Some weeks back I asked a large group of authors what classic stories had affected their writing. One of the responses included a hearty recommendation for the Thomas Hardy classic, The Mayor of Casterbridge. (Hardy is best known for Tess of the D’Urbervilles and Far from the Madding Crowd.) I confess I'd never heard of it!

I found the title on Netflix, and last night we watched the three-hour 2001 movie version (though I understand the 1978 BBC version is excellent). It’s about a mayor who struggles to hold onto his respectable life after his wife and daughter, whom he sold decades earlier, show up in town.

Hardy was a master at creating complex characters. Viewers/readers want to despise a protagonist who would sell his family, whose drunken rages destroy lives, who nurses petty injuries to his pride, and who constantly lies when truth-telling could bring great healing to others. Yet still we love him with his "original sin" and "original glory" all wrapped up into one character. My hubby and I agreed that the flick was worth the three hours we spent, and I'm not a big fan of long movies.