Ivanhoe, Sir Walter Scott
Ivanhoe, Sir Walter Scott
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Ivanhoe

Author: Sir Walter Scott

Narrator: Brian Cox

Abridged: 3 hr 7 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 06/15/2005

Synopsis

Set in the 12th century, during the reign of Richard the Lionheart, Ivanhoe tells of the love of Wilfred of Ivanhoe for the Lady Rowena, his father Cedric’s ward. Cedric intends Rowena for the oafish Athelstane, and banishes his son. 'The love of battle is the food upon which we live – the dust of the mêlée is the breath of our nostrils! We live not – we wish not to live – longer than while we are victorious and renowned. Such … are the laws of chivalry to which we are sworn, and to which we offer all that we hold dear.' Set in the twelfth century, during the reign of Richard the Lionheart, Ivanhoe tells of the love of Wilfred of Ivanhoe for the Lady Rowena, his father Cedric's ward. Cedric, who is dedicated to the liberation of the Saxon people from Norman oppression and to the revival of the Saxon royal line, intends Rowena – a descendant of King Alfred – for the oafish Athelstane, and he banishes his son. Ivanhoe joins King Richard on his crusade in the Holy Land, and eventually the two men return secretly to England – Ivanhoe to regain his inheritance and the hand of Rowena, Richard to secured his kingdom from his scheming brother John who has ruled in Richard's absence. With a gallery of memorable characters, high and low, Ivanhoe is a powerful and exciting evocation of a medieval world of jousting, baronial rivalry, siege warfare and trial by combat, and makes no attempt to gloss over the violence and brutality that lay behind the chivalric ideals.

About Sir Walter Scott

Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) was a poet, a playwright, and one of the greatest historical novelists who ever lived. Writing mostly about his native Scotland, Scott wrote a total of twenty-seven historical novels, the best known of which are Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, The Lady of the Lake, Waverly, The Heart of Midlothian, and The Bride of Lammermoor.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Bill on September 16, 2019

I believe Ivanhoe just misses being a great novel for two reasons. First of all, its characters, although not without subtlety, lack depth. (The exception to the rule is the “Jewess” Rebecca). Secondly, Scott’s style—at least as demonstrated here—suffers from a wordiness that continually dissipates......more

Goodreads review by Mike (the Paladin) on November 18, 2015

I love(d) this book and was torn between 4 and 5 stars. Can we call it 4.5? Heck, let's just say 5! I read it first long ago and it holds up well over the years (its and yours). A classic for a reason. You'll find synopsis after synopsis here and elsewhere. But if you like adventure, heroism, romance......more

Goodreads review by Charles on August 23, 2022

One of my favorite novels in junior high. This began a life long affection for the work of Sir Walter Scott, even those whose language was difficult to read. I found the rewards to be worth the effort. Here is a very good quote from the Goodreads description of the book: "The gripping narrative is s......more

Goodreads review by Melindam on November 10, 2024

Narration by David Rintoul: 5 stars Story by Walter Scott: 3 stars-ish Had so many conflicting feelings while re-reading this book after more than 30 years. And even after considering this carefully, I am still confused and would really like to be able to pick Scott's mind while he was writing this. A......more

Goodreads review by Werner on December 08, 2021

Note, March 17, 2014: I posted this review some time ago, but just finished tweaking the language in one sentence to clarify a thought. Obviously, this novel won't be every reader's cup of tea: the author's 19th-century diction will be too much of a hurdle for some, those who define novels of action......more

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