Lorna Doone (Penguin Classics)
by R. D. Blackmore
List Price:
Our Price: $8.50
You Save: $7.50 (47%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.45 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: R. D. BlackmoreEditor: Michelle Allen
Introduction: Michelle Allen
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-10-25
ISBN: 0143039326
Number of pages: 800
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Book Reviews of Lorna Doone (Penguin Classics)
Book Review: A Marvelous Romance and Historical Novel
Summary: 5 Stars
Many of you have read Lorna Doone in abridged form or seen a TV presentation of this largely forgotten masterpiece of British literature. That is unfortunate because such versions omit much that is of value and hopefully you will avail yourself of the chance to read this beautiful, emotionally charged, novel in full.
R. D. Blackmore's Lorna Doone is described as a "Romance" novel. Curious as to the meaning of this term I searched the Internet and came up with the following composite definition: an action, adventure story with the added focus of a loving, passionate relationship. A central conflict divides the lovers, there is character growth and a resolution, usually with an HEA (happily ever after) ending.
The book is also an historical novel centering around an event now termed "Manmouth's Rebellion." James II, who succeeded Charles II on the English throne, was unpopular because he was a Roman Catholic and much of the country was Protestant. James Scott, the first Duke of Manmouth, the illigimate son of Charles II, was a Protestant and lay claim to the throne. He raised an army, mostly consisting of farmers, but was defeated in the Battle of Sedgemoor on July 6, 1865. Following this battle some 1.400 rebels were tired in a series of trials presided over by Chief Justice Charles Jefferys, that have been termed the "Bloody Assize," in that some 300 were executed, more than 1,000 sent to the West Indies and the rest remained in prison.
The book may also be described as a "coming-of-age" novel in that it traces the life of the protagonist, John Ridd, from his youth to his mature years. Finally, it can also be called a pastoral in that Blackmore describes the western region of the country and clearly prefers the rural life to the big city. He devotes much of the book to describing the countryside and the culture.
One minor problem is that some of the vocabulary is not in common usage today. Words such as lanthorn (lantern), culverin (a heavy cannon) and portcullis (a gate that can be raised or lowered at the entrance of a fortified town) are found throughout the book.. Additionally, Blackmore uses local dialects in some places that are a little difficult to follow.
The story is told by Ridd as a flashback, starting from when he was eight years old. He lived in a yeoman or freeholder family (free persons who tended a farm) along with his parents and two younger sisters. Early in the story his father is killed by a group of Doones, an outlaw clan. The Doone family had been aristocrats at the king's court but fell into disfavor; their property was confiscated and they fled to the west of England where they formed their own enclave in a valley that afforded them protection. They turned to robbery and crime to support themselves. One night as John's father was riding home he was attacked and killed by a gang of Doones. The young boy vowed revenge but was helpless to act at that time.
When John is 14 he wanders by accident into the Doone valley where he meets the then eight year old Lorna and is struck by her beauty and kindliness. The years pass and when he is 21 John meets the now grown Lorna and they fall in love. . Their love is complicated by her relationship with the Doones and later by her high social standing relative to Ridd. The last third of the book becomes rather violent as the war and conflict with the Doones dominates the action. The ending is dramatic and emotionally charged.
Religion also plays a big role in the story, not only the conflict between Catholics and Protestants, but also the role that religion plays in shaping character and behaviors.
It is interesting to speculate as to how much of the story is fact and how much a product of Blackmore's imagination. There is some doubt as to whether or not the Doones of Bagworthy forest actually existed, but there were outlaw gangs in the west of England at that time. The leading Doone characters, Sir Ensor Doone, Counsellor Doone and the villainous blackguard, Carver Doone, are surely caricatures, as are the minor characters: the humorous servants, John Fry and Betty Muxworthy, Lorna's faithful maid, Gwenny Carfax, the King's messenger and military commander, Jeremy Stickles, etc. Also the dashing highway man Tom Faggus and his amazing horse, Winnie, may be more representational than real. Furthermore the places described in the book are not easily found today.
