Rating: 
Summary: Quaint Story of a Bohemian and his Guardian Angel
Review: Francis Osbaldistone forgoes a position in his father's firm to pursue an existence closer to his own ideals, travel and adventure. In order to even maintain a sufficent income from his father, however, he is sent on an errand to visit relatives in Northern England, and there to locate a replacement for himself in his father's firm from amongst his cousins. Due to a mishap on the road there, however, Francis is cast into a difficult legal situation and quickly learns that there are political and passionate motives behind his being unjustly accused.This book really reads almost as if it it two different novels. The first half of the book concerns the time that Francis spends at Osbaldistone hall, where he learns that there are undisclosed secrets, some of which implicate him without his knowledge. It is also here that he falls head over heels in love with an unattainable woman. The tension that these scenes create is palpable and enjoyable. Scott is wonderful with English dialogue and his description of the English countryside, its inhabitants, and the activities that consume their day to day existence. Somewhere along the way, however, the book shifts gears rather dramatically, merely echoing its previous sentimentality and thought. The book becomes more active and more of a travel narrative in Scotland, where a good deal of lawlessness occurs in the hills. Here you'll find the title elusive title character embroiled in his own local political intrigues while also endeavoring to support Francis in his own quest. Scottish dialect, while faithfully recorded, makes the reading difficult, and at some times arduous. I did find, though, that if you read these phonetically, that you quickly attain the language necessary to follow along. Take the time up front to figure out the Scottish translations and you'll be better suited when it becomes a large part of the latter half of the book. All in all, I found this to be quite an enjoyable read, although not on the same level as "Ivanhoe," which I think is superior in just about every way. If you've already read "Ivanhoe," and enjoyed it, you will probably like this book as well. I could have potentially given this book 5 stars if I felt that if the protagonist did not have to shift gears so suddenly.
Rating: 
Summary: Good story, but...
Review: In the picaresque "Rob Roy," Sir Walter Scott uses the legend of Rob Roy Campbell MacGregor, a Scottish Robin Hood-like character, as a backdrop on which to superimpose his own story of a young Englishman named Francis (Frank) Osbaldistone. Frank is uninterested in going into his father's merchant business and travels north to live with his uncle and his six cousins at their country estate. He learns that his sinister cousin Rashleigh, who apprentices himself to Frank's father, has plans to embezzle money from the business to finance the Scottish Jacobite rebellion of 1715, in which Rob Roy is a major player. Rob Roy and Frank befriend each other during a series of adventures in which Frank attempts to extricate his father's business from Rashleigh's treachery. Scott writes Rashleigh as the broadest kind of villain, ensuring that he has not a single sympathetic quality. The final confrontation between Frank and Rashleigh in the last chapter is particularly corny and the outcome predictable. I found the two major heroines of the novel to be interesting. Diana ("Die") Vernon, who lives at Frank's uncle's estate, is betrothed to one of Frank's cousins but enamors Frank. She and Rob Roy's wife, Helen, are portrayed as strong in spirit, honorable to their causes, and capable of taking care of themselves. My problem with the book is that Scott's prose, despite some wonderful descriptions of Scotland's scenery, is so padded and overwrought that it bogs down the narration and obscures the finer points of the plot. He has trouble maintaining suspense and providing surprises in a story that is basically about crime and intrigue. Moments of tension are dulled by inessential, superfluous dialogue, and not enough dialogue is supplied where it would be most useful in developing the characters or situations. For example, when Frank meets a traveler named Morris who is secretive about the contents of his traveling chest, Scott describes Morris's trepidation with narration instead of using dialogue between Frank and Morris which would more effectively and subtly establish Morris's character and the reason for his apprehension. In short, "Rob Roy" is a good story but is not great storytelling.
Rating:
Summary: Quite enjoyable, but the Scotch dialects are hard to follow
Review: My first comment is that if you haven't read any Sir Walter Scott, then I would recommend Ivanhoe as your first try. Rob Roy is also very good as described in several of the other customer reviews. But, as my second comment, I would caution readers that a substantial portion of the dialogue is in scottish dialect, and I find it difficult to read it and be sure I understood the nuances of what was said. Scott does provide a glossary, so with a little patience the dialogue can usually be deciphered, although, maddeningly, there are Scottish terms that appear in the text which Scott apparently forgot to include in the glossary. Here is a sample quotation of my own concoction (I don't have the book in front of me.) : "I trow the gudeman kens I will blow out his harns." Translation (Guess first!): "I trust the husband knows I will blow his brains out."
