#cosobooks A few weeks ago I read Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge and I finished the novel awed by Hardy's talent. He is a brilliant writer. But I also can't recall when I last read a novel where the main character, Michael H, suffered so many misfortunes, humiliations and just bad luck. It can be an uncomfortable experience reading a novel where so much is taken away from a character in terms of second chances. Oh well but all of that said Hardy is a genius