Blackmore was a poet before he was a novelist and it shows in this work. Some may think that the story is "slow moving" as Blackmore stops the action to describe the scenery or puts in a tale that is apart from the main story but reveals something about the culture and nature of the people. Novels are wonderful in that they allow you to go to places and experience things that are impossible in real life. So, relax and return to the English countryside of old and enjoy the tale!
Summary of Lorna Doone (Penguin Classics)
First published in 1869, Lorna Doone is the story of John Ridd, a farmer who finds love amid the religious and social turmoil of seventeenth-century England. He is just a boy when his father is slain by the Doones, a lawless clan inhabiting wild Exmoor on the border of Somerset and Devon. Seized by curiosity and a sense of adventure, he makes his way to the valley of the Doones, where he is discovered by the beautiful Lorna. In time their childish fantasies blossom into mature love?a bond that will inspire John to rescue his beloved from the ravages of a stormy winter, rekindling a conflict with his archrival, Carver Doone, that climaxes in heartrending violence. Beloved for its portrait of star-crossed lovers and its surpassing descriptions of the English countryside, Lorna Doone is R. D. Blackmore?s enduring masterpiece.Classics Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Classics Books
Native sonby Richard Wright
Perennial Library; Published: 1987; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.75
Native Son: And How Bigger Was Bornby Richard Wright
Perennial; Published: 1993-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $60.00
Raphael and the Noble Taskby Catherine Salton
Harper; Published: 2000-10-24; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.49
Price in other shops:
Island (Perennial Classics)by Aldous Huxley
Harper Perennial Modern Classics; Published: 2002-07-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops:
A Tree Grows in Brooklynby Betty Smith
Harper; Published: 2001-11-13; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.17
Price in other shops:
The Great Divorce CDby C. S. Lewis
HarperAudio; Published: 2003-11-25; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $13.10
Price in other shops:
Great Expectationsby Charles Dickens
Macmillan Pub Co; Published: 1979-06; Paperback; Book
Price in other shops:
This Side of Paradiseby Fitzgerald
Scribner Paper Fiction; Published: 1988-09-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.95
Price in other shops:
Black Coffee (Poirot)by Agatha Christie
Harper Collins Pb; Published: 2002-12-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $68.32
Slouching Towards Bethlehem (1960s)by Joan Didion
Flamingo; Published: 2001-04-17; Paperback; Book
Best price: $22.25
Similar Books and other products
Dracula (Dover Thrift Editions)by Bram Stoker
Dover Publications; Dover Publications; Published: 2000-04-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.60
Price in other shops:
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (Penguin Classics)by Anne Bronte
Penguin Classics; Published: 1996-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.93
Price in other shops:
The Black Arrow (Dover Children's Evergreen Classics)by Robert Louis Stevenson, Children's Classics
Dover Publications; Dover Publications; Published: 2001-11-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.38
Price in other shops:
Our Mutual Friend (Modern Library Classics)by Charles Dickens
Modern Library; Published: 2002-09-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.02
Price in other shops:
Barnaby Rudge (Penguin Classics)by Charles Dickens
Penguin Group USA; Penguin Classics; Published: 2003-04-29; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.00
Price in other shops:
Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retoldby C.S. Lewis
Houghton Mifflin Company; Harcourt Brace & Company; Published: 1980-07-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.95
Price in other shops:
The Pickwick Papers (Penguin Classics)by Charles Dickens
Penguin Group USA; Penguin Classics; Published: 2000-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.02
Price in other shops:
The Old Curiosity Shop (Penguin Classics)by Charles Dickens
PBS; Penguin Classics; Published: 2001-07-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.03
Price in other shops:
Little Dorrit (Penguin Classics)by Charles Dickens
Penguin Classics; Published: 2004-01-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.11
Price in other shops:
Lorna DooneA and E Home Video; Release date: 2001-05-29; DVD
Best price: $14.94
Price in other shops: