Las ultimas paginas te pegan duro. Que tristeza la vida de Vivette.

The first third of this book is truly great. The juxtaposition of the immense universe and the couple falling in love is wonderful. I loved Lady Constantine’s interest in astronomy. If I wrote a fan fiction variation, I’d have her pursue astronomy even in the absence of her astronomer. The remainder of the story is good but not great.

There seem to be some unexplained loose ends. Who is the insider who reveals the secret lovers to the great uncle. Who sends Viviette the picture imagining her husband’s death. If I were broke, I’d rent the great house and live in a more modest house.

I enjoy here as in other Hardy novels the poetic descriptions of nature and the Bruegelest descriptions of the town folk.

Give me a copy of this book that doesn't contain the last 20 pages, I'll give it 5 stars and call it a favorite.

“So that, whatever the stars were made for, they were not made to please our eyes. It is just the same in everything; nothing is made for man.”

Two on a tower is a tale of star-crossed lovers, centring on Lady Constantine and her lover Swithin St Cleeve, whom is her social inferior and ten years her junior. They escape to an astronomical observation tower to pursue their love for one another, away from the judgemental eyes of a small rural community. Being locked away in this tower for a few hours every other day allows them to create their 'own private universe', but, inevitability, the outside world creeps its way through the cracks and crevices, adding pressure to their relationship. The novel illustrates how 19th century society restricts love and relationships.

This is the shortest Hardy novel I've read, and consequently it lacked for me. Although I find it difficult to commit to a 500 page novel, Hardy is at his best when composing a longwinded novel. Considering this was a shorter novel, I frequently found myself getting bored and uninterested in some chapters. When chapters were good, they were good. The interesting incorporation of scientific/astronomical information made it engaging, but sometimes the narrative ran dry. It lacked the pastoral scenery that I so love Hardy for, it lacked character depth and a fully functioning narrative. It was all over the place - they were together, separated, together, and so on. The ending of the novel was anticlimactic - Hardy is a realist, I know, but I actually thought they may end up together, happy?

It just lacked, consequently making it an underwhelming read for me. Maybe if Hardy added more to it, making it a longer novel with fully developed characters and story, then it could have been a higher rating. Quite frankly, I was very disappointed with this novel considering my last two Hardy reads were highly rated. But, that doesn't dissuade me from reading more of his work; I am very hopeful for The Mayor of Casterbridge.

(P.S. totally unsure if I should give this 2 or 3 stars... ugh. Sometimes I hate the 5 star rating!!!!)

Thomas Hardy, why cant people ever be happy in your books?
Jude, Tess, Viviette and Swithin.

I have a love hate relationship with Hardy books. Not only do I love some and hate dislike others, But the ones that I love... I also ... hate?
I hate that Hardy seems to hate love, but I love that his books give love a chance, albeit between people who should probably avoid falling in love, but he tries to make it work.

In true Hardy fashion Viviette and Swithin are star crossed lovers doomed to fail.
But they fail in such a beautiful story.

Definitely one of my favorite Hardy books.

3.5 stars

I imagine this was quite a shocking and scandalous book for it's time. This was very typical of classic "romances" of the time, in which it is actually quite tragic. I don't think the gravity of the book really hit me until the end (and what a wild ending that was.)

Throughout the entire book, this love was doomed, mostly because Viviette Constantine insisted upon her relationship with Swithin St. Cleeve to be a secret. But personally, I would have said propriety be damned and lived happily with someone I loved rather than have a clandestine relationship that only caused me stress and anxiety. I'm actually really surprised Swithin went along with this ridiculous idea of a relationship for so long. How can anyone feel reciprocal love if they are constantly being pushed away, or shoved into a closet to hide like a teenager scared of being caught by a parent in a daughter's bedroom? He's almost bewitched by her, and it seemed to me like all the things she loved him for to begin with, she merely tolerated because she wanted to be the only thing on his mind. And while she endeavored to keep him (and her love for him) a secret, I am glad she didn't hold him back in the end.

As I said, I'm sure this was scandalous for the time. At one point I thought of Lady Chatterly's Lover, by Lawrence (who was heavily influenced by Hardy) and I daresay these are equally shocking for their time in the sense that adultery was a forefront of the theme at first. Although unlike Chatterly, I felt an apprehension from Viviette. Plus, there is the fact that Viviette's first husband abandoned her and married another woman just as she had. As the blurb on the back cover of my book says: "a case of accidental polygamy."

By the end I was happy that Swithin managed to adventure across the world and study the stars as he had always wished, and upon coming back to England, admitted finally to himself and to Viviette that he was no longer in love with her. And then only to turn back around and say he would MARRY her astounded me! He really was a fool. And it ended up killing her - her sudden joy over the proposal inducing a fatal heart attack.

What and odd little book this was.