Rating:
Summary: Short and Sweet
Review: Of the four Sir Walter Scott books I own (Ivanhoe, Waverley, Heart of Midlothian, Rob Roy) this one is his worst. So why did I still give it four stars? Because even though it is his worst, it is still a really good book. To start with the bad: it confused me more than his other books I have. Also the plot feels contrived at times and it is stereotypical in the ending. But, it is stereotypical because Sir Walter Scott pretty much invented that kind of ending and so many authors since have ripped it off. The novel achieves the purpose of making the historical feel alive. If you just suspend your disbelief and focus more on the characters and the feel of the age (zeitgeist) that Scott has invented in this book it is a good read.
Rating: 
Summary: Good @ Deep!
Review: Rob Roy is a great book, but I caution! This book is very deep, I repeat, VERY DEEP! The Scottish dialect is very hard to understand. But the characters are amazing! The plot is great, but remember everything! Sort'av.
Rating:
Summary: 19th century historical fiction at it's best...........
Review: Robert Louis Stevenson called "Rob Roy" Sir Walter Scott's finest achievement. I do not disagree. Set shortly after the unification of 1707, Scott tells the tale of the protestant Francis Osbaldistone as he bids adieu to his father's London commercial interests and enters, as an exile, the baronial home of his papist relations in the north. His cousin Rashleigh assumes the commercial role intended for Frank and uses his newfound access to stir loyalist feelings in the Scottish Highlands by ruining the far-flung credit of the Osbaldistone business. Frank, upon uncovering the conspiracy, sets forth to Glasgow with the mercurial gardner, Andrew Fairservice, as his guide to right the wrongs of the scheming Rashleigh. Ever dependent on the outlaw, Rob Roy MacGregor, to intervene in his behalf, Francis Osbaldistone leaps from one adventurous situation to another in his fight to clear his family name. Along the way, Frank meets and falls in love with the outspoken and beautiful Diana Vernon who aids him in his plight. Though a fair portion of this book is related in the Scottish vernacular, there is a glossary in the back of this edition that will easily point the way. Even so, the reader will confidently understand the vernacular when one-third through the book. This is a classic that can be enjoyed by anyone, particularly those interested in period and place.
Rating:
Summary: 19th century historical fiction at it's best...........
Review: Robert Louis Stevenson called "Rob Roy" Sir Walter Scott's finest achievement. I do not disagree. Set shortly after the unification of 1707, Scott tells the tale of the protestant Francis Osbaldistone as he bids adieu to his father's London commercial interests and enters, as an exile, the baronial home of his papist relations in the north. His cousin Rashleigh assumes the commercial role intended for Frank and uses his newfound access to stir loyalist feelings in the Scottish Highlands by ruining the far-flung credit of the Osbaldistone business. Frank, upon uncovering the conspiracy, sets forth to Glasgow with the mercurial gardner, Andrew Fairservice, as his guide to right the wrongs of the scheming Rashleigh. Ever dependent on the outlaw, Rob Roy MacGregor, to intervene in his behalf, Francis Osbaldistone leaps from one adventurous situation to another in his fight to clear his family name. Along the way, Frank meets and falls in love with the outspoken and beautiful Diana Vernon who aids him in his plight. Though a fair portion of this book is related in the Scottish vernacular, there is a glossary in the back of this edition that will easily point the way. Even so, the reader will confidently understand the vernacular when one-third through the book. This is a classic that can be enjoyed by anyone, particularly those interested in period and place.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Entertaining Historical Fiction
