Ivanhoe (Penguin Classics)

This is an adaptation of the original story; the dialog is probably much more in tune with how they spoke in period but it makes for some disjointed reading. Still, it is a good swashbuckling epic from which a number of decent film adaptations have been made. If you like medieval epics, you can't go wrong with this one.

Far more satirical than I expected. Scott was obviously unaware that Richard I had exiled Jews on his coronation day, but his compassionate portrayal of the disgusting practice of prejudice was appreciated. I enjoyed it a lot.

This the first,the classic, novelized medieval Romance. Written the same year as Queen Victoria's birth, it gave us much of our modern conception of medieval tournaments, King John, Robin Hood, Richard Coeur de Lion, etc. (I realize I stretch things a bit by calling Sir Walter Scott "modern," but I speak only by comparison with medieval ballads, King Arthur, Robin Hood legends, etc.)

If you've ever thought "ok, that was cool" as Robin Hood split an arrow with another arrow at the Great Archery Tournament, or wondered where the idea of Robin Hood as the defender of Saxon yeomanry against the Villainous John of Anjou, Regent for the absent Richard, got its start -- it started here.

The book isn't all about Robin Hood, though; mostly, it's about Knights and Tournaments and foul Norman oppressors. There's a tournament, a trial by combat, a castle seige, a little bit of anti-racist message (in the person of a beautiful and noble-in-spirit Jewish beauty unjustly maligned and accused of witchcraft), multiple anonymous knights (including a Black Knight!), and in short all the important highlights of medieval ballads, conveniently arranged in the format of a historical novel.

Scott's historiography is a little off (for example, at one point a character pretends to be a Franciscan monk, when the order wasn't founded until about twenty years after the novel's action takes place), but Scott does make a real effort to avoid most anachronisms (moreso than many writers of "historical novels"). This kindle edition also includes Scott's introduction and notes, which show that he put real effort into basing many of the events in his book on excerpts from period ballads and tales (rearranging them, of course, as per his authorial prerogative).

This one's a classic for a reason. Entertaining, archetypal, and with massive influence on everything since, from Howard Pyle to Errol Flynn to video games like "Defender of the Crown." The prose style might be a little offputting to more sensitive modern readers -- it was, after all, written the same year that Queen Victoria was born, and is a little dry in some places and a little overblown in others -- but if you can get past that, you'll find a classic. Enjoy.

[If the reader wishes more in this vein, I'd point him, as mentioned above, to Howard Pyle's _The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood_, also available for free online; make sure to find the version with Pyle's original illustrations].

You can tell excellence when you read something like this. Plus I enjoy historical fiction. I felt like I was battling with the knghts. I could feel the supressed pride of the conquered English Saxons. If you have not already read this novel, please consider it. Can't believe it took me this long to find it.

This edition does not have an active TOC or hyperlinks. This is a long book, so you don't want to lose your place in it as it is hard to navigate back to where you were. The text is well formatted and easy to read. It is text-to-speech enabled. There is an introductory essay by the author.

The 3 stars is for the novel itself. Ivanhoe is long-winded by modern standards; but if you give the story a chance, you may find it entertaining and gripping.

Overall, I liked this classical tale, which included knights, damsels in distress, chivalry, and adventure! There were a few surprise characters in the story that I never realized were part of Ivanhoe. You'll have to read the book to figure out who I'm talking about, but you'll immediately recognize them.

I will admit the book was a little hard to read at times as the author would go into elaborate descriptions of what people were wearing, and there were a lot of old English words and Latin phrases that I didn't know.

I first became familiar with "Ivanhoe" not through Sir Walter Scott's classic work, but from watching the 1982 film version starring Anthony Andrews and Olivia Hussey. I was a young teen then and this was my first exposure to the story line which captivated me so much I not only devoured the source work, but also watched the 1952 version starring Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, and Joan Fontaine.

I've always wanted a beautiful edition of this book for my collection and since I've been collecting The Easton Press' leather-bound editions for some time now, I decided to get the press' 1971 edition of this title, which was published as part of The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written series. It is a collector's edition, bound in luxurious genuine leather, and contains illustrations by Edward A. Wilson. Typical of this series, the book contains moire endpapers, gilt edgings, raised spine, with beautiful cover art in gold accents. It is heirloom quality and will delight any collector of fine books.

