Reader discussion: Ivanhoe

Public reader discussion about Ivanhoe in the WeRead Catalog by Walter Scott.

Is Walter Scott one of anyone else’s favorite classic novelists?

By VelvetBookworm

For me, the books by him (Dumas), Dickens, and Jane Austen are way easier to go back to than most other classic authors, and they’re just more vivid—whether it’s the way the story moves, how the characters feel, the dialogue, or the whole atmosphere. I’ve got a soft spot for Kenilworth, Guy Mannering, the Jacobite trilogy (Waverley, Redgauntlet, Rob Roy), Ivanhoe, Old Mortality, and The Antiquary—they’re probably some of my favorite novels ever.

My attempt to rid Sir Walter Scott's 'Saxon War Song' from 'Ivanhoe' of the Norman yoke, and render it into Anglish.

By door-violet

Really interesting book, honestly.

Ivanhoe, by Sir Walter Scott

By BlackCanyon3

I can’t really pretend I’m an “objective” reader since I grew up on sped-up kid versions and cartoons of *Ivanhoe*, but even so I still think it’s one of Scott’s best. A lot of people only see it as a pretty standard romance, and others complain the writing and characters are boring, confusing, or just don’t feel natural. I’ve also heard some folks compare it to a *Waverley* type thing. I get the reactions, but I honestly read it more as a historical novel than anything else. To me, Scott really nails the whole medieval vibe—ethics, daily life, and how society is set up. He also uses Saxon language, clothing, and ideas in a way that feels respectful (at least by historical standards). While I was reading, I kept wondering if he’s basically a “naturalist” or not, which sounds weird, but it genuinely made me smile. I’d love to hear what other readers think about that. Character-wise though, I felt like there isn’t all that much depth, especially with the Norman knights—besides Brian de Bois-Guilbert (and maybe Front de Boeuf too). Still, even if they’re kind of shallow, they help you understand chivalry, honor, and what “power” really brings with it. Ivanhoe himself isn’t exactly on top of the pyramid even though the story is centered on him. He’s young, brave, kind of prejudiced, and grateful, and he’s in love, but duty keeps pulling him back. That actually makes him feel accurate for his time. The thing that keeps him from feeling mediocre, in my opinion, is his gentler side toward Rowenna. Rowenna is kind of stuck in that “beautiful ward” role for me—she has noble qualities and kindness, but she doesn’t get much beyond that. Rebecca, on the other hand, totally steals the show. She seems way ahead of her era—full of kindness and hope—and she manages to forgive the person who tried to end her life just to satisfy his obsession. She also keeps proving that fighting can mean accepting you might lose. She’s in love with Ivanhoe, but she doesn’t act like some obstacle between him and Rowenna. And I know this is probably not a popular take, but I want to defend Brian. He’s all about power and the paths to happiness in a pretty material world. He joins the Templars for the wrong reasons, and his behavior is often nasty and violent—he even measures his worth with Saracen skulls on his saddle. But then he gets hit by this kind of “love” shock, and somehow it doesn’t go the way he expects. His violence can’t get him what he wants, and Rebecca’s submission is never really what he’s actually asking for. He begs for her love, and they both know it’s not there—and won’t be. He ends up with eternal sorrow, and he’s forced to choose between honor and his “achievements” and dreams, and basically Rebecca’s life too. His ending is so tragic. The moment he’s wavering between losing his soul and having any future at all, his heart just fails, and I kept wondering what the last thought in his head even was. Was he relieved she would survive? Was he questioning the Heavens he spent his whole life serving? Regret showing mercy late, or not? We just don’t get to know. Also, I really wish Wamba and Gurth (and the outlaws too) got more attention. They bring this different feeling of loyalty and contentment. Wamba especially—he and the jester vibe felt underused, like they deserved more page time. Overall, though, Scott is clearly a strong writer for the setting. The way he describes the scenery and habits of an earlier era is impressive, and it still feels accurate and enjoyable, even with the anachronisms. The pacing is good, the humor works (Athelstane, and a lot of it through Wamba), and the big scenes—battles, ambushes, tournaments, sieges—feel vivid. The dialogue is also genuinely well done. It’s a bummer that *Ivanhoe* was (for a lot of people) his last major success, but I’m still really grateful it landed like a beautiful sunset.

Ivanhoe, worth anything?

By KettleKeeps

Edit: got a couple really good responses, thanks for the quick help. I’m new here but this is a nice little place to check out other books too. Anyway—hi! I found this sub just a few minutes ago, sorry if I posted wrong or did anything dumb. I was cleaning out the basement and came across this book. It looks like it’s from 1880, and I’m just not sure if it’s worth much money. I know all books have some value, I just don’t know how “significant.” Here’s the front cover and title page—if I find any other ones like this, I’ll probably post them too.

Resource for Sir Walter Scott?

By cardWolf

I read Ivanhoe a long time ago and really liked it, so I’m going through more of Sir Walter Scott’s stuff. Right now I’m on Old Mortality and I’m enjoying it, but I’m struggling a bit with the phonetic-ish Scottish in a lot of the dialogue. It’s super Scottish and I don’t have much experience with that accent, so even when I try to sound it out, I only get it right about half the time. Is there any kind of resource out there that gives a quick guide to how the “written accent” is supposed to sound?

A friend of a friend just named their son Ivanhoe

By luckyspoon

I’m really curious what everyone thinks. I’ve been a name nerd for ages, so most things don’t really shock me anymore—good or bad. Still, Ivanhoe totally got me. I can’t decide if I love it or if it’s just a bit too much, and then I swing back to liking it again. The last syllable is what’s throwing me… is that a dealbreaker or am I overthinking it?

