{"product_id":"2026200012867-secondhand-a-laodicean-a-story-of-to-day","title":"A Laodicean: A Story Of To-Day","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: Very good\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the restless, modernising England of the Victorian era, Thomas Hardy's A Laodicean: A Story of To-Day presents a compelling portrait of a woman caught between the pull of ancient tradition and the relentless march of progress. Paula Power, a wealthy heiress who has inherited a medieval castle, captivates the young architect George Somerset, drawing him into a world of architectural beauty, social ambition, and romantic indecision — for Paula is a Laodicean in the truest sense: a soul of lukewarm convictions, unable to fully commit to faith, love, or the future. Hardy chronicles their entangled relationship against a backdrop of crumbling battlements and telegraph wires, weaving together the old and the new with characteristic irony and warmth.\n\nBeneath its romantic surface, the novel argues with quiet force that the modern age demands a reckoning with identity and belief — and that indecision itself can be a form of tragedy. Hardy's prose, always attentive to the landscapes and social pressures that shape his characters, illustrates here a Victorian society in transition, uncertain of its own values. Though often overshadowed by his weightier masterpieces, A Laodicean rewards the patient reader with sharp observations on class, ambition, and the architecture of the human heart — leaving one to wonder whether Paula will ever find the conviction to choose her own destiny.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49203279200475,"sku":"2026200012867-SECONDHAND","price":25.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/0d9a9cef-03bb-4dac-b316-ef47c3647457.png?v=1788147377","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026200012867-secondhand-a-laodicean-a-story-of-to-day","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}