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
You will enjoy this if you like love stories with real obstacles, old castles, schemers and secrets, or novels about old England meeting new fortunes.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A refusal draws Somerset toward Paula
- The castle houses past and present
- A commission creates a jealous rival
- Paula welcomes love but guards herself
- Dare turns resentment into hidden danger
- The captain becomes a romantic rival
- Paula feels the pull of ancestry
- Reserve leaves room for deceit
- Private choices face other people's plans
Who’s who
- George SomersetA young architect and the son of a painter, torn between styles and careers, who falls in love with Paula and wants her trust.
- Paula PowerA rich, independent young heiress who owns Stancy Castle and keeps her heart guarded while she decides who she is.
- Charlotte De StancyPaula's gentle, loyal friend and companion, who belongs to the old family and quietly cares for Somerset.
- Captain De StancyA melancholy soldier of the old family who wakes to love for Paula and longs to see the castle again.
- William DareA young man of no clear age who plays the amateur photographer and schemes to push his own plans.
- James HavillA Markton architect, proud and resentful, who competes with Somerset for the castle commission.
- Abner PowerPaula's scarred uncle, who returns from abroad after many years and has firm plans for her marriage.
- Mr. WoodwellThe stern, kindly Baptist minister who loves Paula like a daughter and fears for her faith.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- 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.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
A Laodicean in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
A Laodicean
by Thomas Hardy · 1881
An architect sketching old churches watches a rich young woman refuse baptism, then finds her castle.
Medium level5–10 hours to read2 languages
Learn a language with medium classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
What would you do if, on a quiet August evening, you peered through a chapel window and watched a young woman in a white robe refuse to step into a tank of water? That is how George Somerset, a young architect wandering the west of England with a measuring tape, first sees Paula Power.
A Laodicean at a glance
- Reading time
- About 9 h 5 min7 h 10 min fast, 10 h 45 min slow
- Length
- 129,200 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1881by Thomas Hardy
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A refused baptism starts the whole story
The novel opens on an August evening. George Somerset, son of a well-known painter, is measuring a carved church doorway in a western village. He has spent years drifting between styles and careers, and this tour of old Gothic buildings is meant to settle his path.
As dusk comes on, he follows an old hymn tune to a new red-brick Baptist chapel, built at the expense of John Power. Somerset climbs up beside the stovepipe and looks through a window. A tall young woman in a long white robe walks to the edge of the tank and stops. The minister reminds her of her dead father's wish, but she says she cannot do it.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1881
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 10 h 10 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Hardy, Thomas. A Laodicean. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-laodicean.
Hardy, T. (2026). A Laodicean. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-laodicean (Original work published 1881)
Hardy, Thomas. A Laodicean. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-laodicean.
@book{hardy2026laodicean,
author = {Hardy, Thomas},
title = {A Laodicean},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/a-laodicean},
note = {First published 1881}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about A Laodicean
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is A Laodicean about?
It follows George Somerset, a young architect hired by the rich Paula Power to restore her medieval castle. As they fall in love, a rival architect, a soldier of the old family and a schemer try to shape her choice.
What does the title A Laodicean mean?
A Laodicean is a person who is lukewarm in faith or feeling. The word comes from a sermon preached at Paula in the book, taken from the letter to the church at Laodicea in Revelation.
Who is Paula Power?
She is the young heiress of a railway contractor, living in Stancy Castle. She has a Baptist upbringing, an interest in science and a growing taste for the old De Stancy past, and she guards her feelings carefully.
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
See all their booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
