a book
The Trumpet-Major
Thomas Hardy · 1880 · 257 pages
Set against a backdrop of the Napoleonic wars, this is a novel about a young woman and the three very different suitors who vie for her hand. Two of the men are brothers involved in the fighting, one an easygoing sailor, the other an honest and diffident trumpet major, the third suitor being the cowardly son of the local squire.
recommended by 1 person
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Martha Wainwright
“As a young person, I tried to read Thomas Hardy many times and it took a long time to get there. But I read The Trumpet-Major and that actually turned me on to him. It was really my introduction into ‘classic’ literature, where the stories are so dramatic without being overly operatic. It’s a story about a widow who needs to find a match for her daughter to lift the daughter into a higher social bracket. Three men are trying to woo her and they’re all completely different. The trumpet major is the kinder, gentler man who is the better choice. It’s an excellent mix of comedy and history.”↗