Bellissimo, un capolavoro.
Avevo deciso di leggere un ulteriore romanzo di Scott, perché l'Ivanhoe mi aveva parecchio intrigato e volevo capire se veramente poteva nascere un amore: e così fu! Scott scrive in una maniera che... non so! mi sono innamorato! Sarà l'ambientazione del 600700, saranno le forti tinte con cui l'autore tratteggia i suoi personaggi, mai banali, assolutamente perfetti (Caleb Balderstone su tutti, ma lo stesso Edgar, Lucia, la terribile Lady Ashton, Sir William Ashton).
Insomma, ho approcciato alla lettura tra l'altro in un periodo in cui non avevo molta voglia di leggere e di andare in libreria a comperare nuovi libri, avevo addirittura l'impressione di stare per iniziare un romanzo che mi avrebbe rallentato ancora di più... e invece? Sorpresa! Mi ha aiutato a superare il periodo di "crisi"! Consigliato! Leggetelo!

While the novel's focus occasionally seems a little off (most readers, I imagine, would be far more interested in the the thoughts of the title character than in the property disputes and hunting outings which take up a large portion of the book), the sections dealing with the central characters (particularly Lucy, Edgar, and Lady Ashton) are well drawn and fascinating. The melodrama escalates in that perfect restraint that only writers of the nineteenth century seem able to manage, culminating in chilling and intriguing final scenes. The characters are more assuredly not those of Donizetti's brilliant opera, but they are no less interesting for that.

Prova definitiva che Walter Scott per me è un'assoluta palla al piede e che devo tenermi alla larga: pensavo non ci fossero rivali al tedio di Ivanhoe e invece devo ricredermi. Come in quel caso, il personaggio che dà il titolo al romanzo è incolore e potrebbe stare lì come non starci.
Tra l'altro, visti alcuni momenti che a me sono sembrati comici (come i due tizi litigano per chi deve duellare per primo con Ravenswood, o la corsa delle carrozze per arrivare a casa degli Ashton), non ho capito se devo prendere il dramma sul serio e se Scott era un troll ante litteram.

I thought it would be interesting to read some of the original works that my favorite operas are based on. Lucia Di Lammermoor has always been one of my most beloved operas, so I thought I would start with Scott's novel. Only the barest of similarities connect the opera and the novel, which surprised me. I know that Scott was an international sensation of the time of the opera, so I would have thought that audiences would have expected a fairly faithful adaptation of the story.

I read a free Kindle version of it which had no glosses on the extensive sections written in Scottish dialect. These sections were almost impenetrable and were most often skipped. This proved not to be a detriment in the understanding of the plot. It seems like they were mostly there for 'local color'.

The first three-quarters of the book I found to be pretty plodding with no indication of what was going to happen to these pretty listless characters.

Things take on a breakneck pace after the betrothal scene. Those familiar with the opera know that this is the scene that contains the famous Sextet 'Chi mi frena in tal momento'. From this point on the novel hurdles toward its high Romantic and Byronic finish.

I LOVED Ivanhoe. I did not love this.

Jāatzīst neesmu neko daudz lasījusi Valteru Skotu. Atmiņā palicis, ka ļoti patika "Aivenho", bet tas bija dikti sen.
Šis darbs, kas nav gluži no pašiem pazīstamākajiem, mani uzrunāja, jo ir pamatā Doniceti operai "Lučija di Lammermūra". Lasījās labi, bet ar vienu īpatnību: romāns it kā lūst divās daļās. Tās nodaļas, kas stāsta par traģisko mīlasstāstu 18. gadsimta sākuma Skotijā (paaudžu naids ģimeņu starpā, vigi pret jakobītiem, sena ģimenes leģenda par lāstu, kas piemeklēs dzimtas pēdējo mantinieku utt.) lasās vienā elpas vilcienā, un nav jābrīnās, ka no tā visa ir tapusi opera. Bet pamīšus ir pavisam citādākas nodaļas, kur autors līdzinās drīzāk Džeinai Ostinai vai Tekerijam ar viņu aso satīru par laikmeta nebūšanām. Šeit parādās kolosāls veca, dzimtai uzticama sulaiņa tēls, kas drīzāk ir gatavs nosvilināt dzimtas seno pili (vai, kā patiesībā notiek, radīt ilūziju par ugunsgrēku) nekā pieļaut, ka pašreizējās nabadzības dēļ hercogu nevar pilī uzņemt saskaņā ar visiem smalkā stila noteikumiem. Abi stili ir jauki, bet kaut kā īsti neturas kopā un mazliet pabojā kopējo lasīšanas prieku.
Bet visā visumā darbu izbaudīju un drīzumā droši vien pieķeršos vēl kadam Skota garadarbam.

The Bride of Lammermoor commits all the usual Scott literary sins, from the unusual and completely unnecessary framing to the uneven pacing (in which we spend fifty pages trying to rustle up food for the master in a tangent that I guess was intended to be comedic, only to have the actual climax rushed to the point that it happens mostly offstage) to the gross overwriting aimed at an audience of rich gentlemen with too much time on their hands. Yet in spite of how awful this novel is from a technical perspective, the setting and world Scott describes is so vivid and so alive that I cannot say I really disliked it. There is something sublime in reading a four hundred page novel that has over a hundred pages of endnotes, and even if it slows down the read, I feel I am a better person for having read it.

I like making fun of this book...it's not bad.

Sir Walter Scott claims that this novel was based on a true story involving the Dalrymples and the Rutherfords, two old families from Scotland. Set in the backdrop of the unification of Scotland and England in 1707, the families are divided along religious and political lines. The Dalrymples were Whigs, or supporters of Parliament while the Rutherfords were royalist supporters of Charles II. In the novel, the Ashtons are modeled on the Dalrymples, while the Ravenswoods are the Rutherfords.

SPOILERS BELOW

The rich family of the Ashtons, though connected to the nobility through the wife, are upstarts who through legal and political maneuvers, displace the ancient family of the Ravenwoods from their ancestral estates. The last of the Ravenwoods is exiled to the last remaining family property, an isolated seaside fortress called Wolf’s Crag.

By chance, he happens to save Lucy Ashton and her father the Lord Keeper from wild cattle. The grateful father permits a liaison to spring up between his daughter and Ravenswood. Or perhaps Lord Ashton, always the crafty and calculating lawyer, was seeking to end the enmity and create an advantageous alliance to the old nobility. Fear of Ravenwood's political connections, including the powerful Marquis of A, might have also played a role: a matrimonial alliance between the two families will defuse the potential danger. The two become engaged.

But the mother, the formidable lady Ashton, who was away during these developments, has no wish to throw away her trump card on a man with no money. On her return, she objects to the alliance, and instead advocates an engagement with the boorish Bucklaw. Lucy refuses to break her engagement to Ravenswood, having sworn an oath that she will not unless Ravenswood permits it. Ravenswood at that time was traveling abroad. He writes to Lucy, but Lady Ashton suppresses all communication between the two and as no letter arrives by the promised day, she forces the poor girl to get engaged to Bucklaw.

On the day of the engagement Ravenswood returns but Lady Ashton forces Lucy to recant her promise. She is to be quickly wed thereafter. But on the day of the wedding, Lucy stabs Bucklaw in the bridal chamber and is found cowering and gibbering in the chimney. She sickens and dies soon after. Ravenswood is consumed in quicksand going to a duel.

Key elements of the story hinge on the conflicts between Scottish law and the English parliament's powers. (For example, the reason why Lord Ashton is keen on an alliance with Ravenswood is his fear that Ravenswood has allies in the English parliament can overrule a Scottish court’s awards—all of Ashton’s properties have been acquired through clever court cases).

There are also foreign intrigues. The Scottish factions are vying for influence on the continent and adventurers such as Craighenleague are seeking recruits to their cause.

Scott has created some other memorable characters. Caleb Balderstone the old family retainer who invents falsehoods to save the Ravenswood family's honor is one (examples, lightning struck the chimney and destroyed all the choice food, the silverware it at the cleaners). He is also the one to go around and collect provisions for the lord's table as a manorial privilege--a chicken from here, and a clutch of eggs from there and a sack of potatoes from the other. But how to do it, with no real power to enforce authority is Caleb's problem. Another interesting character is old blind Alice Gray, the recluse who lives in the forest, and whose ghost Ravenswood encounters on his departure from his alienated home. The newly rich Cooper, his mother-in-law, and wife provide some comic elements too.

On the whole a tightly told tale that preserves its suspense until the very end. Donizetti wrote the famous opera, Lucia di Lammermoor, based on this novel.

This heartbreaking love story and family history, reacts a Scottish legend in the Romeo and Juliet style.
He is the last heir of a noble family brought to ruin. She is the beautiful and sensible daughter of a newly raised to wealth family. Her father brought ruin on his family.
The customs and superstitions of the Scottish society at the beginning of the 18th century and the importance given to parental guidance and family honor, detailed with objectivity and with enough depth to make the reader understand the circumstances of the sad story, make this one of the most interesting and passionate readings.

My favorite character is the old butler of the Ravenswood family, Caleb Balderstone, who would do anything to save the honor of the old family and their last heir, Edgar of Ravenswood, despite the poverty and degradation of the castle which was now the family mansion. He is resourceful, inventive and always adds a bit of humor to the darkness of the times and the story!

Although written in old style English, the speech of the characters is transcribed to Scottish pronunciation and dialect.

Una novela deliciosa e irregular, en la que el desenlace, que es precisamente el argumento que toman luego los libretistas de la ópera, se precipita cuando hasta el momento había creado una narración muy equilibrada.

There is an opera based on this book. I completely understand the pain now. The mother, Lady Ashton, is a piece of work. This is such a classic, tragic tale of "star-crossed" lovers. It takes time to build, but that's perfect. It was written at a time when books were the thing to keep your interest. And it does keep your interest.

I liked this more than I expected! This was my first ever Scott novel and read only as a companion piece for my dissertation. Easier to read than anticipated and the narrative/plot engaging. I found myself reading the Scots dialogue in a broad internal Scottish brogue but confess there were a few Scots words that I didn’t know - “streekit” being one of them. Would definitely recommend, Sir Walter Scott seemed to know exactly how to engage with his readers