15 h 42 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 15 h 42 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the castle you own draws you toward a past you cannot quite believe in?
Paula Power owns Stancy Castle, but she is unsure where she belongs. Her father's railway fortune buys the ancestral home of the De Stancy family. Now her independent habits meet the pull of old rank and old stone. When young architect George Somerset arrives to advise on the building, he falls for its thoughtful, hesitant owner.
Somerset is not alone in his hopes. Captain De Stancy admires Paula and longs to recover his family's home, while rival architect Havill competes for the castle work. Behind these ambitions, William Dare schemes against Somerset. In Thomas Hardy's Victorian romance, love and trust face rivals, forged evidence and a woman unwilling to choose too quickly.
What you’ll discover
- An heiress between worlds Meet Paula, whose wealth gives her freedom but leaves questions of love and faith unresolved.
- A castle worth winning Explore a home where railway money meets the pride and hopes of an ancient family.
- Love under pressure Follow an honest young architect as professional rivalry becomes entangled with his hopes for love.
- New tools, old ambitions Enter a world of telegraph wires and photography, where change does not leave old desires behind.
- Hardy's playful side Discover a dry, often playful narrative voice in a romance lighter than his bleakest tragedies.
Who will love it
For readers who love Victorian romance full of rivals, forged evidence and a fine old building, and anyone curious about Hardy beyond his bleak tragedies.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- An architect meets a lukewarm heiress
- Railway money buys an ancient castle
- A rival architect and a divided choice
- The old family comes back to the castle
- A schemer with a camera and a grudge
- Somerset travels abroad and doubts begin
- Old worlds and new worlds collide
- Love, independence and the Laodicean heart
- How Hardy builds a plot of wires and stone
Who’s who
- Paula PowerThe young heiress of Stancy Castle, daughter of a railway builder, independent and thoughtful, and unwilling to commit quickly to a faith or a husband.
- George SomersetA talented, honest young architect who loves old buildings, is brought to the castle to advise, and falls in love with its owner.
- Captain De StancyA soldier and heir of the old family that once owned the castle, who admires Paula and hopes to recover his ancestral home.
- William DareA clever, unscrupulous young photographer, secretly the Captain's son, who schemes to advance his father and defeat Somerset.
- Charlotte De StancyThe Captain's kind and loyal sister, a close friend of Paula, torn between her family's hopes and her friend's freedom.
- HavillA rival architect, less gifted than Somerset, who competes for the castle work and resents his better-trained competitor.
Formats and delivery
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- Audiobook
- 15 h 42 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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A Laodicean
by Thomas Hardy · 1881
At Stancy Castle, Paula Power faces rival suitors and a choice between old traditions and a changing world.
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In short
A Laodicean is a novel by Thomas Hardy, first printed in a magazine in 1880 and 1881 and then as a book. Hardy fell seriously ill while it was running, and he finished much of it by dictating from his bed, with his wife writing down his words.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
An architect meets a lukewarm heiress
The story opens with George Somerset, a young architect, walking through the countryside with his sketchbook. He is drawn to old buildings and he is good at drawing them. His path leads him to a small Baptist chapel, where a baptism is about to take place. He stops to watch, and the scene sets the tone for the whole book, because the question of faith is raised before any character has said a word about love.
The person at the center of the ceremony is Paula Power. She is young, clever and rich, and she has been brought up in her father's Baptist faith. Yet she hesitates over the act of baptism itself. She does not refuse in anger, and she does not accept with joy. She simply cannot commit, and Somerset notices this at once.
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What is A Laodicean about?
It follows Paula Power, a rich heiress who owns an old castle, and the men who want her. Somerset the architect loves her, Captain De Stancy hopes to regain his family home, and a schemer interferes.
What does the title A Laodicean mean?
It comes from the Book of Revelation, where the church at Laodicea is called lukewarm. Hardy applies it to Paula, who is slow to commit herself in religion, in family loyalty and in love.
Who is William Dare in A Laodicean?
Dare is a clever young photographer who plots against the architect Somerset. He is the secret son of Captain De Stancy and uses photography and the telegraph to deceive.
The author
Thomas Hardy
1840–1928 · English novelist and poet
Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) was an English novelist and poet. He was born in Dorset and lived in Dorset and London. His novels include Far from the Madding Crowd (1874), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), and Tess of the d’Urbervilles (1891). He published poetry collections from 1898 until his death.
More by Thomas Hardy
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