Penny's review
Ivanhoe (Penguin Classics)
by Sir Walter Scott
Penny's review
Ivanhoe (Penguin Classics) by Sir Walter Scott
Penny's review
rating:
I read this for a college literature course, and I remember being one of the few people in the class who liked it. I remember my professor even admitted to not liking it very well.
I found it delightful, in the same way Robin Hood and King Arthur tales are delightful. You have to have an appreciation for the whimsical, though, and not take anything too seriously.
It's probably no coincidence that I liked this novel and I also still read YA fiction at my advanced age.
UPDATE: I just watched the A & E movie version, which refreshed my memory of the book a little. They made the ending of the movie a little happier than the book. They also made more of the romantic attraction between Ivanhoe and Rebecca. There was some of that in the book, but the two did a better job of resisting temptation in the book, which made them more likeable characters, although the movie characters may have been more realistic.
I found it delightful, in the same way Robin Hood and King Arthur tales are delightful. You have to have an appreciation for the whimsical, though, and not take anything too seriously.
It's probably no coincidence that I liked this novel and I also still read YA fiction at my advanced age.
UPDATE: I just watched the A & E movie version, which refreshed my memory of the book a little. They made the ending of the movie a little happier than the book. They also made more of the romantic attraction between Ivanhoe and Rebecca. There was some of that in the book, but the two did a better job of resisting temptation in the book, which made them more likeable characters, although the movie characters may have been more realistic.
