Two on a Tower

When Lady Viviette Constantine meets Swithin St. Cleeve, a young man devoted to the study of astronomy, an unlikely romance begins on the heights of an old tower overlooking the English countryside. Separated by age, social position, and the expectations of Victorian society, Viviette and Swithin find themselves drawn together by their shared fascination with the heavens and by a love that challenges the boundaries imposed upon them. As Swithin pursues his ambition to become an astronomer and Viviette struggles against the demands of family, reputation, and convention, their relationship becomes increasingly complicated by forces beyond their control. First published in 1882, Thomas Hardy's Two on a Tower is a richly atmospheric Victorian romance that combines forbidden love, astronomy, social class, and Hardy's characteristic meditation on the uncertain relationship between human hopes and the vastness of the universe.