{"product_id":"hard-times-by-charles-dickens-9780141439679","title":"Hard Times","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHard Times\u003c\/em\u003e is set in the industrial town of Coketown, where life revolves around hard facts and rigid philosophies. The town is dominated by Mr. Thomas Gradgrind, a school headmaster and embodiment of Utilitarian principles, who feeds both his pupils and family with facts while banning fancy and wonder from young minds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs a consequence of this education, his obedient daughter Louisa marries the loveless businessman and \"bully of humanity\" Mr. Bounderby, while his son Tom rebels, becoming embroiled in gambling and robbery. Their lives intertwine with free-spirited circus girl Sissy Jupe and victimised weaver Stephen Blackpool, bringing to light the stark contrast between heartless industry and human compassion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThrough these characters' crossed fortunes, Gradgrind is ultimately forced to acknowledge the value of the human heart in an age dominated by materialism and machinery, revealing the limitations of a fact-based world view.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46494922014956,"sku":"9780141439679","price":19.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9198773482238.jpg?v=1748465280","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/products\/hard-times-by-charles-dickens-9780141439679","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}