In a remote corner of early Victorian England where traditional practices remain untouched by time Bathsheba Everdene stands out as a beacon of feminine independence and self-reliance. However when confronted with three suitors among them the dashing Captain Troy she shows a reckless capriciousness which threatens the stability of the whole community. Published in 1874 and an immediate best-seller Far From the Madding Crowd established Thomas Hardy as one of Britain’s foremost novelists.