okenwillow's review against another edition
3.0
Une sombre histoire en plein milieu de l’Écosse, voilà qui a tout pour plaire. Je n’avais jamais lu Walter Scott, c’est donc une première pour moi. L’histoire est assez simple, pour ne pas dire rudimentaire. Un jeune héritier ruiné fait voeu de venger sa famille déchue et dépouillée de ses biens. Hélas, il tombe amoureux de la fille de son ennemi mortel. Par amour pour elle il renonce à la vengeance, et se laisse adoucir par le père de la demoiselle, soucieux de s’attirer les faveurs du jeune homme plus que d’attiser son animosité. Le jeune homme, brave et fougueux, se trouve matériellement démuni et occupe une sombre et sinistre tour en ruine, au bord de la mer, dépourvue du moindre confort. Tandis qu’un parent du maître Ravenswood, aussi ambitieux que bien attentionné travaille à faire retrouver à son cousin ses droits et biens, le jeune homme et Lucy se promettent l’un à l’autre, dans le plus grand secret. L’union découverte, la mère de Lucy, la redoutable Lady Ashton, manœuvre de manière à détruire cet amour réciproque. Amours contrariées, interdites et maudites, l’histoire est des plus sombres. Le dénouement est sans surprise, mais reste néanmoins tragique et poignant. Le récit est assez court, il y a peu d’événements, peu de rebondissements, aucun suspens ni mystère, malgré un cadre qui s’y prête. L’intrigue reste plutôt basique, un peu vite expédiée à mon goût. Ce qui prédomine dans ce roman, et qui sauve l’ensemble, ce sont l’ambiance lugubre, certains personnages non dénués d’humour, comme Caleb l’intendant du dernier Ravenswood qui se rattache à ce qu’il peut pour préserver l’honneur de la famille déchue, ou d’autres personnages secondaires parfois plus hauts en couleurs que les principaux protagonistes. Lucy Ashton est fade, Edgar Ravenswood trop caricatural. Bizarrement, mise à part la fin, les passages que j’ai préférés sont ceux concernant la tour en ruine, Wolf’s Crag, où l’atmosphère déprimante et angoissante du lieu s’oppose au comportement ridicule de son intendant qui feint d’ignorer l’état de délabrement de la dernière demeure des Ravenswood. Dans l’ensemble, une triste histoire qui se laisse lire, un style agréable, un petit voyage dépaysant dans une contrée de rêve (ou de cauchemar, selon les goûts ^^), mais certainement pas un coup de cœur.
charlottesometimes's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
bookmarkhoarder's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lbrex's review against another edition
5.0
I'm ashamed to say that this is the first novel by Scott that I've read, but I'm pleased that I liked it as much as I did. What's impressive about _The Bride of Lammermoor_ is its complexity. The opening discussion of the ill-fated painter, Dick Tinto, seemed like a bizarre way to begin a story (especially when Tinto himself has so many problems with narrative), but I liked many of the questions the opening raised about the cultural status of romance genre, its reliance on dialogue, and its relationship with visual arts. The subsequent story of Edgar Ravenswood and Lucy Ashton was chock full of over-the-top dramatic potential, with curses, omens, witches, burning towers, frightening paintings, and evil mothers frequently jolting the story from melodrama into the Gothic. As the notes in this edition indicate, Scott was influenced by Walpole's _Castle of Otranto_ at a number of points in the writing of this work.
The frequent juxtapositions of the parts of the narrative are what make this compelling. The reader is speedily transferred from discussions of psychological insight to spectral visitations to self-conscious considerations of genre to comic interactions with peasants. All of these different components feed off of one another. That said, I do think that the comic peasant scenes were some of the hardest to get through, perhaps because of the dialect. At points, I wanted to return to the romance narrative as my interest in the rustic figures waned. This is, of course a problem, and something I'll have to remedy on subsequent readings.
I read _The Bride of Lammermoor_ mostly because Scott was very influential for both H. Rider Haggard and Andrew Lang, and I wanted to understand some of this influence. It's clear that many of the late-Victorian writers of romance admired and imitated him (Stevenson certainly comes to mind). In the case of Haggard, though, I don't think he was ever able to generate the psychological depth that Scott brings to his characters. Still, this was a very useful and interesting read. Thank goodness for a sabbatical!
