Thomas Hardy's fourth novel, Far from the Madding Crowd (1874), is widely regarded as his first popular work. Bathsheba Everdene, an independent and vibrant woman, has come to Weatherbury to take up a position as a farmer on the largest estate in the region. Her fearless presence attracts three distinct suitors: gentleman-farmer Boldwood, soldier Sergeant Troy, and dedicated shepherd Gabriel Oak. Each, in different ways, unsettles her decisions and messes up her life, and tragedy happens, frightening the stability of the whole community. The first of his books set in the fictional area of Wessex, Hardy's book of sudden and slow romance is filled with his haunting descriptions of rural life and scenes, and with firm honesty about sexual relationships.