Grace Melbury returns to the woodland village of Little Hintock, her education and refinement setting her apart from the simple rural life she once knew. Her father, convinced that she deserves a better match than the devoted woodsman Giles Winterborne, urges her to marry the ambitious but unreliable Dr. Fitzpiers. As Grace struggles between loyalty, expectation, and her own uncertain heart, she becomes caught in a web of love, betrayal, and missed chances that will shape her fate.
Set against the richly detailed landscapes of Thomas Hardy’s Wessex, The Woodlanders is a powerful story of love, class, and the quiet struggles of ordinary lives.

THOMAS HARDY [1840-1928] was an English poet and author. His work is characterized by realism and criticism of the strict Victorian ideals which he believed limited people's lives and happiness. He achieved great success with the novel Under the Greenwood Tree [1872] and continued with successes such as Far from the Madding Crowd and Tess of the d'Urbervilles.