The frequent juxtapositions of the parts of the narrative are what make this compelling. The reader is speedily transferred from discussions of psychological insight to spectral visitations to self-conscious considerations of genre to comic interactions with peasants. All of these different components feed off of one another. That said, I do think that the comic peasant scenes were some of the hardest to get through, perhaps because of the dialect. At points, I wanted to return to the romance narrative as my interest in the rustic figures waned. This is, of course a problem, and something I'll have to remedy on subsequent readings.
I read _The Bride of Lammermoor_ mostly because Scott was very influential for both H. Rider Haggard and Andrew Lang, and I wanted to understand some of this influence. It's clear that many of the late-Victorian writers of romance admired and imitated him (Stevenson certainly comes to mind). In the case of Haggard, though, I don't think he was ever able to generate the psychological depth that Scott brings to his characters. Still, this was a very useful and interesting read. Thank goodness for a sabbatical!
sophiemints's review against another edition
One of the most deliciously gothic books I've ever encountered. Anne Shirley would love this will all her heart and it was so thrilling and spooky for late October.
dominil's review against another edition
4.0
Avevo deciso di leggere il libro subito dopo aver visto l'opera e bisogna dire che sono piuttosto diversi, anche se questo stranamente non è un male.
Nella "Lucia" c'è molto più spazio per i sentimenti della ragazza, l'azione è tutta incentrata su di lei ed è meraviglioso assistere alle disavventure della fanciulla, al suo sfortunato amore e alla sua terrificante pazzia.
Il libro è più un trattato sulle faide delle due famiglie che sulla relazione tra Edgardo e Lucia, tanto che Scott, in maniera adorabile, critica il comportamento dei due, soprattutto quello della ragazza, perché anche per lui è folle innamorarsi dopo essersi visti due volte e avere le famiglie contro.
Comunque sia, il libro mi è piaciuto anche se ho trovato davvero inutile il primo capitolo visto che è completamente slegato dalla vicenda e serve a Scott per spiegare come è entrato in possesso della storia, come aveva già fatto in Ivanhoe.
Poteva anche sprecarsi a trovare un nuovo modo, ma non mi lamento, visto che è stato piacevole e divertente nella tragedia.
Nella "Lucia" c'è molto più spazio per i sentimenti della ragazza, l'azione è tutta incentrata su di lei ed è meraviglioso assistere alle disavventure della fanciulla, al suo sfortunato amore e alla sua terrificante pazzia.
Il libro è più un trattato sulle faide delle due famiglie che sulla relazione tra Edgardo e Lucia, tanto che Scott, in maniera adorabile, critica il comportamento dei due, soprattutto quello della ragazza, perché anche per lui è folle innamorarsi dopo essersi visti due volte e avere le famiglie contro.
Comunque sia, il libro mi è piaciuto anche se ho trovato davvero inutile il primo capitolo visto che è completamente slegato dalla vicenda e serve a Scott per spiegare come è entrato in possesso della storia, come aveva già fatto in Ivanhoe.
Poteva anche sprecarsi a trovare un nuovo modo, ma non mi lamento, visto che è stato piacevole e divertente nella tragedia.
kailey_luminouslibro's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful tragic romance that made me cry at the end. Scott does wander off into seemingly purposeless rambles, with extra characters who have no usefulness in the story, but I forgive him b/c the rest of the writing is so very good.
I love the characters and the story line! The writing is exactly designed to sweep one away to another world, another time.
They say that he wrote most of the book whilst he was deliriously ill by dictating to his editor/publisher Ballantyne. Maybe that accounts for some of the gaps in places where I wish he would have written more in a particular scene, and for the long rambles in other places. ha ha!
I love the characters and the story line! The writing is exactly designed to sweep one away to another world, another time.
They say that he wrote most of the book whilst he was deliriously ill by dictating to his editor/publisher Ballantyne. Maybe that accounts for some of the gaps in places where I wish he would have written more in a particular scene, and for the long rambles in other places. ha ha!
franschulman9's review against another edition
4.0
Since I enjoy nineteenth century novels with carefully planned plots and colorful characters, I was able to read the entire book. Might be hard for some because not only is the language dense, but the lower class characters speak in dialect. I had to refer to the glossary in the book frequently to understand what they were saying. This is a gothic novel, different from the other novels I've read by the author.
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