One of Scott's best on the theme of star-crossed lovers, family feuds, noble ruins, and ruined nobles. Atmospheric and psychologically intense in places, though enlivened as ever by Scott’s humorous and memorable characters and way with a plot. Though, like many of his best works, leaves you with the feeling that it has been dragged out in certain sections and shortened or rushed in others. ( )

Mladému panu Ravenswoodovi zemře otec a celé sídlo a pozemky připadnou lordu Aschtonovi a jeho rodině. Ravenswood touží po pomstě a vydá se s puškou směrem k sídle Aschtonových. Cestou se mu ale stane podivná věc. Zachrání dva lidi, kteří se vypravili na procházku, před zuřícím býkem. Je to lord Aschton a jeho půvabná dcera Lucy. Ravenswood upustí od pomsty a vrací se zpět na své nynější sídlo, které přímo vyzařuje chudobou. V domě má ubytovaného "přítele". Jednoho dne si vyjedou. Ravenswoodův přítel spatří společnost lidí, kteří zrovna pořádají hon a drze se k nim vetře. Ravenswoodovi nezbývá než připojit se též. Uchvátí ho mladá dáma, která se lovu též účastní. Najednou začne pršet a tak se celá společnost, i přes Ravenswoodovo vylíčení své chudoby, přesune do jeho domu. Jeho sluha není daleko od zešílení. Povede se mu zavřít vrata a nepustí do domu druhou polovinu společnosti (Ravenswood nic netuší). Všichni co se nedostali dovnitř jsou dotčeni a nejvíce Ravenswoodův "přítel", který ho vyzve na souboj. Ten však odmítá. Druhou polovinu společnosti tvoří lord Achton a jeho dcera Lucy. Ravenswood propadne Lucyinu kouzlu a zamiluje se do ní. Později je hostem v jejich sídle. Na radu lorda Achtona jde navštívit starou Alici. Když ho Alice uvidí v doprovodu Lucy, zděsí se. Pošle Lucy pryč a radí mu, aby odjel pryč a to hodně daleko nebo bude litovat. Rozhodne se odjet. Plán mu ale zmaří Lucyin bratr. Jde tedy za Lucy, což se mu stane osudným. Oba mladí lidé si vyznají lásku a tajně se zasnoubí. Ravenswood chce zasnoubení oznámit lordu Achtonovi, ale Lucy naléhá, aby to nedělal. Mezitím se lord Aschton rozhodne pozvat na své sídlo příbuzného mladého Ravenswooda, který může pomoci Ravenswoodovi získat jeho majetek zpět. O pár dní později se tuto skutečnost dozví jeho manželka, zuří a rozhodne se vrátit se okamžitě domů. To také učiní, ale bohužel se vrací domů právě ve chvíli, kdy přijíždí návštěva. Udělá manželovi scénu a Ravenswooda doslova vykopne z domu. Oznámí Lucy, že si vezme, ať chce nebo ne, jiného muže. Rozzuřený Ravenswood se rozhodne soudit se s Aschtonem o majetek. Učiní to a rozzuří tím i lorda Aschtona. Později se dozví, že Lucy svolila k sňatku a rozhodne se vrátit jí půlku rozlomené mince (důkaz věrnosti). Lucy je zničená, ale přesto se vdá. Ve svatební noc se zavře s novomanželem v ložnici. O něco později se z toho pokoje ozve děsivý výkřik. Hosté se polekají. Lord Aschton vtrhne do pokoje a najde na zemi pobodaného novomanžela. Lucy se přitom s příšerným smíchem krčí v rohu. O pár dní později umírá. Ravenswood dostal výzvu k souboji od lorda Aschtona i od (již vyléčeného) novomanžela. Přijímá. Při cestě na smluvené místo však sjede i se svým koněm do moře a utopí se. Tak tragicky končí příběh.

