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31st out of 135 books
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Kenilworth
"No historian's Queen Elizabeth was ever so perfectly a woman as the fictitious Elizabeth of Kenilworth, " wrote Thomas Hardy. Scott's magnificent novel recreates the drama and the strange mixture of assurance and profound unease of the age of Elizabeth through the story of Amy Robsart. A woman of great beauty and integrity, Amy is married to the Earl of Leiceste...more
Paperback, 528 pages
Published
September 1st 1999
by Penguin Books
(first published 1821)
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I’m sorry to say that I hated this a little bit. I had such hopes for Walter Scott, and I find myself in a pickle because I’m determined to finish my three-novel omnibus regardless of my impression of this first attempt. With any luck Ivanhoe and Quentin Durward will be better, but I just don’t know how hopeful I am. What really gets me is that I thought the plot had such promise; it’s the story of Amy Robsart, the secret wife of Queen Elizabeth’s famous favorite, the Earl of Leicester. I li...more
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I picked this up on a recent visit to Kenilworth Castle and I had high hopes for it as it features one of my favourite historical figures in Robert Dudley. I can't say exactly why but it just didn't do it for me. The plot revolves around Elizabeth I's progress in 1575 where she was entertained at Kenilworth Castle by Robert Dudley in what was considered a last ditch attempt at romantic courtship. In Scott's novel the subplot is the concealment of Dudley's marriage to Amy Robsart, the eventual un...more
This romantic story revolves around a damsel in distress, her husband Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, and his evil genius, and the Virgin Queen of England, Elizabeth. From the beginning this damsel is in a difficult situation. She has married, but her husband is keeping the marriage a secret while he attempts to win Elizabeth. His evil genius reminds me of Rasputin who influenced Tsarina Alexandra or the character of Count Fosco in The Woman in White. At every turn Robert Dudley and Barney...more
As the book opens, Amy Robsart has left her family home and has secretly married Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Amy's father, Sir Hugh and the man her father intended her to marry, Edmund Tressilian, have no knowledge of Amy's whereabouts and suspect foul play at the hands of Dudley's sneaky master of the horse, Richard Varney, and Tressilian goes in search of Amy at an old manor house, Cumnor Place. As Elizabeth I's attraction to Dudley grows, so does Dudley's ambitions to reach for the star...more
My second or third try at Scott. Not sure why people love(d) him. This one is a not-very-historical historical novel that is about as depressing as they come. Read the first third (no mean feat) or so and then checked the end to see if anything good happened in there. Nope! Has anyone read something by Walter Scott that actually ended really happily and that they liked? Why are the women characters who the heroes are in love with such brainless beauties? No depth, no brains.
This was a very slow book to get in to, but I'm tolerant and once all of the background information was behind me I really enjoyed the story. The copy I read had notations of what was historical fact and fiction. I found it so interesting. I usually need happy endings, so I was surprised how much I liked this book.
Very pleasant. Easy read. Lovely to read about Elizabeth and Sir Walter Raleigh, etc. As always, a great story teller. Held my breath when I thought--are we about to see Queen Elizabeth? Now, that's a good story-teller--it felt like I was there myself.
The text is interesting because the time period is vastly different. The novel takes place in 1575. The arc of the story is rather hum-drum, but the reader is introduced to a few historic characters. Queen Elizabeth is a major character in the story. There is a cameo appearance from both Will Shakespeare and Walter Raleigh.
Kenilworth ha tutto ciò che mi piace di Scott: bella prosa, ricostruzione storica, personaggi ben delineati, dramma, intrigo, etc. Mancano però quei momenti più spiccatamente umoristici che in altre sue opere spezzano il dramma alleggerendo la narrazione (es. The Bride of Lammermoor è un altra "cronaca di una morte annunciata", ma scivola via molto molto meglio).
This book comes to life when Elizabeth appears on the pages; otherwise, it's a bit of a complicated yawn. But no one could make Elizabeth Tudor boring, I have found! Historical dates-wise, there are a few snags that I found hard to overlook. It's all worth it for Elizabeth's scathing speeches, though. They are marvelous.
Very well written historical fiction. After reading this I was spurred to do some research on the characters. Mr. Scott used "poetic license" to a degree, but still very interesting.
Beautiful old copy. Not sure of the year, but there's a note in the front that someone wrote in 1922...
Jocie
is currently reading it
I am worried this is not going to turn out well....!!!
Jen
marked it as to-read
This book was a gift from the fabulous babes I work with.
I enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful and a fun immersion in the Elizabethan court. Walter Scott writes a great historical novel.
An entertaining yet long novel by Scott regarding the death of Robert Dudley's wife, Amy Robsart. The plot is tightly woven but the author weighs the novel down by long prose scenes. This is a great novel though and an interesting perspective on another unsolved historical mystery.
This book reminded me a lot of Ivanhoe...at least in the style of writing. It had Queen Elizabeth I in it as well, always a plus. Finally, another good book by Scott.
Ah, the immortal Sir Walter. I loved this book. Not one of the "so Scottish you can hardly read it" of his books.
Don't remember a thing about it. But I own it, bound and gilded, so it must be guite something!
A novel by Sir Walter Scott about my town - and Queen Elizabeth too? Awesome!
Preparation for my trip to Scotland...
Oh so tragical, Othello-style.
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Sir Walter Scott was born on August 15, 1771 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Scott created and popularized historical novels in a series called the Waverley Novels. In his novels Scott arranged the plots and characters so the reader enters into the lives of both great ...more
More about Walter Scott...
Sir Walter Scott was born on August 15, 1771 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Scott created and popularized historical novels in a series called the Waverley Novels. In his novels Scott arranged the plots and characters so the reader enters into the lives of both great ...more
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“The schoolmaster is termed, classically, Ludi Magister, because he deprives boys of their play.”
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3 people liked it
“I pretend not to be a champion of that same naked virtue called truth, to the very outrance. I can consent that her charms be hidden with a veil, were it but for decency's sake.”
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1 person liked it
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