So it turns out Thomas Hardy isn't as intimidating as I expected, which is just as well as I've got 2 or 3 more to go in my pile! 'The Mayor of Casterbridge' is a tragedy very much in the historical sense, where it is a flaw in the protagonist that leads to his eventual downfall (and this also applies to Lucetta, as well as Michael Henchard). Surprisingly, there's quite a few amusing moments in the book, and the prose is actually pretty light. I found the time line a bit distorted. The events in the book take place over about 6 years, but I could have imagined events happening over 6 months. Michael Henchard's downfall is very believable, although I think I would have felt the impact more had I had more evidence of his success at the start. And, while it is filled with tragedy, the only character I felt and real sympathy with was Elizabeth-Jane and so I was unmoved by the deaths of other characters. (I did feel for the goldfinch).