Finished: The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (Fielding) This was a very good book with ANOTHER happy ending!! What's going on with my British Lit here?? :-) At over 800 pages, the author did get a bit preachy and wordy in his descriptions at times....especially including a message to readers, critics, etc. taking up the first chapter of each of the books within the book. That was completely unnecessary to me. I don't like it when authors break that dimensional plane...is that what it's called? Anyway, the story itself was compelling and kept me interested. Tom Jones, the hero of the story, was not all like what I imagined Tom Jones to be. I for some reason always thought Tom Jones was a womanizing scoundrel, but he wasn't at all that. He was a very young man who had a couple of dalliances that got him into some trouble but then he fell in love with Sophia Western, the heroine of the story, and his heart was true to her from that moment on! The problem was...Sophia was from a well-to-do family and Tom was a bastard child who had simply been raised by a well-to-do man, Mr. Allworthy. Yes, he was just like his name sounds...a very compassionate, worthy man. Taking in what he thought to be a town girl's illegitimate child when she abandoned it, he raised Tom like his own son, giving him all the benefits of a gentleman's upbringing. And, when Mr. Allworthy's sister married and had her own son, always only known by his last name, Blifil, the boys were raised together. Of course, the story being predictable, Blifil was really the scoundrel, and pretty hateful behind Tom's back, while Tom grew up with the most honorable and appreciative of inner beings. So, when Tom and Sohpia fall in love, neither can even acknowledge it because his history of being a bastard with no fortune of his own to his name is well known ,and a lady cannot marry beneath her in that day and age. All manner of things occur to keep them apart, mainly Mr. Western trying to marry Sophia off to Blifil, which prompts her to run away to London. Both Tom and Sophia go through many trials and tribulations, but always maintain their love for each other. And, in the end, it is discovered that it was really Mr. Allworthy's sister who secretly gave birth to Tom before she was married, and before she could tell anyone, she passed away. Of course, she had left an explanatory letter with a lawyer who had handed the letter to Blifil (then a young man), who, in one of his more dastardly deeds, never showed his uncle and never let Tom know that he was, in fact, his own half brother. Anyway, it all comes out in the end and Sophia is free to marry Tom. All the good people are happy in the end, and all the not good people meet less than happy fates, but not fatal fates, lol. Yay!