alaudacorax: At the moment, I think this is the finest of Hardy's novels - if you've read and liked any of the others I'm sure you'll like this. If you've been turned-off by the grimness of some of his others - Tess ..., for instance - you might well find this more palatable.… (mere)

Lapsus_Linguae: Both novels depict an attractive young woman who becomes an outcast because of society's sexual mores.

Johanna11: Both books write about people with expectations for their future, both are very well written at the end of the nineteenth century.

Heather39: Both books tell the story of a young, working class woman who enters into a relationship with a gentleman, eventually to her downfall.

edwinbcn: Written by a woman, "The Quarry Wood" explores the awakening sexuality and awareness of the young Martha. More outspoken than Thomas Hardy, but not yet as free as D.H. Lawrence.

lucyknows: Muriel's Wedding could be paired with Tess of the D'Urbervilles as well as several other novels, such as, My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and even with Shakespeare's play Much Ado About Nothing