The Heart of Mid-Lothian

The title of this book comes from the nickname of the prison in Edinburgh, Scotland (real name Toolbooth) ... Midlothian, is the county, surrounding that beautiful, ancient, hilly, capital city; in 1736, there occurred a brutal riot, in which Captain John Porteous, of the local police force, an arrogant man, was lynched by an angry mob , ( a real event) the captain, had killed some townspeople, during a tumultuous disturbance earlier. A smuggler Andrew Wilson, was executed under his watch, his loyal friends, had tried to rescue the criminal, and the late Mr.Wilson, became an enormous hero, when he helped George Robertson, captured with him, escape in Church, by holding off the inattentive guards. Back then the naive authorities, thought a last visit to God's Temple, might benefit the doomed men, things have changed greatly, since then . Meanwhile Jeanie Deans, daughter of David Deans, had visited her younger sister Euphemia, (Effie) at the Toolbooth, before it was stormed. Captain Porteous, convicted of several murders, previously mentioned, was inside too, but a royal reprieve, caused the indignant people, in town to suspect that "Justice," would not be served . Effie, an unmarried woman, was found guilty of child killing, her new born son, vanished mysteriously, their widower father, a strict Christian farmer, lives just outside the historical city, is profoundly shocked, learning about Effie's scandal. His family's good reputation, is tarnished, forever, the teenager adamantly refuses, to reveal the man responsible for the baby, yet suspicion falls on the notorious fugitive , George Robertson. Time is flowing by, in a few weeks, unless something unforeseen develops, poor Effie will be no more, it's up to Jeanie, to save her little sister, but how? She feels responsible, because at the trial, Jeanie, deeply religious, could not commit perjury, which would have freed Effie, today, that doesn't bother people much... Complicating everything, is Rev.Reuben Butler, a penniless clergyman, that the older sister loves, how can she marry him, with Effie's case so well known, no respectable man would. Now brave Jeanie, has a bold idea , go to distant London, (hundreds of miles from Edinburgh) and get a royal pardon for Euphemia, traveling money will be needed, even if she has to walk most of the way, only one person she knows has it. Dumbiedikes, a rich, shy, landowner, hopelessly in love with Miss Deans, the embarrassed Jeanie, has to ask for help from this man! One of the better historical novels, from the very sophisticated, Sir Walter Scott, some say his best.

Note, Feb. 28, 2013: On reflection, I decided that this book deserved the fifth star! I try not to be too prodigal with five star ratings; but here, I believe it's earned.

This book was on the reading list for a Univ. of Iowa correspondence course on the 19th-century British novel which I considered taking back in 1999; I never did, but by then I'd read the book and a couple of others for background reading. (I don't regret the read one bit!) For the last several months, I've tried to focus my usually rather random retrospective reviews on classics. Before I go back to the random mode (there are some specific more recent books I want to review), I'm going to wrap up this round of classics reviews with this neglected gem.

The only other book by Scott (who is, of course, the giant of Romantic period British historical fiction) that I've read is Ivanhoe, written a year after this one. Both novels feature strong female lead characters (Jeanie here is actually the protagonist of the novel --Scott's first female protagonist, according to Wikipedia), who play active roles in the plot, face adversity with courage, determination and resourcefulness, and command our liking and respect. Jeanie may have blazed a trail in Scott's mind for Rebecca in Ivanhoe. :-) Here, though, he sets his tale much closer to his own time, and in his native Scotland. But while the more civilized 18th century offers less scope for tournaments and swordplay, here we still have outlaws, injustice and danger to contend with; and as the above Goodreads description indicates, Jeanie will have to go the second mile to save her sister (without depending on a male to do it for her).

Effie Deans is the unwed mother of an outlaw's newborn child --a child who's now missing. To the authorities, that suggests the possibility of infanticide --and the "harsh law" mentioned in the description above was a provision of Scots law, at that time, which reversed the normal presumption of the accused's innocence, for this charge only. So to hang her, the prosecution doesn't need to prove her guilty; rather, she's expected to prove her innocence, a task that's much more difficult --especially if she can't produce the live baby. (Scott's background in the law is apparent here in the way that he handles the legal aspects.) It's worth noting, in passing, that Scott and his original readers take it for granted that the baby is a human being deserving of protection by society, not a "clump of tissues" that the mother would be justified in killing if she didn't want a child. (True, killing a baby after birth is still technically illegal, despite the "legality" of abortion; but many in the medical and legal communities argue that the distinction is an artificial superstition, and that anything that's legal before birth should be legal immediately after it as well. In the climate of most jurisdictions today, my impression is that a woman accused of Effie's offense wouldn't face more than a wrist slap, if that.) For Scott, on the other hand, Effie's actual innocence is crucial to the merits of the case.

