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The Heart of Midlothian by Sir Walter Scott
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The Heart of Midlothian (original 1818; edition 2009)

by Sir Walter Scott

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingConversations / Mentions
1,0781818,680 (3.65)1 / 106
This novel, which has always been regarded as one of Scott's finest, opens with the Edinburgh riots of 1736. The people of the city have been infuriated by the actions of John Porteous, Captain of the Guard, and when they hear that his death has been reprieved by the distant monarch theyignore the Queen and resolve to take their own revenge. At the cente of the story is Edinburgh's forbidding Tolbooth prison, known by all as the Heart of Midlothian.… (more)
Member:P_S_Patrick
Title:The Heart of Midlothian
Authors:Sir Walter Scott
Info:Adam and Charles Black Edinburgh, 1863, Half Leather
Collections:Your library
Rating:****
Tags:Fiction, 19th Century, English Literature, Scottish Literature, Historical Fiction

Work Information

The Heart of Mid-Lothian by Sir Walter Scott (1818)

  1. 00
    The Falls by Ian Rankin (charlie68)
    charlie68: Similar setting although different time periods.
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» See also 106 mentions

English (17)  Dutch (1)  All languages (18)
Showing 1-5 of 17 (next | show all)
This is one of Scott's most famous novels, named after the Tolbooth prison in the heart of Edinburgh. The basic plotline concerns Effie Deans, who gives birth to a child who disappears and who as a consequence is arrested and tried for its murder on the basis of a harsh Scots law in force at the time which gives a presumption of guilt to a mother in these circumstances. Her sister Jean makes a solo trip to London to beg mercy from the King and Queen. This plot is well and dramatically told, as are the rebellious events around the death of Captain Porteous, but much of the story's effect was marred for me by the heavy use of Scots vernacular for the speech of many of the characters, and the doings of rigid and unbending members of the Scottish kirk. I know it is not the point for the style of novels written two centuries ago, but this could have been a better read if around 30% shorter. That said, this is a good novel and rightly regarded as one of Scott's best novels. ( )
  john257hopper | Mar 25, 2024 |
Not an easy read, a lot of dialect makes for going over sentences for meaning. But an engrossing tale of the time period. ( )
  charlie68 | Jan 11, 2024 |
Definitely above average for Scott. A gripping tale of crime, miscarriage of justice, heroism, madness, and memorable characters, all with a satisfying conclusion. Could perhaps have cut a hundred pages or so without losing its effect however. ( )
  P_S_Patrick | Dec 9, 2021 |
A simple Scots lass journeys to London hoping to obtain a pardon for her sister, who has been falsely accused of infanticide. the novel has a large cast of conflicted characters revealing the complicated state of scot's law and society in 1736. It is sentimental but contrasts several differing attitudes according to the social status of the characters. the book was originally publish in 1818. ( )
  DinadansFriend | Oct 8, 2019 |
The seventh of Walter Scott's historical novels, and one that he was especially proud of - not an opinion that I share.
The book is uneven. The first half seems to lack narrative progress, and the history, such a good backdrop to his earlier novels, seems here to be too prominent and dry. Fortunately, the second half picks up the pace and is more in line with Scott at his best.
The plot is based on actual events - a woman accused of child murder, and the actions of her sister. Scott adds some familiar features - a strong, slightly crazy woman, and a lost heir, giving the book a formulaic feel.
Worth reading, but not my favourite. ( )
  mbmackay | Dec 23, 2018 |
Showing 1-5 of 17 (next | show all)
The criticism that Scott cannot draw a heroine has to be modified after we have read The Heart of Midlothian. To judge by this book Scott could not draw a hero. For neither the pious, pettifogging Butler nor the wicked George Staunton can be called human beings of anything but conventional interest. Effie and Jeanie Deans are quite another matter. They are peasants and Scott condescends to them with the gentlemanliness of his time, but they are alive as his peasants always are...

The greatness of The Heart of Midlothian arises, first of all, in the scope that the problem of conscience gave to Scott’s imagination. He was not arguing in a void. His argument was creating real people and attracting real people to it. He made the story of Effie’s murdered baby a national story. And then how wide his range is! The scenes in theTolbooth are remarkable, and especially those that are built about the figure of Ratcliffe when the governor is working to turn him into an informer. Scott had the eighteenth-century taste for rogues, and their talk is straight from nature... Scott has looked it all up, but his own version is so alive, so effortless, so fast moving. Every detail tells; the very pedantry of it is pedantry washed down by the rough wine of life.
added by SnootyBaronet | editNew York Review of Books, V.S. Pritchett
 

» Add other authors (8 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Scott, Sir Walterprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Daiches, DavidIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Hewitt, DavidEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Inglis, TonyIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Inglis, TonyEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lamont, ClaireEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lumsden, AlisonEditorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
May, SophieTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Parker, W. M.Prefacesecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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The times have changed nothing more (we follow as we were wont the manuscript of Peter Pattieson) than an in the rapid communication of intelligence and communication between one part of Scotland and another.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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This novel, which has always been regarded as one of Scott's finest, opens with the Edinburgh riots of 1736. The people of the city have been infuriated by the actions of John Porteous, Captain of the Guard, and when they hear that his death has been reprieved by the distant monarch theyignore the Queen and resolve to take their own revenge. At the cente of the story is Edinburgh's forbidding Tolbooth prison, known by all as the Heart of Midlothian.

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