Bastante entretenida, esta novela de Scott se puede leer fácilmente en un par de días sin resultar tediosa. El tema es sencillo pero esta bien ejecutado. No es Ivanhoe pero es una obra recomendable para disfrutar a Scott. ( )

The 8th of Walter Scott's historical novels. Set in East Lothian in 1709 - 11, it tells the story of a doomed love affair amid ugly family pride. Scotland, at the time the novel is set, was recovering from the Glorious Revolution and the Act of Union - both of which had big repercussion on Scotland, and both play their part in the background of this novel. But history is a smaller player in this novel than others in the series.
The Gutenberg editions of the Scott novels seem to be derived from later editions of the books, often with extensive introductions, many of which give background to the plot. This tends, understandably, to detract from the mystery of the plot development. This book in particular, suffered from such a spoiler in the Introduction. ( )

The young Janet Dalrymple became secretly engaged to Lord Rutherford. Her father, Lord Stair, and her mother, Dame Margaret Ross, disapproved of the young man on political and financial grounds. The young couple had sealed their engagement by breaking a piece of gold in two, each keeping half. Janet vowed that terrible things would befall her should she ever break her troth. Shortly after this, Janet's parents found a promising match for her, which Janet refused. Forcing her to confess her secret engagement, her parents nonetheless insisted upon this new alliance. Lord Rutherford objected strongly, but the engagement was broken, and Janet's half of the gold piece was returned to him.

When Janet married her new suitor, David Dunbar, she was seen to be completely passive, "... sad, silent and resigned, as it seemed, to her destiny." After the wedding feast and dancing, the couple retired to the bridal chamber. Suddenly, "the most vivid and piercing cries were heard." The company felt they should investigate. On opening the door, they found the bridegroom lying across the threshold, dreadfully wounded, and streaming with blood. The bride was then sought for: She was found in the corner of the large chimney, having no covering save her shift, and that dabbled in gore. There she sat, grinning at them, mopping and mowing... in a word, absolutely insane. The only words she spoke were 'Tak up your bonny bridegroom'. She survived this horrible scene little more than a fortnight...
Scott outlined this actual event from 1669, a story told him by his mother, in his introduction to The Bride of Lammermoor, telling his readers it is the basis for his novel. This raises a certain anticipation in the reader, for Scott is one of the nineteenth century's great story tellers. That story, however, seemed a mere premise for the novel Scott actually wrote.

The Bride of Lammermoor tells the tale of Edgar, the Master of Ravenswood, last of an ancient and noble family. Edgar does indeed become secretly engaged to Lucy Ashton, daughter of the man who had taken over the estate of Ravenswood through legal cunning. Once Scott has Edgar and Lucy engaged though, Lucy barely appears again until the end of the novel. Instead, the meat of the novel lies in Ravenswood's character and actions. Principally these revolve around Ashton's manoeuvres to secure the estate of Ravenswood, and Edgar's attempts to win it back. Scott altered the time frame, so that his events take place shortly after the Act of Union, when Scots were adapting to some new legal measures and to shifting political alliances.

Simply put, Ravenswood's psychological makeup is the old romantic Stewart side of the tale. Ashton represents the new. It's not black and white though. Scott portrays Edgar as a more complex character, torn between old and new, wanting to evolve beyond the old battle lines, but eventually throwing in his lot with his powerful relative, the Marquis of Atholl, who was himself finding his way in this new world.

There is a large cast of supporting characters. Edgar's last retainer, Caleb Balderstone, is used to inject humour, often to an annoying extent, but in the end, he is a figure of pathos, a relic of another age. Lucy's mother, Lady Ashton, rivals any [[Wilkie Collins]] heroine in evil behaviour. There are the three hags, echoing Macbeth's witches.

This is an excellent political novel and character study. However, as I read it, for the first time when reading Scott I thought I understood why he is no longer widely read. The politics, legal manoeuvres, and intrigue were perhaps too specific to a place and time for many readers. For such readers, the dramatic tension of the original story wasn't there to make up for the amount of time spent on their study.

Scott himself had worries about his novel. In a letter to his friend and publisher James Ballantyne, he said

The story is a dismal one, and I doubt sometimes whether it will bear working out to much length after all. Query, if I shall make it so effective in two volumes as my mother does in her quarter of an hour's crack by the fireside? But, nil desperandum.

I have the feeling that I didn't read this novel in a manner that would do it justice. It is only three hundred and thirty-one pages long, but has ninety-five pages of notes. For about seventy-five per cent of the book, I read each note as I went along. I felt incredibly bogged down. Then I switched to only reading them at the end of each chapter, and things picked up remarkably. After all, Scott is above all a teller of tales, and as such should never be interrupted. Next time I read this book, I will read it right through.