This classic is a great nighttime read. I had read it in grammar school and picked up this copy as a non-demanding but entertaining read. It refreshes history lesson on the Battle of Hastings and King Richard the Lionhearted while showing the origins of Robin Hoods band.

An interesting read for me as Ivanhoe is often credited as the progenitor of the historical fiction genre, which I enjoy. I didn't love it, but was happy to have read it. Some of the issues I had were:

Some, but not all, parts of the story were a little tame. I think this might be because in our era we've become inured to violence which is much more graphic and widely accepted in books, TV, movies and video games.

I was glad to read this on my Kindle so I had instant access to a dictionary and Google. Many of the words I looked up were not found. I wasn't sure if this was because of the language during Scott's era or if he tried to use medieval language. My Googling ended up slowing down my reading as I became sidetracked learning about the Normans, Crusades, the Plantagents and many other interesting bits of research.

The anti-semetism and role of women was very thought provoking and quite a contrast from our current era.

I was unsure Scott's narrative method entirely worked for me:
Example 1: using a third party to describe action (Rebecca's retelling of the assault on the castle)

Example 2: slowing down the progress of the story to go back and fill in parts of prior events of some of the characters.

I didn't think the "Merry Men" were adequately identified and Richard the Lion Heart was too saintly.

On the plus side:
The Tournament and battle scenes were very well written and engaging.
The twisty resurrection was innovative.
It's quite a complex plot, and understandable in spite of the archaic language.

All in all, it deserves its place in classic literature, but perhaps not a "wow" for me.

This edition does not have an active TOC or hyperlinks. This is a long book, so you don't want to lose your place in it as it is hard to navigate back to where you were. The text is well formatted and easy to read. It is text-to-speech enabled. There is an introductory essay by the author.

The 3 stars is for the novel itself. Ivanhoe is long-winded by modern standards; but if you give the story a chance, you may find it entertaining and gripping.

Overall, I liked this classical tale, which included knights, damsels in distress, chivalry, and adventure! There were a few surprise characters in the story that I never realized were part of Ivanhoe. You'll have to read the book to figure out who I'm talking about, but you'll immediately recognize them.

I will admit the book was a little hard to read at times as the author would go into elaborate descriptions of what people were wearing, and there were a lot of old English words and Latin phrases that I didn't know.

I first became familiar with "Ivanhoe" not through Sir Walter Scott's classic work, but from watching the 1982 film version starring Anthony Andrews and Olivia Hussey. I was a young teen then and this was my first exposure to the story line which captivated me so much I not only devoured the source work, but also watched the 1952 version starring Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, and Joan Fontaine.

I've always wanted a beautiful edition of this book for my collection and since I've been collecting The Easton Press' leather-bound editions for some time now, I decided to get the press' 1971 edition of this title, which was published as part of The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written series. It is a collector's edition, bound in luxurious genuine leather, and contains illustrations by Edward A. Wilson. Typical of this series, the book contains moire endpapers, gilt edgings, raised spine, with beautiful cover art in gold accents. It is heirloom quality and will delight any collector of fine books.

This classic is a great nighttime read. I had read it in grammar school and picked up this copy as a non-demanding but entertaining read. It refreshes history lesson on the Battle of Hastings and King Richard the Lionhearted while showing the origins of Robin Hoods band.

An interesting read for me as Ivanhoe is often credited as the progenitor of the historical fiction genre, which I enjoy. I didn't love it, but was happy to have read it. Some of the issues I had were:

Some, but not all, parts of the story were a little tame. I think this might be because in our era we've become inured to violence which is much more graphic and widely accepted in books, TV, movies and video games.

I was glad to read this on my Kindle so I had instant access to a dictionary and Google. Many of the words I looked up were not found. I wasn't sure if this was because of the language during Scott's era or if he tried to use medieval language. My Googling ended up slowing down my reading as I became sidetracked learning about the Normans, Crusades, the Plantagents and many other interesting bits of research.

The anti-semetism and role of women was very thought provoking and quite a contrast from our current era.

I was unsure Scott's narrative method entirely worked for me:
Example 1: using a third party to describe action (Rebecca's retelling of the assault on the castle)

Example 2: slowing down the progress of the story to go back and fill in parts of prior events of some of the characters.

I didn't think the "Merry Men" were adequately identified and Richard the Lion Heart was too saintly.

On the plus side:
The Tournament and battle scenes were very well written and engaging.
The twisty resurrection was innovative.
It's quite a complex plot, and understandable in spite of the archaic language.

