The Distracted Preacher

From the master of Victorian tragedy, the surprisingly comic adventures of a man caught between romance and religion. and When young Mr. Stockdale arrives in a small village to fill in for the Methodist minister, he finds himself pining for his comely new landlady. But she leads a mysterious life, keeping odd hours and speaking in hushed tones. As his love for her grows, heand's soon at the center of a hilarious high-stakes adventure, complete with slapstick, hijinks, and a marauding band of cross-dressers. And heand's forced to choose: follow his heart or his higher purpose?

Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) wrote stories, novellas, and novels. His work exposed the injustices of Victorian society. However, following the widespread outrage in reaction to his novel Jude
the Obscure, Hardy abandoned fiction altogether and spent his last years
writing poetry.