Penguin Classics Ivanhoe [Paperback]

I turned onto Ivanhoe because I had heard that this story influenced Dumas when he wrote the Three Musketeer saga and I am really glad that I gave it a chance. The story of Ivanhoe is about the return of the Wilfred of Ivanhoe and King Richard from the Crusades. Wilfred is the disinherited son of Cedric of Rotherwood, aka Cedric the Saxon. Cedric dreams of restoring the Saxon monarchy and has been trying to facilitate a union between his ward, Rowena and Athelstane, whose pure bloodline would give credit to a claim for rule. A strong affection between Rowena and his son Wilfred (henceforth called Ivanhoe) has caused him to exile his son - his sacrifice to promote the Saxon cause. The disinherited Ivanhoe went to serve with Richard the Lion Heart in the Crusades. While Richard and Ivanhoe have been gone, Richard's brother, Prince John, has been gathering friends and making schemes for wresting control from Richard before he could get back and squelch his efforts. The conflict between the Normans and Saxons and the absence of King Richard (Lion Heart) has created the perfect conditions for a rebellion of the Saxons and/or a coup by John - both of which seem almost imminent.

The twists and turns are great. When Richard and Ivanhoe return incognito and fight in a tournament, besting all of the strongest, the wheels start turning that will see damsels abducted, the storming and sacking of a castle with the aid of Robin Hood and his Merry Men, a witch trial and more swordplay. Great, great, great. It's no wonder that this work is still being read almost two hundred years later and influenced what I consider to be one of the best adventure stories ever - the Three Musketeers. If you like Dumas, you will more than likely like this even though it is not as involved or long as a Dumas novel.

The character who was for me, the most interesting, was the beautiful 'black eyed' Jewish beauty, Rebecca, the daughter of the merchant Isaac of York. Compassionate and yet fiery, humble yet proud, sensual and yet modest, it is not hard to understand the passion for her felt by the Knight Templar, Brian De-Bois Gilbert. She and her father must try to survive in a violently anti-Semitic society, in which they are rendered defenseless, as members of a humbled nation. Rebecca, faced with a horrific fate, refuses to renounce her faith, right until the end. In a sense she represents the Jewish Nation, or the Nation of Israel, right through the exile (Galut), and also today as the international community unjustly pillories the Jewish State, and plots her destruction.

Rebecca thus says during her trial by the order of Knights Templars: " ' To invoke your pity' said the lovely Jewess, with a voice tremulous with emotion 'would I am be aware, , be as useless as I should hold it mean...Nor will I even vindicate myself at the expense of the oppressor which seem to convert the tyrant into the victim."

So you see how timeless words of wisdom can be.

Also thrown into the book are Robin Hood and his Merry Men, and the witty Jester Wamba . A quotable quote from Wamba from Wamba is " To restrain them by their sense of humanity is the same as to stop a runaway horse with a bridle of silk thread.

The book is a pleasure to read. As Herbert Strang wrote in an early 20th century edition of Ivanhoe: "In introducing this great story to a new generation of boys and girls, I find myself wishing that I too, where about to read Ivanhoe for the first time"

After having read Ivanhoe , I can understand exactly why he wrote that.

It is still one of those classics that you can read and read again. It is easier than other Scott novels, but I think is deeper. Because here Scott is completely focussed on the story. It is out of Scotland and perhaps this is the reason.
But why is still one of my favourites? Brian de Bois Gilbert. I konw he is the bad guy. But what a bad guy! The confrontation between He and Rebecca is one of those that you never forget. Both are pasionate, and strong. Of course is , by far , more interesting than the story between Rowena and Ivanhoe.
Maybe if the story had been written now the love story will be between Rebecca and Bois Gilbert.
But apart from that I suggest you to read again this book or try it if you never did. It is still full of adventures and romance. A classic.