Review: Sir Walter Scott is widely acknowledged as the creator of the historical fiction genre. His best known book is Ivanhoe, which I have not read. I instead decided to read Rob Roy, a book I became familiar with due to the 1995 movie of the same name starring Liam Neeson and Tim Roth. Rob Roy, written in 1817, takes us back in time to the 1715 Jacobite uprising. Surprisingly, Rob Roy is not the main character of the book. Rob Roy's appearances in the book are spotty, at best. Instead, Francis Osbaldistone is both narrator and main character. Francis, we quickly find out, is more interested in poetry than in business. His father, who hoped for Francis to take over the family business, becomes angry with his son and banishes him to his brother's estate, Osbaldistone Hall. Francis's relatives are all country hicks, with the exception of Diana Vernon, an astonishingly beautiful "cousin" who stays with the Osbaldistones for reasons best left unrevealed here. Francis also encounters the treacherous Rashleigh Osbaldistone, the cousin who is to replace Francis at his father's business. Francis soon becomes embroiled in several adventures, usually with Scottish sidekick/groundskeeper Andrew Fairservice and Glasgow businessman Nicol Jarvie at his side. Needless to say, Francis falls in love with Diana Vernon and becomes entangled in the machinations of the Jacobite rebellion. I found myself amazed at Scott's depictions of women in this book. Diana Vernon is not only beautiful; she's smart, self-assured, and a very dominant figure. Rob Roy's wife, Helen MacGregor, also is presented as strong and domineering. I find this fascinating in a novel written in the early 19th century. Even more surprising is Francis; he is depicted as weak and easily dominated. Between Rashleigh, Rob Roy, and Diana, Francis never seems to know what is happening and is easily brought to emotional frenzies by the other characters. You quickly begin to wonder how this guy can get anything done. There are two minor problems in Rob Roy. First, I'll mention the Scottish dialect. Scott, in an effort to be authentic, makes liberal use of the Scottish accent. This isn't much of a problem in the first part of the book, but in the second half it becomes a serious issue. Even worse, Scott uses the Scottish characters to reveal major plot points. Therefore, if you can't read the dialect, you're in trouble. This wouldn't be bad if a glossary had been included in the book, but there isn't one. After awhile, I realized that "bluid" was blood, and that "muckle" meant much, but the inclusion of many Scottish idioms had me totally dumbfounded. Other Scott novels in the Penguin series include a glossary of Scottish terms, but not their edition of Rob Roy. Second, the pacing of the book is most unusual. For some 200 pages, nothing much happens. I've read many novels from this time period, and most move faster than Scott. This doesn't make Rob Roy a bad book, but it does take patience to get to the end. Even when the plot starts to thicken, Scott still takes a lot of time to unfold events. In some aspects, this lends a distinct quaintness to the book. At other times, it can become annoying. It is easy to understand how many people would lose patience with the book and give up. This is still an entertaining book, and I highly recommend it to those interested in historical fiction. Despite a few problems I had with the book, I would like to read more of Scott's work in the future. I shall certainly look for editions with glossaries so I can navigate the Scottish words. By the way, the man on the cover of the Penguin edition is William, 18th Earl of Sutherland.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, Not Too Historical
Review: Sir Walter Scott's "account" of the life of Rob "Roy" (Gaelic word meaning "red-haired") MacGregor is an entertaining historical fiction about Scotland's ongoing battle for independence from English rule. Interestingly enough, MacGregor is a fairly minor character in the novel, appearing a mere handful of times and not initially identified. The primary protagonist is a young student who keeps encountering MacGregor ("a mysterious man in a dark cloak") in various situations and eventually, through various circumstances, meets him in the Highlands. I would not view this book as anything other than a novel ... there is some historical accuracy, but it is deeply disguised in the telling of the tale.
Rating:
Summary: A great introduction to Scott
Review: This novel is nothing like the film featuring Liam Neeson. "Rob Roy" focuses on relationships in conflict because of national and local origins, social classes, and generations. Although most characters are one-dimensional, this becomes a useful tool for Scott to illustrate what each represents in his narrative. It does get off to a slow start, but one of the best things about Scott is that he describes the complete landscape of his novel, and soon you will be immersed in the story and have a detailed mental picture of what is unfolding in the novel. Be patient, and allow yourself to be drawn into one of the best books ever written. "Rob Roy" is my favorite of Scott's works.
|
