&quot;The Woodlanders&quot; was published in 1887 and Thomas Hardy himsef estimated it as his best novel. It&nbsp;is one of the six masterpieces of Thomas Hardy&rsquo;s <i>Wessex novels</i>.<br /><br />&quot;The Woodlanders&quot; is a pessimistic attack on a society that values high status and socially sanctioned behaviour over good character and honest emotions.<br />The story begins as Grace Melbury, daughter of a timber merchant in a Dorset village, returns from finishing school and rejects her simple but understanding fianc&eacute;, the apple grower Giles Winterbourne. Grace accedes to the urgings of her father and marries Edred Fitzpiers, a young doctor of great charm but questionable moral character. Grace soon turns to Giles for comfort after Edred goes off with Mrs. Felice Charmond, a local upper-class woman. Giles, who is seriously ill, relinquishes his cottage to Grace and moves into a rude hut, where he soon dies of exposure. Although Grace mourns his loss, she eventually reconciles with Edred...