I finished this one last night. Overall I enjoyed it, although there was one story that I was disappointed with. If you're looking to try Hardy this would be a good place to start. As well as being short stories not all of them finish with the stereotypical depressing end that Hardy is known for. When I read one of his books I begin it by thinking that it will end badly and then the ending tends to be less depressing. And if it turns out to be a happy ending then that is a bonus.
There are seven stories in this collection. The first one is The Three Strangers. A farmer is having a party one night to celebrate the birth of his daughter. During the party, which takes place in the farmer's remote cottage, three strangers enter the scene. The first claims to be a wheelwright, the second a hangman and the third doesn't stay long enough to give an account of himself. How they are connected is interesting, but you will have to read it to find out why.
The second story is A Tradition of Eighteen Hundred and Four. This is about an urban myth that Napoleon came to England in secret to plan an invasion. Fairly short, but not that interesting.
Third is The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion. Depressed German soldier falls in love with English girl, and they plan to run away together. There are complications, a bit predictable, but it is best to be prepared to be frustrated.
The Withered Arm is next. A long short story about superstition and unwitting witch craft. What I didn't like about this was that some aspects of the story are never explained. We never find out why the farmer abandoned his first wife and child, or how the child ends up in the mess that he does. However, the story isn't really about them but about his second wife and her quest to be healed.
Fellow-Townsmen is a story where the two main characters don't get what they want. They spend the story missing each other, marrying the wrong people and at the end making the wrong decisions. Didn't like this one.
Interlopers at the Knap is a similar tale but a little less sad. I say a little though because it is also bleak. Farmer Darton wants to get married and does so, but at the expense of someone else. When his wife dies he goes back to the girl he dropped to marry someone else. However, she doesn't want to marry him, and so he has to live with his mistake.
The Distracted Preacher is my favourite and the story I would recommend the most. It is about smuggling and a Methodist minister who gets dragged into it. I found it very funny, and it ends well too, although not as Hardy would have wanted it apparently.
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