Far From the Madding Crowd

It took me a little while to get into this book, but by the end, I was hooked. Thomas Hardy is an excellent writer. I wasn't sure I'd be able to tolerate all the flowery writing, but I found it very enjoyable even though I had to look up a lot of words.
I both love and hate several of the characters they both have their strengths and faults and seem very human and believable. The plot is complex and twisting, but very satisfying.