All in all, it deserves its place in classic literature, but perhaps not a "wow" for me.

An informative romantic historical fiction. Don't be deceived by the title though as the Ivanhoe character is less prominent than the others. It was a little slow at first but by the 3rd chapter I was engrossed. It takes place after the Norman conquest in England. And includes prince John and king Richard among its characters. I admit to being surprised by the level of anti-Semitic dealings throughout, however during the Middle ages this was an accurate sentiment. Overall a classic.

They don't write like this anymore. A ripping yarn set in late 12th century England with guest appearances by Richard the Lionheart, Robin Hood, Friar Tuck and the nasty Prince John, There are castles, jousts, cruel knights and noble ones, as well as a focus on the lingering conflicts between the conquered native Saxons and the conquering Norman French. Two contrasting heroines, one a Saxon princess, the other a beautiful learned Jewish woman. Stick with it, you'll enjoy it.

Very entertaining story. It would probably be more fascinating for someone who is particularly interested in European/English history, especially the ethnic prejudices between the Normans and Saxons and their common hatred and financial dependence on the Jews.

The book was in bad shape and most importantly it was not the black leather cover which was advertised. It was some tacky 1970's reprint and it made for a significantly less charitable gift than I had intended it to be.

An absolute classic! If you like Ivanhoe you should also read Castle Dangerous by Scott. A somewhat similar plot and setting. Also recommend The Antiquarian and Scott's first and one of his best novels Waverly.

I have read this book many, many, many times since I first picked it up in my hometown library! I absolutely love this book and the movie that was made from it, is also a favorite of mine! I urge all, who likes to read a good clean story, to read this book!

Ivanhoe is a classic. The writing might seem slightly stilted to a reader only used to very recent writing. However, it is a masterpiece and a great story. Knights and Templars, Robin Hood, sieges, kidnappings, jousting--all kinds of great stuff. Read it. It's free.

I suppose that I was expecting something a little different after seeing the original movie with Robert & Elizabeth Taylor.
Medieval England came to life and it gave me a much better perspective of the conflict of the early Saxons with their Norman conquerors. Sir Walter Scott obviously did his historical research and did not engage in overmuch fantasy.
An enthtalling read!

Even though this book was written nearly 300 years ago (wow) it still has a LOT to teach us about human nature today. The themes are classic: racial prejudice and hatred (Normans vs. Saxons vs. Jews), chivalry, religious fanatacism (the Templars), parental judgmentalism, and unrequieted love.

I was recently drawn to this again for what I believe is still taking place: anti-semitism. We may not call a Jew a "dog" or "accursed" as the book does - we probably call them something worse today, as our vocabulary has changed.

And yet, it is a Jew and a Saxon man and a Saxon woman who show kindness and godly attributes - not the Knights Templar, not the Normans, not the Saxon lord(s). They reach across racial barriers. If they hadn't, we wouldn't have a wonderfully rich dated story that is timeless in its themes.

Anti-semitism seems to be on the rise again today - even from certain Christian denominations. We have a muslim country calling to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. And yet, it is a Jew, and only the Jew, who helped the Christian when he was wounded - and no other stepped forward to help...not even his own father.

I purchased this book as a reference and a reminder that prejudice and hatred need to be overcome. I recommend it to anyone. Oh - and I had an aunt named Rowena. My grandmother chose her name well.

An exciting and interesting novel of the Middle Ages. It gives a very good incite into the life and times of the aristocracy and their attitudes in feudal times. What a contrast to the life styles and politics of today.
Strongly recommended.

Asking someone to rate "Ivanhoe", the masterpiece that has stood the test of time, is, not to put too fine a point on it,the work of an individual whose innermost recesses of his mind have still to be illuminated--

Sir Walter Scott unfolds the fantastic characters, the history, the conflict between the Normans, Saxons, and Jews, the romance in such depth and language. Now I have some time truly to enjoy, I really like it.

A great cast of characters, all lovingly crafted and memorable. The book is filled with drama, adventure and humor not taking itself too seriously while set in one of the most interesting times of England (the time leading up to Hastings being the most interesting - ahem, did you hear that Bernard Cornwell?). Sadly, there are not many books like this out there.

There are a lot of disguises used which might be overdone. And the penguin version does not have the notes on the corresponding page but in the back of the book. There is a free version on google books with the notes on each page which is more convenient and the author's side comments were actually very interesting at times. Don't sell yourself short, go ahead and read this.