Tess of the D'Urbervilles (Penguin English Library)

With its sensitive depiction of a wronged pure woman and its powerful criticism of Victorian sexual hypocrisy, Tess of the D'Urbervilles shocked readers on publication.

Its heroine is a poor country girl, Tess, whose encounter with her distant aristocratic relatives -especially the handsome, cruel Alec Leaves here broken and hunted by a secret that could rutin her. A very different man, Tess must choose whether to reveal her past or remain silent in the hope of a peaceful future.