Reviews

Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor by R.D. Blackmore

doritobabe's review against another edition

3.0

Today I navigated over here wondering: "Did I ever write a review for Lorna Doone?" I guess not, so here goes...

I am writing this review a few weeks after actually finishing the novel. I looked at the measley 3 stars I gave it and wondered why I did that again... oh yah, because of LORNA.

Honestly, there is a lot that I love about this book: the writing is quite enjoyable, especially when you can feel Blackmore getting into his flow; John Ridd is probably one of the most wholesome characters ever written, and the tangled plot of religious strife and classism makes for an interesting read. Once Lorna was introduced as an adult, however, is when I started to lose my passion for the text. Slowly, I let it sit longer and longer on bed-side or kitchen tables, looking at the cover, wondering why I couldn't have more of Ridd mowing some wheat in harvest, or spending time with lovely Ruth Huckaback. Now there's a fiesty, intellegent, sweet character who actually has substance! For some reason I cannot/could not stand Lorna being coveted by John for her swooning frailty, her vapidness; boring "tenderness" -- which perhaps is just some frailty that I viewed as speaking to some kind of mental incompetence or an actual health problem.

To be frank: it made me frustrated! Why are the weak women used as the exemplary female? Why is a lack of skill, a constant fatigue and/or blush, and an indecisive air so appealing in a female? Wouldn't a farmer (i.e. John Ridd) get frustrated with having a wife like that? Someone so doting and BORING and who wouldn't be helpful AT ALL on a farm?

Some may bite me for this, pointing out the other obvious sexism within the text. I also had to overlook that; found myself rolling my eyes at the descriptions of women that Blackmore gives, but I feel like Lorna is a device used to shame others -- LIKE THE AMAZING RUTH -- by proving that they aren't the feminine ideal.

Spoiler

Ridd's obsession with Lorna would have been more justified if she had actually died by gunshot, as there is no way that a man can live with a woman like that for the rest of his life.

libby_bebby's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

anenome's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

donnaadouglas's review against another edition

2.0

I find that a ot of Jacobean novels tend to veer towards the melodramatic at times, and 'Lorna Doone' is no exception. The plot is over-complicated at times, and there seems to be many loose ends that are initially presented as huge problems (again with the melodrama!) but are then far too easily resolved. There is no real struggle within the story - it's too easy and thus, appears superficial.
As to the stories titular heroine, she's too soft - a typical character trait of women in Jacobean fiction. It's hard for a postfminist reader in the 21st Century to relate to her plight, and perhaps because of this, I couldn't enjoy the story as much as I otherwise might have.

maur_damar's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

kirkreads's review against another edition

4.0

I read an abridged version of this classic while in middle school. I loved it and always meant to go back to it and read the complete version. I'm glad that I did. While it has some really slow bits, and could do with a lot of tightening, I remembered why I loved the book. The danger is palpable. The relationships feel real and the romance is heartwarming. It's is a bit slow for modern readers, but if one gives it a chance, the themes are timeless.

mthorley23's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 stars. 26 hours of audiobook accomplished! Sometimes it felt like an endurance test to get through. Maybe I should have read the abridged version because there was a lot that could have been cut. However, I enjoyed the story overall, even if John Ridd’s (the author’s?) chauvinism was seriously irritating. I loved the descriptions of Exmoor!

nguyen_vy's review against another edition

adventurous challenging slow-paced

3.0

ecs_etera's review

2.0

This was a slog. Very much from a male perspective, in the most boring way.

readingoverbreathing's review against another edition

4.0

"There was that power all around, that power and that goodness, which make us come, as it were, outside our bodily selves, to share them. Over and beside us breathes the joy of hope and promise; under foot are troubles past; in the distance bowering newness tempts us ever forward. We quicken with largesse of life, and spring with vivid mystery."

Though it took me an extraordinarily long time to read, and though I lamented its length, Lorna Doone was a weirdly special read for me.

I've read a decent amount of nineteenth century literature narrated and written by self-important men, but the frankness and honesty, though occasional conceit, of John Ridd really struck me. He's now become one of my all time favorite characters. He is kind and gentle, and doesn't take advantage of his strength without provoking. He loves children and his family, and puts their needs, as well of the needs of the entire community, above his. Throughout the entire novel he never sugarcoats, he admits his own faults, he reflects on justice and means to ends, he treats almost every woman in his life with respect and never, not once, disregards their opinions or thoughts simply because they're women, which, considering the fact that he lived in the seventeenth century, is unusual.

The depth and complexity of the female characters in Lorna Doone was rare for its time. Every single female character, from John's mother to Annie to Lorna to Lizzie to Ruth and even to little Gwenny Carfax, played a significant role in the story. Not one of them is a poor, helpless maiden in distress. They are all able to hold their own and fight for themselves, despite their mistakes.

However, there were still some cases of sexism that bothered me, primarily stemming from John's treatment of his sister Lizzie. John, and everyone else, adored Annie because she was sweet and docile and pretty, but Lizzie, because she was well-read and spoke her mind, was treated with hostility and scorn from her brother and even her own mother. The complete travesty of it all was really my chief complaint with this book.

I can't describe this as anything other than an epic, because it is, all seven hundred pages of it. The plot sometimes runs in circles, but the smallest details are constantly being thrown in that enrich the story even more. Four months later, I still highly recommend this in all its Doonish, misty glory.