What was your first love with books?

By field_simple

What’s the one book that actually hooked me on reading? For me it started in school, like year 7 (6th grade). They were really pushing everyone to read and even set an hour every week during class time. I wasn’t really that into reading at first, but I told my teacher I liked sci-fi, so she picked TimeRiders by Alex Scarrow. I ended up loving it way more than I expected—I read basically every book in the series I could find, and it kinda turned into a full-on reading obsession. I’m even trying to write my own book right now. Also, I’m pretty sure I loved Heroes by Robert Cormier too. My mom bought it for me for Christmas from one of the school lists, and it was genuinely such a good story.

Good day. Something similar to Ivanhoe(Walter Scott) , or white company(Arthur Conan Doyle)?

By Bookish_Cocoa68

Sounds like it’s either straight-up medieval fiction or maybe something pretending to be non-fiction, but with adventure and fights. I’m pretty sure I’ve read basically all the medieval stuff Walter Scott wrote.

I tend to gravitate a lot more towards the classics than modern lit

By dustyhare

I keep ending up with new books, but I also keep going back to older stuff from writers like Walter Scott, Dickens, Austen, Frances Burney, Alexandre Dumas, you know the usual 19th century crew. The prose from that era just grabs me way more—it feels way more immersive and full of flavor than most modern writing I’ve read. I also really like the way they handle plotting and characters; it’s got its own style that I don’t see as much now.

Reading Ivanhoe

By AcarusBrisk

I’m around halfway through *Ivanhoe* and it feels like the main character barely matters to the story. I’m not saying he’s not around on the page (he’s there, I get it), but his actual presence is really, really light. Even when he shows up, like when he’s doing that Pilgrim thing, he’s usually just not the key person, and he doesn’t seem to change anything plot-wise. I’m still enjoying the book overall, but I have to admit I was kind of thrown off by this. Is *Ivanhoe* just supposed to be like that, or am I missing something?

Is it bad to not like Classic books?

By happyWise23

I’m 17 and I’ve always liked reading, but so far it’s mostly been YA. Lately though it’s felt a little too “easy,” so I decided to try some of the classics. But I’m struggling to actually get into the books. I keep having to re-read sentences just to understand them, and once I finally do, it still doesn’t feel very interesting to me. It’s been happening with every classic I’ve tried so far—mostly 19th to early 20th stuff (like Austen and Dickens). It’s starting to annoy me, because I’ve got friends my age and at about the same level who seem totally fine with them. Does anyone know why this is happening? Am I picking the wrong books, or do I just need more practice? And should I keep pushing through anyway?

Which British Literature books should I include on my students' supplemental reading list? And which Dickens novel should I teach?

By rose

I’m getting ready for my first year teaching high school, and I’ll be doing British Lit with 12th graders—basically everything from stuff like Chaucer or Sir Gawain through to post–WW2. I’d like to put together a “if you want to” reading list for them that helps connect the writing to the mindset/history of each period. I’m trying to find either classics we probably won’t get to cover, or more modern authors who write really solid historical fiction. What would you put on a list like that for 12th graders, and why? Bonus question: if you had to pick among Dickens, which one(s) would you say are the most important for me to teach?

Kindle question: How do I put public domain books on my kindle?

By Winter40

Amazon used to let you grab a bunch of public domain books for free on their store (stuff like the Bible, Austen, Ivanhoe, that kind of older stuff). Now it seems like they’re charging for them—usually like a buck—or bundling them into Kindle Unlimited. I don’t really want to pay for books that are already free somewhere, so is there a way to get them on my Kindle without using Amazon/without paying?

How do you rate books on Goodreads?

By looksbridge

I use Goodreads a lot for recommendations, and I’ve basically gone by their star meanings when I rate things. Like, ** is “it was okay,” *** is “liked it,” **** is “really liked it,” and ****” is “it was amazing.” (I also map **-ish to “didn’t like it,” but I usually don’t go that far.) I mostly read sci-fi and fantasy, so naturally those get higher marks from me. But whenever I pick up something outside those genres, I end up feeling kind of guilty giving it a lower score, even if I think it’s still a good book. For example, I thought *The Color Purple* was genuinely worth reading, but it’s not really something I’d choose for fun, so I gave it 3 stars just to stay in line with the system. Same kind of thing with *War and Peace*—I can tell it’s important, but I’m having a hard time getting through it. I’d say it’s more like okay than “liked it,” so 2 stars. And I know I’m probably not always the target audience, but I still wonder… do people actually think *War and Peace* (over 4 on Goodreads) is more enjoyable than stuff like *Jurassic Park* or *To Kill a Mockingbird*? Like, does the average reader really feel that strongly at the 4-star level? It makes me question my own rating a bit, even though it’s my experience. I really want to read more variety and perspectives that aren’t aimed at me, and I’m glad I’m doing that—but I still feel weird about calling things “just okay.” I’ve even thought Goodreads could split the ratings into two parts: regular stars for whatever algorithm stuff, and then a separate thumbs up/down for “worth reading even if you didn’t love it.” How do you personally rate books you think are worth your time even if they’re historically dated or not really for you? Or if you just didn’t enjoy them much overall? For what it’s worth, here are a few of my ratings: *The Gunslinger* — ok ** *Piranesi* — ** *The Giver* — liked it *** *Hitchhiker’s Guide* — *** *Rocket Boys* — really liked it **** *Shogun* — **** *To Kill a Mockingbird* — amazing ***** *The Martian* — ***** *Winds of War / War and Remembrance* — ***** And yeah, I know everyone has their own opinions.