Ivanhoe

Narrator: BJ Harrison

English language

5 stars (1 review)

Prince John has assembled a collection of avaricious nobles to take control of England while Richard the Lionhearted is imprisoned in Austria. This threatens to bring the country to civil war between the Norman nobles and the conquered Saxons. Standing above it all is Wilfred of Ivanhoe, a disinherited Saxon knight who has fought in the Holy Land. Now returned, he wishes to wed the fair Rowena, the highborn Saxon noble, in spite of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that stand in his way. With dozens of colorful characters, clashing swords, burning castles, kings in disguise and damsels in distress, Ivanhoe remains Scott's best-loved novel of historical romance.

51 editions

Starts slow, but keep listening!

5 stars

The narration is masterful, as we have come to expect from Harrison. This was a challenging story to narrate as there is a huge cast of characters to differentiate, but Harrison is up to the challenge. I can honestly say that I would never have finished this book in a written form, but the audio kept me riveted. I listened well past midnight and into the wee hours on a work night because once Rebecca was on trial, I couldn't stop until I was done.

The anti-semitism is offputting at first, but then it becomes the heart of the story as we see the evolution of several characters as they interact with Rebecca. She is the most fully developed character in the piece, and her integrity, faith, and gentle spirit inspired me as it did those characters who allowed themselves to know her. As this happened, my initial horror at …

Subjects

  • British and irish fiction (fictional works by one author)
  • Great britain, fiction
  • Fiction, historical, general