Looking for something good to read over the festive season I returned to one of my favourite authors. This was the 14th novel of Scott’s I have read and it did not disappoint. Whereas several of his previous stories might be classified as historical fiction in that they have been written around significant past events in Scotland or England, this was a romantic novel set in the past. The action takes place in the Shetland and Orkney islands, in places that Scott had visited earlier in his life. This provided him with a rich resource of geographical locations, many of them wild, remote and experiencing extremes of weather. His rich descriptions of these made them feel very real. This and his strong characterisation made the book entertaining. Whilst some of the traits exhibited by his characters might be predicted from previous novels (eg. the dashing, virtuous young hero, the niggardly, sour, housewife, the eccentric ‘mad’ witch) they all play their parts in the enjoyment of the story. Add to this a strong plot, with some unexpected twists and turns, and you have a good, escapist read.

A good adventure story. In 1814 Scott visited Shetland Island on a lighthouse tour. He was inspired to write a Pirate story based on John Gow who lived in the early 1700s. The story starts with Basil Mertoun coming to the island with his son Mordaunt to escape civilization. He lives in an isolated house and avoids company. His son is more gregarious and gets out and about growing up with Magnus Troil’s daughters Brenda and Minna. All is well until Captain Cleveland is shipwrecked and saved by Mordaunt.

Cleveland manages to cause a rift between Mordaunt and the family. He also falls in love with Minna. Then a pirate ship with his comrades arrives on the island causing disruption. Norma the fitful an eccentric woman who is touched and kinswoman to Magnus makes some predictions with her mute dwarf. Some incredible reveals and a few fights makes for an entertaining novel.

There are also some colorful and comical characters with the agrarian Triptolemus Yellowley, of Harfa, a factor who has moved to the island with his miserly sister Barbara (Baby) Yellowley. The deceitful Bryce Snailsfoot, a pedlar and the long winded Claud Halcro, a bard who once met John Dryson and never tired of telling that story much to the fear of the inhabitants of the island.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as i would like to, the title had barely something to do with the actual content, i didn't finish it either, mainly because it bore me, i know someone else can enjoy it, i really don't know if i would ever try to read it again

I can always count on Sir Walter Scott for a rousing romantic adventure.

Publicada originalmente en 1821, la novela está parcialmente basada en John Gow un célebre pirata mencionado por Daniel Defoe. Este libro es una adaptación juvenil e ilustrada bastante corta y sencilla de leer editada por Ariel, en su colección “Juvenil Ilustrada”. Las supersticiones y las intrigas amorosas de Escocia y sus mitos nórdicos, son el marco en donde se desarrolla esta trama y no altamar como me imaginaba. Un relato que tiene costumbrismo, romanticismo, y aventuras.

Un barco naufraga cerca de las Islas Shetland en el punto más septentrional de Reino Unido, un lugar rústico, con tradiciones isleñas y supersticiones arraigadas. El capitán Cleveland es rescatado por el joven Mordaunt, habitante predilecto de las Islas y favorito del udaller, Magnus Troil y sus hijas Minna y Brenda. Durante el rescate aparece también la vieja Norna, de quién se cuenta, posee poderes sobrenaturales.

El amor y la magia se mezcla en los acontecimientos. Minna y Brenda se enamoran de Cleveland y Mordaunt pero no está muy clara la conformación de las parejas. Entre el pirata y el isleño surge una rivalidad por el corazón de una de las hijas del udaller. Nos enteramos que Norna tuvo un hijo que le fue arrebato y que provocó su locura. Los personajes protagónicos y secundarios están muy bien logrados; el recurso narrativo que separa las historias de los personajes por capítulos dotan de riqueza a la trama al brindar detalles de la vida de cada uno de ellos.

El ritmo empieza algo lento y va creciendo hasta un final trepidante y repleto de emoción. Además de la interesante trama, es materia de análisis el contexto socio-político-cultural lleno de bellas pinceladas y pormenores históricos. Un clásico de la literatura de piratas.

"The sexton had found her lying on the pavement in a swoon, and when she recovered, her mind for the time had totally lost its equipoise."
This is Norna of the Fitful-Head. No wonder she lost her equipoise with the plot twist that Scott had just come up with.
I thoroughly enjoyed this farrago of nonsense. It's totally unlike any other Scott I've read, and I'd recommend it for anyone with sufficient ability to suspend disbelief.

I never thought I'd read anything by Scott, but in researching Shetland pirates, I came across this. The style's digressive and urbane, and I like it a lot already. It's certainly not a challenging read, but it is interesting.

I'm reading the digitized 1872 edition on Google Books here.

It's the amazing book about the amazing plase. From this book begined my love for Shetland Island.

This book is not what I expected at all, so be warned, but definitely worth reading. It's not so much about pirates and more about Shetland and Orkney Isles - the landscape, it's folklore and norse roots. It starts a bit slow and begins as more of a tour through the Isles, but about halfway through there is romance and a lot of twists and turns. The ending is surprising, I didn't expect it at all, and I think every reader likes to be taken aback and caught off guard by the plot.

This is set in Shetland (my home) and I've been meaning to read it for a good long time. However my edition was a solid brown-covered 1920s one, and it took resolution to open it, knowing that I was in for a hard 50 pages before the story began. I was wrong - for Scott, the story began pretty briskly, and once I was in, I was hooked - great characters, mystery, twists, everything that made him a great novelist. Except for the ending, I'd rate it as one of his good ones. I might even have another go at The Heart of Midlothian now ...

I won't spoil the plot but it involves a night and day pair of sisters, dark, romantic Minna and sunny Brenda - Norna the seer and wise-woman who can command the elements - our hero, Mordaunt, and his strange father - Magnus Troil, the Foude and archetypal NOrse Shetlander. The first half is set in Shetland, then the story moves to Orkney.

It was set in the late seventeenth century, and some of the language creaked a bit, especially when the characters got worked up - they went off into a 'high style' prose which smacked of Victorian melodrama.

From a Shetland point of view, it was really interesting. A lot of the 'old customs' he mentions I've heard of too - did they really survive until modern times, or was it just that Victorians here read it, and that revived the customs? One that was new to me was the use of ponies - you just grabbed one from a passing herd, rode it to where you were going, and then loosed it to make its own way home.

The edition I eventually read was a modern Shetland Times one - I hope it'll encourage more folk to read this neglected classic.

I absolutely loved the setting in Shetland and Orkney, and the illustrations of the landforms were beautiful. I read the 1901 Harper Thistle edition. This story had more twists near the end than other Scott novels I have read. I’d like to reread it sometime.

I picked up this one next because it was referenced so prominently in The Mill on the Floss. I wish poor Maggie had finished reading it.

The link: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42389