Scott spins his tale in the Romantic style, with fulsome 19th-century diction; that won't be to every modern reader's taste, nor will his heavy use of Scots dialect in dialogue. For those who don't mind this, or who can get past it, though, this is a captivating storyline with well-drawn, engaging characters, which really brings its setting to life and which offers some surprises before it's over. The faith of the mostly Presbyterian characters is treated positively and respectfully (though Scott himself was an Anglican --a form of religious dissent in Scotland, where the state Kirk was and is Presbyterian). It's true that David, Jeanie's father, is portrayed at times as over-concerned with theological hair-splitting, but I'd disagree with the writer of the Wikipedia article that this rises to the level of "ridicule;" he's basically a sympathetic character, and this comes across as just a forgivable foible of his generation and personality. (I'd also disagree with Wikipedia's suggestion that the Jacobite rebellions and sentiment play any major role here; the former are mentioned in passing a couple of times, but they're mostly ignored. That theme plays much more strongly in Stevenson's Kidnapped).

Scott is definitely a writer whose work I'd like to read more of, someday! With more exposure to him, I think he'd easily become one of my favorites.

A wonderful story merging historical facts with imagination. The story begins with the Porteous Riots in 1736. The Duke of Argyle is trying to reduce the anger of the King with the people of Edinburgh after the mob lynches an official. The character of mad Madge Wildfire based on Feckless Fannie although minus the sheep is excellent. All add to a rich and adventurous story.

The Main Characters in the story are listed below.

Jeanie Deans
Effie Deans the imprisoned sister
Douce David Deans the father
Reuben Butler who loves Jeanie
Laird of Dumbiedikes a comedic character in love also with Jeanie
Mr Saddletree a pseudo lawyer
Mrs Saddletree his domineering wife
Madge Wildfire a madwoman
Dame Murdockson her criminal mother
George Staunton the villain
Duke of Argyle a go between.

The Old Tolbooth prison in Edinburgh is called “the heart of Midlothian,” and it is here the story begins. Effie Deans is awaiting trial for allegedly murdering her illegitimate son. The trial finds her guilty and sentenced to death. Her sister, Jeanie Deans, decides to travel to London and ask for a pardon from the King. It is a dangerous journey through regions of lawlessness to London.

The strange laws and Scottish Presbyterianism are discussed at length with the sisters father Davie a staunch Presbyterian and issues of conscience, good versus evil are the novel’s themes. The heroine, Jeanie, is not beautiful, wealthy, or of the upper class with the story based around an actual legal case.

An excellent read.

The Heart of Midlothian (1818) has the reputation of being Scott’s greatest, or most classic, novel—which, like so many such canonical judgments, is kind of nonsense. That’s not to say that it’s not a rich and enjoyable read, like all of Scott’s work, but I wouldn’t say it’s better or worse than Waverley or The Bride of Lammermoor or even less well-known works like The Abbot.

As ever with Scott, THoM is a mixed bag. Towards the beginning, you find yourself trudging through pages of detailed historical reconstruction of superannuated religious disputes and (to me) near-incomprehensible Scots dialect; then suddenly you find yourself grabbed by the throat by a piece of virtuoso narrative (the brilliantly paced description of the Porteous riots did it for me here). By the time that is over, you are hooked into the characters and their absorbing dramas and setting the book aside is no longer an option. I can see why people love the character of Jeanie Deans, who manages to be a kind of moral paragon without being annoying or sanctimonious—a difficult trick to pull off, especially in nineteenth-century novels, where the villains are almost inevitably more fun. The scenes of her dealings with the Duke of Argyle are delightful (I love the way they bond over their mutual interest in cattle), and the contrast between Jeanie and her restless, morally equivocal sister Effie is beautifully realised. I was interested to read in the introduction to the Penguin Classics edition that this is the first novel to feature a lower-class woman as protagonist, after Defoe’s Moll Flanders (1722) and Richardson’s Pamela (1740)—which I guess may be true if we are talking about English novels, though La Celestina (1499) offers a distant Spanish precedent.

As always with Scott, in addition to a gripping personal story, we also find larger political, religious, and moral themes. Jeanie’s father, ‘Douce’ Davie Deans, represents a kind of head-butting, Bible-spouting, hardcore Covenanter (a seventeenth-century Scottish persecuted Presbyterian minority), who has brought Jeanie up to be shocked even at the sight of an English vicar reading a sermon from a text, rather than engaging in a spontaneous rant. Her eventual husband—I don’t think that’s a spoiler—Reuben Butler, is a devout man and a minister, but less stern and more ‘Enlightenment’ in his religion. You can see Scotland, in a sense, ‘growing up’.

The relationship between Scotland and England is also a great theme, as we might expect from this author. As an English reader, I found it rather poignant to read Scott’s reflection that, in the 1730s, when the novel is set, ‘[Scotland] was indeed united to England, but the cement had not had time to acquire consistence’. Almost three hundred years later—and two hundred since Scott wrote those words—the cement has practically crumbled into dust. One great pleasure for me in reading this novel was its striking evocation of Edinburgh, where I lived, very happily, for a couple of years in the early ‘90s. I wonder whether I’d feel quite as much at home there if I were to move there now, thirty years on.

My favorite Scott. There's a very powerful scene where the girl drags herself across an outer landscape that is a complete mirror of her inner state: the entire book is more than worth it for that one scene.

Jeanie Deans is horrified to learn that her sister, Effie, has been arrested on a charge of child-murder. Effie insists that she is innocent and that her baby was taken from her immediately after his birth. Effie refuses to tell anyone who the father is. The lawyers assure Jeanie that there is a loophole in the law and that if Jeanie will only testify that her sister told her about the pregnancy before the child was born, then Effie cannot be prosecuted under the law. But Jeanie is from a staunchly religious family and she feels that she cannot tell a lie under oath. Effie is condemned to death, and Jeanie undertakes a long and dangerous journey to London to seek a pardon directly from the king.

This book is so brilliant and I loved every page! Sir Walter Scott has such a genius for writing exciting adventures and compelling characters. Certainly, he can be a bit long-winded at times, but that just adds to the flavor of history.

Jeanie Deans is an incredible main character with many complex layers, but her most important trait is how she was brought up to obey godly precepts. She cannot reconcile with her conscience to lie at any time and especially not under oath in a court of law, even if it means saving her sister's life.
I love that Jeanie concocts this plan of going to London all on her own. She is so independent and capable and smart! She has a gentle spirit but with a fierce will of her own. She remains undaunted in the face of obstacles and danger and privations. That steady courage is what gives her a calm wisdom in every circumstance in which she is placed.

One of my favorite things about Sir Walter Scott's works is that he often has poor common people interacting with nobility of very high rank, and those of high rank appreciate the wise simplicity of the commoners and respect their bravery and good sense. One of my favorite scenes is when Jeanie is talking to a Duke and they get to talking about the making of cheese and which breeds of cows have the best milk for cheese-making. This juxtaposition of the high and low has a lovely humor to it, but also illustrates that people of all ranks are the same everywhere, no matter their education or status.

One of the main themes of this book is the pursuit of heroic action and what it means to truly be a hero or heroine. There is a side character who joins a band of ruffians and thieves, because he is craving the danger and heroic action that a sedentary society cannot give him. But Scott proves that heroic action is possible within the confines of the law, even within the confines of a peaceful and sedentary life. Jeanie Deans heroically tries to save her sister from the gallows by undertaking the journey to London alone, and in all the dangers she endures, she responds with heroic action and sacrifice that wins admiration from all who know her. She doesn't need to carry a sword or pistol to be a hero. She wins the battle with her gentleness and determination. The best part of her character is that she is entirely unconscious of her own heroism. She is just doing what she believes to be right, and trusting God for the outcome.

I also loved the themes of family loyalty, national pride, faith in God, and sisterly devotion. This story is full of humor and adventure and intrigue. I got really emotional a few times, and ended up crying at the sad or distressing scenes. Scott has that eloquence in his writing that really tugs at your heart and inspires your soul.

Sense and Sensibility meets Perry Mason, "based on a true story."

Once the reader gathers enough skill to decipher the vernacular and stilted narratives and dialogue of that day, an enjoyable tale written early enough in the 19th century as to avoid the silliness of late-19th century Romanticism. The parallels to Jane Auten's work are many, especially the relationship of the wise and foolish sisters. Interestingly, Austen and Scott wrote almost simultaneously, yet his work seems more dated than hers

My first Walter Scott. Encouraged to try more.

A very good read.

The very best of heroines is found in this story; Jeanie Deans. I loved this book and Scott did not disappoint me. Highly recommended to those who love novels of virtue and integrity.

It was great fun to revisit this many years after reading it for the first time. I love how the most fantastically disparate plot elements all cohere – eventually – even though it takes 400 pages. Many readers love the court room drama, although I felt there was a bit too much legalistic windbaggery. There are some improbabilities, although they are not so excessive as to disturb my enjoyment of the novel, which overall is vintage Scott. (Curiously, one of the most improbable elements – the long walk to London of the heroine to procure an interview with the Duke of Argyle, so he can intervene with the monarch to ask for the life of her condemned sister – was based on a true story).

There is an English clergyman whose fabulous wealth is derived from slavery and who comes across – to me anyway - as arrogant and judgmental. And yet all those around him defer to him with a kind of sickening sycophancy which makes even a reactionary like me stir with anti-clericalism. But it is the women who take centre stage here, and Scott’s portrayal of his female characters shows both his broad sympathies and his creative genius. (And it is rather a relief that for once a well bred young man doesn’t take centre stage).

This was surprisingly easy to read, once you get the hang of the Scottish dialect and ignore all the Latin phrases that don’t really add important information. At its heart, this is a story story about two sisters, who remind me of Marianne and Elinor from Sense and Sensibility. Jeanie is an angel in the house, but also has agency and has her principles tested. Effie is accused of murdering her newborn illegitimate child, which sparks the events of the book (and, okay, doesn’t make her exactly like Marianne). I did not know where this story was going half the time, but in a good way. There were many dramatic plot points, though there was no real climax to the story. I’m really glad I read this and would consider trying something else by Scott.

'So I leave it to you, sir, to think if I were wise, not having the wish or opportunity of spending three hundred a year to covet the possession of four times that sum.' 'This is philosophy,' said Sir George; 'I have heard of it, but I never saw it before.'

An incredible story, very well written. Great Virtue and Beauty flourish in the life and journey of Jeanie Deans esp. in her bid to save her Sister Effie from the gallows. She could easily have saved her Sister from execution by telling a white lie in court and was tempted to do so by those closest to her. Not only that but she had the deepest sympathies of the court to do so, the statue under which her Sister was charged was felt to be severe and she was believed innocent of the charge itself. Instead of bearing false witness she sets out on a perilous journey on foot all the way from Edinburgh to London in a bid to save her sisters life.
A work of genius. A favorite of many who love Scott (including Victor Hugo)
Most of the novelty in the plot lies toward the end of the book, there being several twists even in the last few chapters. A degree of patience is required, as is true with Dostoevsky,Shakespeare and many other Great writers
My sixth Scott novel in as many months and as I write I am well into my 7th. He may very well be my favourite author of all time.
Such great vitality and humour radiates throughout his work. Heart of Midlothian is no exception!

A good Walter Scott novel, loosely based on real facts. Jeanie Deans, the main character, can be considered (as C.S.Lewis remarked) one of the "perfect women" in literature. The novel slacks its pace between chapters 39 and 49, but rushes forth to a surprising ending in the last three chapters.

DNF. Could not get through this without a literature guide, and I'd rather just read for pleasure and pick books I actually understand.

I read this novel in an old (undated) Collins Home Library edition. As usual, Scott is a perceptive observer of human nature and the motivations of behaviour. The main protagonist, Jeanie Deans, is a young Scotch woman with high moral principles raised in a humble country family. Jeanie, we learn, is from a strict branch of Presbyterianism known as Cameronians, which would be roughly comparable to early 20th century Fundamentalists. It is clear that Scott was familiar with much of their doctrine as well as with the Bible. The plot has a few interesting surprises to keep the reader going. I had mentioned previously that I felt that Scott had cut short the conclusion of his previous novel, The Black Dwarf (1816) perhaps in response with Heart of Mid-Lothian (1818) we have the opposite effect, that is about 2/3rds of the way through the book we are offered what appears to be a satisfying “happy ending” yet the novel continues on into somewhat tedious events after “they lived happily ever after”... And of course, not everyone remains “happy”...

