Ivanhoe: Amazon.ca: Walter, Sir Scott, Christopher Bradbury, Robin S. Wright: Books

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From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up--This is an excellent abridgment of the classic by Sir Walter Scott. The story line is very smooth and easy to follow. David Warner's reading is perfect. His British accent is easy to understand and adds to the telling of the story. Music added at the beginning and end of each side provides additional atmosphere. There is enough background information at the beginning of the presentation to allow listeners to follow the plot and the characters. This would be an excellent study tool when reading this work as a school assignment. The addition of a vocabulary list might help listeners with some of the unfamiliar words. The story has enough action and romance to make it a good listening experience for a wide range of ages, making it a valuable purchase for school and public libraries.?Pat Griffith, Schlow Memorial Library, State College, PA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The Modern Library is making a killing on TV/feature film tie-ins to classics. Like its recent incarnations of Gulliver's Travels and Emma, this offers a quality hardcover for little more than a paperback price.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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First Sentence
In that pleasant district of merry England which is watered by the river Don, there extended in ancient times a large forest, covering the greater part of the beautiful hills and valleys which lie between Sheffield and the pleasant town of Doncaster. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt

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Customer Reviews

44 Reviews

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (44 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Full of humour, a joy for language lovers, Jun 10 2011

By

VENTURINI VIVIANA (NAVE, BRESCIA Italy) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Ivanhoe (Paperback)

I particularly like the detailed descriptions of the characters, the use of ancient language - e.g. "Thou shalt have" - and the humour the book is full of. Very funny is the dialogue between Wamba and Gurth, when they talk about the words "swine" and "pork." "Why, how call you the those grunting brutes running about on their four legs?" (Swine, in Saxon) "... but how call you the sow when she is flayed, and drawn, and quartered, and hung up by the heels, like a traitor?" (Pork, in Norman-French). "And so, when the brute lives, and is in the charge of a Saxon slave, she goes by her Saxon name; but becomes a Norman, and is called pork, when she is carried to the Castle-hall to feast among the nobles."
I recommend this book, together with Robin Hood, both edited by Wordsworth.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Knights of Templer, May 6 2003

By

A. A Slezak "Incredulous Reader" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Ivanhoe (Paperback)

I enjoyed this adventure yarn on many levels.

I was glad to learn about the Knights of Templer and that they were crusaders. I always wondered how Sam Spade in the Maltese Falcon knew that and it is because of this classic.

I was surprised that it talked so much about Robin of Lockesley. The story of Ivanhoe seemed to be the same only told by Ivanhoe's friends and not Robin's.

I thought that the DeBracyn and the Knight of Templer Brian de Bois Guilbert were pretty evil guys which made the story interesting. They were weasels when they had their backs to the wall but did preform with honor when required like when Richard gets DeBracy.

I guess I did not understand the prejudice of the time because they treated the Jews like dirt and they were so sterotypical. I really thought that the Jewish girl Rebecca was going to end up with Ivanhoe instead of that Saxon Lady Roweana. I guess you have to appreciate the times that they lived in.

It was a different look the Richard/Prince John history.

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4.0 out of 5 stars A classic with a few problems, Jan 24 2002

By

Jae Brodsky - See all my reviews

This review is from: Penguin Classics Ivanhoe (Paperback)

Yes, Ivanhoe was one of the first great modern novels. Yes, Sir Walter Scott had a vivid imagination and wrote very well. And yes, I did enjoy reading it. But I just couldn't give it five stars.

The plot is enjoyable, and moves fairly quickly. Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe comes home to England after fighting in the Crusades. Because he's been disinherited, he adopts the moniker The Disinherited Knight. His main purpose is to find out what's happened to his true love, Rowena, in the time he's been gone. During his adventures he meets lots of supporting characters, including the money-lender Isaac of York and his daughter Rebecca, and the Templar knight Sir Brian de Bois-Gilbert. There's lots of fighting, and true love swearing, and healing, and cheating, and even Robin Hood and King Richard the Lion Hearted come into the story.

My main problem is really that of a twentieth-century perspective: Rowena and Ivanhoe are truly boring characters. They are paragons of men and women, both humble and brave, wise and pious, etcetera and etcetera. They have no personalities, and frankly, I find a good deal of their actions to be stupid. For instance, when Rowena is in a room which catches on fire, she doesn't try to escape, but prays to god to rescue her. To me, it makes more sense to be praying to god while trying to escape. Contrast this with Rebecca, who saves herself from Bois-Gilbert in order to stay true to the religion she believes in.

The other problems I have with Ivanhoe are really far more minor. Scott's twisting of history annoys me, and his use of antiquated English to give the book a more 'authentic' feel sometimes makes it hard to read. All in all, Ivanhoe is a decently good book, but not one that I would recommend to all of my friends.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Why not an unabridged edition?
Ciaran Hinds was the perfect narrator for this novel. I only wish they had chosen to record the unabridged edition.

Published on Jun 17 2001 by Manya

2.0 out of 5 stars Ivanhoe
I read this book, and I found that it is a tooooooo long book. I thought that the plot was only a secondary plot... It has too much descriptions, etc. Read more

Published on Dec 20 2000