In Victorian England, the independent and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak, a sheep farmer; Frank Troy, a reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood, a prosperous and mature bachelor. Alive with lush, idyllic settings that exert profound influences on the novel's characters, Far from the Madding Crowd is an unforgettable narrative of both beauty and devastation. Its portrait of rural life, and compelling examination of social conventions, has made it one of literature's classic romances.