The time of Robin Hood and Prince John although centered mostly around a young man named Wilfred of Ivanhoe and his family. Ivanhoe, banished by his father for siding with Richard the Lion-hearted and for falling in love with his father's beautiful ward Rowena, goes off to fight in the Crusades but is still loved faithfully by his beloved.

Rebecca of York's constancy in the face of extreme circumstances.

The Knights of the Templar, the so-called "warrior-monks." Grr...

Weep that there wasn't a sequel.

Mostly suspenseful and frustrated while I was reading.

Made me feel as if I were really in the Middle Ages.

Why not? Damsels in distress, knights in shining armor, what more need I say? ;)

The language Sir Walter Scott uses is very thick to read through if you're not used to a plethora of "thee," "thou," "thy," etc. However, if you take the time to read it, it is well worth the effort. Also, Scott does not present a very favorable view of the established Medieval Church, expect much hypocrisy from those who should be the most pious. According to the times, Scott also wrote in the utter contempt and disgust those of the Jewish faith were treated, even by the so-called "heroes" of the book. Scott, however, is not Anti-Semetic, it is easy to see where his sympathy lies in writing the characters of Isaac of York and his daughter Rebecca.

Do *not* watch the A&E production of Ivanhoe if you want a faithful novel-to-screen representation. They changed many things which detracted on the whole from the flavor of the story.

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Created Apr 14, 2002 at 8:14pm • Submit your own review...