1. Penguin Classics // 2. Oxford World’s Classics // 3. Vintage Orange Inheritance
4. Vintage Classics // 5. Pocket Penguin Classics // 6. HarperTeen
These are very interesting covers and I don’t think I have a definite favorite. I’m leaning toward #5, but I also like #2. I’m intrigued by the strawberry covers, too, but they don’t quite capture the essence of Tess for me. What cover appeals to you?
My cousin left yesterday afternoon and I did my fair share of crying. She is a wonderful person and it will be hard not being able to see her every day, but she has an exciting opportunity as a nurse in Colorado and I am very happy and excited for her. I have a week off at the end of March and hope to visit her for a few days then and of course there is always Facetime and texting so I will always be in touch with her. Thank you for your comforting words and support!
I am not keeping up with my reading goals very well lately because I have had such a craving for Dorothy Whipple and other Persephone and Virago authors – they are just the best books around and really enrich my life. What is it about these books that speaks to my heart?
And, remember when I told you about my book club? Well, we were supposed to meet Thursday evening, but due to a scheduling mix-up at work I had to cancel at the last minute. We are all dying to discuss State of Wonder so I hope I can reschedule it for sometime soon. What a crazy book!
I wish you all a lovely weekend.
A Certain Fondness 
I haven’t read Tess of the D’Urbervilles so can’t comment which cover suits the story and character, but I do find myself most drawn to covers #4 and #5. I am a sucker for the Vintage covers although not that keen on #3.
Hope you have a lovely weekend too Anbolyn.
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I don’t like #3 very much, either, though I think it is an interesting interpretation!
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I haven’t read Tess – or any Hardy for that matter, though he’s on my list to try this year. So. having only a vague idea about the book, I’m going for #1 or #2 – as usual, the old stand-by “classic” covers. I do not care for the trend in fruit covers, I have to say.
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I don’t like the fruit covers, either – they don’t really fit with the era. And Tess is a great novel – infuriating in some ways, but utterly brilliant and engaging.
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Tess is one of my favorites, so these are fun to look at! I’m learning toward #2 as my favorite. It has the pastoral scene as well as the feeling of tragedy looming over her that #1 and #5 lack. I’m not sure I’d put strawberries on the cover, although I do get the reference and sort of like the way they’re used in #4. I’m torn about #3. It fits the book really well, but I don’t really like the way it looks.
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The strawberries don’t do it for me because they reference one of the slimier scenes in the book and don’t focus on Tess. I really think Tess needs a pastoral cover!
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I like number 5 the best also. I understand what you mean about books that speak to your heart, they are the ones I want to read also. Have a wonderful weekend!
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#5 seems modern yet still captures the spirit of Tess – I am very fond of these versions of the Penguin books.
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I hope having a visit to look forward to will help ease the sadness of your cousin’s leaving. 🙂
I don’t care for headless bodies so No 5 does nothing for me. I would probably choose 1 or 2 as most representative of Tess but I have read it and the strawberries are relevant so I do really like 4 as well.
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Thanks, Cat! I am really looking forward to my visit.
It is hard to choose – the designers have really put together some interesting covers here. Definitely not boring!
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I’ve never read Tess (must rectify that soon!) so can’t comment on appropriateness of covers, but no.6 definitely has a teen feel. Didn’t realize you were a fellow Whipple fan 🙂
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Tess is so good – a must read!
Yes, I love Whipple. I recently finished Someone at a Distance and she is now cemented in my mind as a genius and one of my favorite authors.
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Glad that you’ll be seeing your cousin again soon and you’ve plenty to keep yourself busy with whilst you get used to the change. Sounds like your bookclub is going to be a success 🙂 There is something very special about Persephones (I’ve not read Virago apart from du Maurier but I’m assuming they “feel” the same). It’s a wonder they are rediscovered books, you’d think they’d stay in print.
The only cover I’m not fond of is the Twilight-inspired one. The rest are lovely.
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I find it amazing that even if I don’t love every Persephone I’ve read, I think about them long after I’ve read them and enjoy the writing a great deal. They are really wonderful and I think I am going to make a goal to read every single one.
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Tess is my favourite Thomas Hardy novel so far, though there are still a lot of his books that I haven’t read yet. I think I like covers #2 and #5 the best. The strawberry covers look good but that’s not how I would choose to represent the story.
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Helen, I agree with you about the strawberries! Not my favorite image from the book.
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Tess is a favourite of mine. I like #4. I really enjoyed the Polanski film too.
I hope everything goes really well for your cousin in Colorado. At least you’ll have somewhere nice to go for a change of scene now and again.
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Katrina, she has already had two job offers and will probably start work at a hospital there soon. She couldn’t find a job here in Phoenix so it was really time for her to try other places! I am looking forward to my trip the last week of March.
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I like No. 4 but think it’s a bit too light-hearted, the strawberries scene is actually rather dark/creepy/foreboding and it just looks a little too carefree. No. 6 is awful though, the font makes me twitch in horror.
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Haha! The font on #6 is icky. What are they trying to say about the book from that horrid cover?
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I like covers 1 and 2 the best, both being pretty traditional to the images that come to mind when I think of the book. I really hate cover 6. I can understand why publishers are trying to reissue covers of classics to appeal to the Twlight market, but this one, and the tag line at the bottom of it, seem especially bad.
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Yes, I think #6 is just wretched all around. And I really don’t think it would appeal to the Twilight crowd – I mean, look at it!
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I have #1 but I rather like #5. My library has that edition and it seems to get borrowed a lot, which has to be a good thing.
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I wish my library had snazzier copies of the classics – maybe they would get more circulation!
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