronounceable of Thomas’s novels (LAY-oh-du-SEE-an) is an overlong “romance” exploring one woman’s relationship between modernity and antiquity, the former an architect the latter a ramshackle Count. Paula Power’s POV is never explored in the novel, leaving her an arch and harried heroine,......more

Goodreads review by Kara

There’s a particular pleasure that comes with having read so much of an author’s oeuvre that you find yourself reaching deep into the back catalogue for new experiences. I love reading the less-celebrated or more obscure works by a famous author. Sometimes they are less-celebrated and more obscure f......more

Goodreads review by Natalie

Not my favourite Hardy, I've found others of his far superior.......more

Quotes

“The changing of the old order in country manors and mansions may be slow or sudden, may have many issues romantic or otherwise.” Thomas Hardy, from the preface

“As always, Hardy’s rich character study and stunning prose create a compelling atmosphere and a good read.” Deadtree Publishers

“A Laodicean draws deeply on Hardy’s personal experience: his early life as an architect, his frustration in love, and his ambivalence about theology and the modern age.” John Schad, editor

“Hardy’s life was not primarily one of action. He was by nature a scholar and a writer: it is what goes on in the mind that holds us, and Hardy’s was rich with stored impressions.” Evelyn Hardy, author and literary critic, praise for Thomas Hardy

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