Author:Thomas Hardy,Tim Dolin,Tim Dolin,Tim Dolin,Patricia Ingham

The arrival of two newcomers in the quiet village of Mellstock arouses a bitter feud and leaves a convoluted love affair in its wake. While the Reverend Maybold creates a furore among the village's musicians with his decision to abolish the church's traditional 'string choir' and replace it with a modern mechanical organ, the new schoolteacher, Fancy Day, causes an upheaval of a more romantic nature, winning the hearts of three very different men - a local farmer, a church musician and Maybold himself. Under the Greenwood Tree follows the ensuing maze of intrigue and passion with gentle humour and sympathy, deftly evoking the richness of village life, yet tinged with melancholy for a rural world that Hardy saw fast disappearing.
Margaret Forster's...novel about mothers and daughters...is one of the most painfully honest I have ever read. It raised agonising questions about female identity, asking whether the role of mother leaves anything over for the individual woman, and whether daughters can ever shake off the past
—— Joan Smith , GuardianA new work by Margaret Forster always gives me a tingle of anticipation. Her books are consistently good reads, packed with originality and imagination
—— Val Hennessy , Daily MailForster is remarkably honest, skilful and perceptive
—— ObserverAn honest portrait of the generation gap and the perennial irritations that bedevil this most powerful and idealised of all blood ties
—— CompanyRoars and leaps through the London streets with thrilling energy...the result is tremendous. Ackroyd is a wonderful guide and torchbearer, bringing light to the darkest corners of humanity
—— Independent






