The Return of the Native

The Return of the Native (1878) returns readers to the fictional Edgon Heath, a quiet village on the English countryside, where a taboo tale of thwarted desire pits societal norms against humanity’s natural appetites.Through a cast of tragic characters, Hardy constructs a web of deceit and heartbreak in the quiet village of Edgon Heath, its denizens shackled by their conflicting desires for romance and status. Eustacia Vye takes center stage, her agency and flawed ideals propelling the plot along towards its deadly conclusion. To undercut these notably modern themes and characters, the novel also retains an air of classical tragedy. The more each character struggles against their fate, the more they are ensnared by the tendrils of time, place, and action. Those who wish to leave the quiet village to live a lavish life find themselves trapped, while those who wish only to live by their good works find a tumultuous world that refuses to accept them. It is a cautionary tale, a clear warning that when ephemeral societal norms trump humanity’s fundamental drive towards passion and love, only grief will follow.Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book. With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.