Under the Greenwood Tree Audiobook By Thomas Hardy cover art

Under the Greenwood Tree

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Under the Greenwood Tree

By: Thomas Hardy
Narrated by: Simon Vance
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $9.77

Buy for $9.77

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel
One of the most popular of Hardy's novels, this charming pastoral idyll is a lightly humorous depiction of life in an early Victorian rural community. Drawn from Hardy's childhood memories, it represents, he said, "a true picture at first hand of the personages, ways, and customs which were common in the villages."

The story delicately balances the concerns of the Mellstock parish choir with a romance between Dick Dewy, a member of the choir, and Fancy Day, the village schoolmistress. While the choir battles for its survival against the new vicar's mechanical church organ, personal conflicts arise over the anachronistic customs of tradition.

Public Domain (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Village Witty

Critic reviews

"It bubbles with good humor and joy in living." (James Gibson, Thomas Hardy: A Literary Life)
Charming Story • Light Romantic Tale • Soothing Voice • Well-rounded Characters • Pleasant Village Life
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
This story is a bit more straightforward than Hardy’s later novels but still retains his detail and style.

Hardy without the tragedy

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I felt like Dick and Fanny were both unlikable characters. Fanny was silly and shallow and in the beginning I felt like Dick did some disrespectful things. For example, in one scene he accidentally placed his hand on Fanny's at a dinner party when they barely knew each other and then left it there, which put Fanny in a very awkward situation with the public setting. It felt like he was using the setting to take advantage of her. Other than than my bleh feelings about these two, the book was entertaining enough.

I didn't love the main characters

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Sheer delight to listen to this classic with Simon Vance's gentle and sharp narration of the nuances.

Classic humour

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Hardy knows how to serve a love story around a village. This is no exception.

One of Hardy’s Best

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I was looking for something that would make me smile during these times and I wasn't expecting it from Thomas Hardy. I recently tried to reread Tess and had to put it back down.. Almost from the get-go the dialog had me grinning and giggling. I needed a story without angst.. The characterizations by the narrator were wonderful and so full of fun.

Happy surprise!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This Hardy novel was on the light side, unlike his other novels, this one was by far the most cheerful.

A very good audiobook

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A sweet little tale of romance and village life in early nineteenth century England.

Light & lovely

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
His voice is so soothing that I often found myself drifting away in meditation instead of paying attention.
Thankfully the story compliments this reading, as it is light, and filled with general wisdoms and situations.
I might re-listen to this book, simply because it is so pleasant. At times reminiscent of J. R. R. Tolkein's Shire.

I have a problem with the narrator.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I had a bit of trouble understanding the dialogue because of the heavy accents of the characters, but I managed. this lovely story was romantic. I listened to the audio book version and enjoyed it.

Under the Greenwood tree

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Thomas Hardy demonstrates sensitivity for the feelings of every type of person, even of plants and animals. Many people have this gift but very few are as brilliant as Hardy in putting these sensitivities into words and so sharing this rare quality with others, readers who lack these feelings but enjoy being made aware of them.

A sensitive description of society

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews