Not Hardy's Wessex Tales book in it's current form, but rather a selection of stories chosen by the BBC for the greatest dramatic value on screen as well as providing the best variety on terms of storyline. However, they are still one hundred percent Hardy's own works as well as being a television tie-in.

"The Withered Arm"
Supernatural ghost story, more chilling than horror; and more tragedy than scary.
As you reach the second or third chapter from the end you may, as I did, begin to suspect the outcome; but, this in no way detracts from the experience of reading the spine chilling ending to this prophetic tale of how a jealousy for another woman builds up into so negative a supernatural energy that it inevitably and tragically backfires on the unfortunate malfaisante, destroying the lives of all who are touched in the proccess.
A supernatural tragedy, beautifully written.

"Fellow-Townsmen"
This is the longest of the short stories in this compilation, but the enjoyment of reading Hardy is in the journey and not necessarily reaching the final destination in the best time. And to be fair, in the last few pages the ending may have gone either way; although knowing Hardy, it was always destined to take the most tragic turn possible.
To sum this one up, it is a story of one man's hesitation to choose the woman his heart desires and the tragic consequences which affect those around him as a result. But, there are undertows of Gothic horror in this tale like the first. The town surgeon Charlson, a man who holds life and death in the balance if not the Devil himself may at least be seen to be doing his work for a bag of gold loaned to him. Barnet learns how this was repaid towards the end of his life; and how fate repaid his good morals in that situation are the subject of this tale.
There is no final redemption; but, there is through a sense of hope that things may eventually sort themselves out even though you know full well they probably will not. ( )

This is not the most uplifting book by Hardy. There are six stories and each one of them deals with disfigurement and/or death. As in most Hardy stories the course of love never runs smoothly. That being said I'm not sorry that I read this book. For one thing it gave me an appreciation of Hardy as a short story writer whereas before I have only read his full-length fiction.

It's hard to pick a favourite story from this melancholy collection but I think the story called "Fellow-Townsmen" will be the one I will remember longest. A well-off man regrets his marriage to a woman of equal social standing and wishes he had married the impoverished daughter of a military man. When his wife is almost drowned in a boating accident he was told by the physician who attended her (who knew how unhappy the marriage was) that his wife had not survived. The man, however, thought there was a spark of life and had her revived. This incident did not improve his wife's temper and soon after she left him. In the same accident that almost killed his wife the wife of a young solicitor was killed. Thinking to do the solicitor and his youthful love a favour he suggests that the solicitor hire her as a governess to her children. One morning he receives two letters. The first is from an acquaintance of his wife who informs the husband the wife has died. Thinking that he is now free to marry his first love he opens the second letter to read that she and the solicitor are to be married that very day. There's more to this story but it doesn't include a pounding at the church door a la The Graduate although I almost expected that. ( )