This is one long, long ramble of the love of a man for a woman. It is the sweetest of love stories. It will sweep you up and carry you away. You can thank me later. Well, it’s at least my third reading of this classic set in 17th century England (another childhood favourite) and I’d give it more stars each time. It’s one of those books that grows with you, and you get more out of it with every reading. For one thing, it’s the most romantic book I’ve ever read, and I just fall to my knees (metaphorically!) when I look at this picture -many, many thanks to Ilse for teaching me how to insert an image!

In the movie I saw (A&E version) they portrayed John Ridd (narrator, hero) as a vengeful young man eager to wreak havoc on the dirty Doone's for their dastardly actions against Ridd's father and his love, Lorna. He's not like that at all in the book. In fact, his peaceful, self-effacing and honest nature is the great highlight of the book. Hope, of course, is nothing more than desire with a telescope, magnifying distant matters, overlooking near ones; opening one eye on the objects, closing the other to all objections. And if hope be the future tense of desire, the future of fear is religion—at least with too many of us.John Ridd is the son of a respectable farmer in 17th century Exmoor, a region in North Devon and Somerset, England. The notorious Doone clan, once nobles and now outlaws, murdered John’s father. Battling his desire for revenge, John (in West Country dialect, pronounced "Jan") too grows into a respectable farmer who cares well for his mother and sisters. He meets Lorna by accident and falls hopelessly in love. She turns out (apparently) to be the granddaughter of Sir Ensor, lord of the Doones. Sir Ensor’s impetuous and now jealous heir Carver will let nothing thwart his plan to marry Lorna once he comes into his inheritance.

If you like your reading matter to be incredibly hard work, with a meandering plot and using 100 words where it could have used one, Lorna Doone will be well up your street. Otherwise, avoid at all costs. According to the preface, the work is a romance and not a historical novel, because the author neither "dares, nor desires, to claim for it the dignity or cumber it with the difficulty of an historical novel." As such, it combines elements of traditional romance, of Sir Walter Scott's historical novel tradition, of the pastoral tradition, of traditional Victorian values, and of the contemporary sensation novel trend. Along with the historical aspects are folk traditions, such as the many legends based around both the Doones and Tom Faggus. The composer Puccini once considered using the story as the plot for an opera, but abandoned the idea. [9] Plot summary [ edit ] Badgworthy water, Malmsmead The narrative is S. L. O. W. Even the “exciting” moments had a way of being told in the most drull ways. Maybe I should put that up with the pros as that seems like a developed skill, making a fight scene drull. I can go on and on about this beautiful and mesmerizing piece of literature for I think I'm quite bewitched. I have read a young adult version of this long ago and remember enjoying it. But the complete novel is nothing short of perfection. I was quite taken in with the lives, love, and adventure of the Exmoor and was loathed to leave it and the Plovers Barrow, the cozy little home of John Ridd. It was one of the most melancholic literary partings that I have ever undergone.Budden, Julian (2005). Puccini: His Life and Works. Oxford University Press. p.335. ISBN 9780195346251 . Retrieved 29 May 2018. John Ridd, the main character, is a lot like Beth March. Good but simple (and he’d say simple-minded), plain, boring, monotone. Just not much to get into or care about with this guy. Oh, how good of you, sir, how kind! Well, I always did say, that the learnedest people were, almost always, the best and kindest, and the most simple-hearted.' Lorna Doone is a character portrayed by Christine McIntyre in The Three Stooges shorts The Hot Scots and Scotched in Scotland. [14]

Note: I listened to the audio version of this book so this Cleanliness Report may not be as thoroughly detailed as other reports are. Also, some inappropriate content may have been forgotten/missed and not included in the report. It made me look differently at the sheep which are always gathered outside my house, sizing up the possibilities of my (closed) garden gate! The plethora of interesting aspects to this book makes it difficult to decide about which ones to write. John Ridd is a young boy living in the wilds of western England in the 17th century, when his father is murdered by a band of outlaws who torment, bully and rob the farmers and good people of Exmoor. The Doones occupy their own outlaw village and not only survive by robbing those around them but also prey on the their neighbors for sport. When John Ridd’s father stands up to these bullies, he is murdered and leaves behind his widow, Sarah Ridd, his prosperous farm, and his three children. You sweet love," I said at this, being slave to her soft obedience; "do you suppose I should be content to leave you until Elysium?" "How on earth can I tell, dear John, what you will be content with?" "You, and only you," said I; "the whole of it lies in a syllable. Now you know my entire want; and want must be my comfort etc. etc. Lornadoon" (or "Lalornadoon") is the name for the forest of Lothlórien in the Lord of the Rings parody Bored of the Rings.Not to mention that the characters are all unlikable. John Ridd is a bully who thinks too much of himself, whips the man who works for him with the slightest whim, hates the sister who challenges his manly authority and stalks pretty Lorna Doone until she can do nothing but accept his strange version of love. Lorna herself is insipid and can hardly even manage the simple act of walking while talking without needing to rest because it makes her feel faint. The gender roles are appalling. The mother and the 'good' sister fawn all over John and cater to his every wish and command, while the 'bad' sister is disliked because she has a brain and wants to use it. The movies hardly ever do books justice. This is no exception. However, it's a fairly large book, so it's no wonder.

Letters of George Gissing to Members of his family, collected and arranged by Algernon and Ellen Gissing. London: Constable, 1927, letter of 21 January 1884. The book seemed a bit naive and “sugar” to me, perhaps because I read an adapted version in English for level B1+. The novel is a romance in the old sense, in that the love story is set in a context of high adventure, as the hero, John Ridd (or ‘Jan’ in the dialect of Exmoor) has to win his love against the odds (to begin with, the Doones, a band of robbers and murderers, followed by more complicated obstacles to be surmounted later). Lorna is no cardboard heroine, either – there’s a lovely development, nothing 'méchant', between the Lorna of John’s vision and the real one, who, as the story progresses, is shown as making her own decisions.I'm so familiar with history from 1800 on that the world of the 1680s feels incredibly strange to me. It is so hard to wrap my mind around the isolation they experienced and the difficulty in communicating and traveling. Twice in the novel, John goes to London and it's a huge undertaking. He spends time just walking the streets because it's so different from the farm he has grown up on at home in Exmoor. I did love the details of farming at this time, including the harvest festival they celebrate. It reminded me a ton of Thomas Hardy's novels, especially Far From the Madding Crowd. There are passages of beautiful nature writing as well. I think my favorite section was an epic Long Winter (i.e. Laura Ingalls Wilder intensity) when John makes his own snowshoes (thanks to his sister Lizzie) and goes on an epic adventure, which I won't spoil.