Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott (Book Review)

“We are like herbs which flourish most when trampled on…”

In 12th-century England, in the rule of the absent King Richard, Prince John is allowed to take the throne. We follow the story of Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe, a Saxon knight who faces challenges related to love, loyalty, and conflict between Saxons and Normans, as well as the Jews and Christians…

“I have sought but a kindred spirit to share it, and I have found such in thee.”

This romance by Sir Walter Scoot presently surprised me. I went into starting this book with very low expectations. From everything I had heard about it, it’s near impossible to understand, and is super dull. But I actually really enjoyed it. I honestly looked forward to reading it every week, and I did really end up liking the story. 

It was very similar to the King Arthur stories and a hint of Beowulf, but had its own spin on things. Wilfred of Ivanhoe was the main protagonist, and most of the story was form his prospectives, but I did enjoy seeing some of the prospectives of Rebecca and Front De Beouf. 

I really enjoyed the love triangles in this book. There were actually quite a few! I love a good love triangle, so those really flared up the plot lines of this book. 

That being said, this book is a classic. I feel like I could really just leave it at that, but here’s my meaning: I feel like classical novels are in a league of their own. I can’t really compare them to the more modern novels I’ve read. And sometimes I do mean that in a good way—modern novels aren't all good. But if I was comparing this book to some of my favorite novels currently, I definitely didn’t love it. It was a book I really had to dig for, and I even ended up looking some things up to help explain a bit of the plot, just cause it wasn’t the super easy writing styles we are used to in these newer books. 

But, all that to say, challenging reads doesn’t make them bad reads. I really enjoy mixing in a classic or two for every contemporary, modern novel I read, cause they are really so much more tasteful and wholesome most times. For instance, I could pick up a Jane Austen any day, and know I can trust its writing and plot. So all that to say, this book is kind of in a league of its own, and I did enjoy it as a classic. 

One of the other things I didn’t love though, was that they made the Christians the bad guys, which I thought was just kind of annoying. Everything these “Christians” did, were so against what Christians are actually supposed to stand for. But I did understand the more is read as to why there they were shown in that light, and it does make more sense towards the end. 

“Chivalry…nobility were but an empty name without her, and liberty finds the best protection in her lance and her sword.”

Overall, I did enjoy this book. Again, it definitely wasn’t my favorite, but I really liked a taste of the classic after reading a lot of new books. I’d recommend this book for ages 12-13+ and I’d rate it a 6-10.

CLICK HERE to get the book!

Tally ho,

Finlee