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Title: Rob Roy (Oxford World's Classics) by Walter, Sir Scott, Ian Duncan ISBN: 0-19-281763-9 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: September, 1998 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $8.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.2 (20 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Another worthwhile historical classic
Comment: This was my first exposure to Sir Walter Scott and his concept of a historical novel. While it was enjoyable, it would have been easier to appreciate if I had read Ivanhoe first. Rob Roy is a difficult book to read and it does require some patience. The Scottish language and customs can be difficult to get through and it does start a bit slow. If you have already read Ivanhoe, this will be a bit more challenging, but definitely worthwhile. Once you get into it and the action picks up a bit and the characters have all been established, it flows much more quickly. Scott's work seems to have a pattern of establishing the characters and setting first and extensively before getting into the flow of the plot. I think this makes his books slow to get into but ultimately fun to finish.
Rating: 5
Summary: 19th century historical fiction at it's best...........
Comment: Robert Louis Stevenson called "Rob Roy" Sir Walter Scott's finest achievement. I do not disagree. Set shortly after the unification of 1707, Scott tells the tale of the protestant Francis Osbaldistone as he bids adieu to his father's London commercial interests and enters, as an exile, the baronial home of his papist relations in the north. His cousin Rashleigh assumes the commercial role intended for Frank and uses his newfound access to stir loyalist feelings in the Scottish Highlands by ruining the far-flung credit of the Osbaldistone business. Frank, upon uncovering the conspiracy, sets forth to Glasgow with the mercurial gardner, Andrew Fairservice, as his guide to right the wrongs of the scheming Rashleigh. Ever dependent on the outlaw, Rob Roy MacGregor, to intervene in his behalf, Francis Osbaldistone leaps from one adventurous situation to another in his fight to clear his family name. Along the way, Frank meets and falls in love with the outspoken and beautiful Diana Vernon who aids him in his plight. Though a fair portion of this book is related in the Scottish vernacular, there is a glossary in the back of this edition that will easily point the way. Even so, the reader will confidently understand the vernacular when one-third through the book. This is a classic that can be enjoyed by anyone, particularly those interested in period and place.
Rating: 4
Summary: Quaint Story of a Bohemian and his Guardian Angel
Comment: Francis Osbaldistone forgoes a position in his father's firm to pursue an existence closer to his own ideals, travel and adventure. In order to even maintain a sufficent income from his father, however, he is sent on an errand to visit relatives in Northern England, and there to locate a replacement for himself in his father's firm from amongst his cousins. Due to a mishap on the road there, however, Francis is cast into a difficult legal situation and quickly learns that there are political and passionate motives behind his being unjustly accused.
This book really reads almost as if it it two different novels. The first half of the book concerns the time that Francis spends at Osbaldistone hall, where he learns that there are undisclosed secrets, some of which implicate him without his knowledge. It is also here that he falls head over heels in love with an unattainable woman. The tension that these scenes create is palpable and enjoyable. Scott is wonderful with English dialogue and his description of the English countryside, its inhabitants, and the activities that consume their day to day existence.
Somewhere along the way, however, the book shifts gears rather dramatically, merely echoing its previous sentimentality and thought. The book becomes more active and more of a travel narrative in Scotland, where a good deal of lawlessness occurs in the hills. Here you'll find the title elusive title character embroiled in his own local political intrigues while also endeavoring to support Francis in his own quest.
Scottish dialect, while faithfully recorded, makes the reading difficult, and at some times arduous. I did find, though, that if you read these phonetically, that you quickly attain the language necessary to follow along. Take the time up front to figure out the Scottish translations and you'll be better suited when it becomes a large part of the latter half of the book.
All in all, I found this to be quite an enjoyable read, although not on the same level as "Ivanhoe," which I think is superior in just about every way. If you've already read "Ivanhoe," and enjoyed it, you will probably like this book as well. I could have potentially given this book 5 stars if I felt that if the protagonist did not have to shift gears so suddenly.
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Title: Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott ISBN: 0812565657 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 15 September, 2000 List Price(USD): $3.99 |
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Title: Waverley by Walter Scott, Andrew Hook ISBN: 0140430717 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: February, 1981 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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Title: The Bride of Lammermoor (Oxford World's Classics) by Sir Walter Scott, Fiona Robertson ISBN: 0192835440 Publisher: Oxford Press Pub. Date: August, 1998 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
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Title: The Heart of Mid-Lothian (Penguin Classics) by Walter, Sir Scott, Tony Inglis ISBN: 0140431292 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: December, 1994 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: From Montrose to Culloden: Bonnie Prince Charlie & Scotland's Romantic Age (Tales of a Scottish Grandfather Series) by Walter, Sir Scott, George Grant ISBN: 1581821476 Publisher: Cumberland House Pub. Date: June, 2001 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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