Regarding the Scottish vocabulary put forward by Scott in this novel, I assume that while most readers from Great Britain could manage such language without too much difficulty, quite a few North American readers might balk at the Scottish words and turns of phrase that Scott uses. With a bit of perseverance however, the reader can get used to the Scottish words after a few pages and as a result will be rewarded with a full-flavoured taste of Scottish life in past centuries. I'm aware that there have been "adapted versions" of Scottish writers work put out for the American market, but as far as I'm concerned they are "bastard children". If you gut the original language Scott uses, then you've lost an important element of his novels. Here are couple of hints: “unco” = uncommon/unusual, “bairn” = child, “aye” = yes/indeed, “byre” = cowshed.

It should come to no surprise that Walter Scott, being a Freemason, weaves in subtle (and not so subtle) undertones of condescension regarding Christians. At a few points, Scott argues for “tolerance” between religious groups and the non-religious characters (implicitly, Freemasons) are portrayed as the real movers and shakers, the people who “get things done” as opposed to the Christians who are continually portrayed in a relation of dependence... Of course Scott’s concept of religious “tolerance” implies a disregard for Truth...

I am giving The Heart of the Mid-Lothian only three stars because it disappointed me. I read it because it has been considered by many as the great masterpiece of the most influential British Writer of the nineteenth century, Sir Walter Scott. I found it ultimately to be a mediocre novel despite its many stellar qualities.
However much we admire George Eliot and Jane Austen today, they had little impact on English literature in their time and absolutely none outside of the British Isles. Sir Walter Scott in contrast caused a revolution. It was his work that introduced romanticism to France and Italy inspiring writers Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas and Alessandro Manzoni. George Bizet's opera "Jollie fille de Perth" and Gaetano Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" were based on Scott novels. While Scott's influence was extraordinary, it is hard to identify a masterpiece amongst his works.
At different times however the The Heart of the Mid-Lothian has been proposed as the Magnum Opus of Scott. Hans Christian Anderson was one greater writer who considered it to be such and his novel The Two Baronesses was composed as a hommage to the Mid-Lothian. There has even been an opera based on the work; La Prigione di Edimburgo by Federico Ricci (1809–1877).
It is certainly worth considering the arguments of those who consider the novel to be truly great. First true to its title, the novel provides a magnificent portrayal of Scotland in the carceral age. "The Heart of the Midlothian" was the nickname for the prison of Edinborough (which is why in French it is called Le prison d'Edimbourg and in Italian La Prigione di Edimburgo .) Scott gives the reader fabulous descriptions of the smugglers and highwaymen who terrorized Scotland during the era as wells as of the workings of the police, courts and prisons.
Victor Hugo has been greatly praised for his portraits of Parisian riots but none of them are as good as the description of a riot and a lynching found in The Heart of the Mid-Lothian.
The novel also has an outstanding heroine Jeanie Deans who seems to come from the pages of a Jane Austen novel. Jeannie is honest, courageous and dignified. Her ultimate triumphant belongs to her intense moral sense and determination in face of great adversity. She provides the leadership and focus in the novel. She has an earnest, right-minded husband who never understands whats going on and a family of bunglers who remind the reader of the Bennets from Pride and Prejudice.
The Heart of the Mid-Lothian also has many outstanding comic scenes. Scott provides a fabulous parody of the Reformed Presbyterian Church members (a.k.a. the Cameronians) through the pompous and ludicrous portrayal that he makes of the heroine's father. Although none are quite as well done as Jeanie Dean's father there are several other comic characters that are very well done.
Thus there is much good writing in The Heart of the Mid-Lothian which is undermined by several major errors. Scott addresses the issue of infanticide (of which the heroine's sister is falsely accused)which is praiseworthy but he bungles in the execution and the result is a lamentable melodrama.
The single greatest sin that Scott commits is to write interminable dialogues in a false Scottish accent that is supposed to draw the reader's attention to the fact that Jeannie and several of the other leading characters are members of the lower classes. The result is ghastly. The experience of reading the passages reminded me of listening to Harry Lauder sing "A Wee Deoch an Doris". Scott was in tune with his times. Popular Patoises were considered to be attributes of authenticity and honesty. Victor Hugo wrote a great long essay in praise of urban slang ('argot') in Les Misérables. The problem is that it does not work. Great writers from Euripides through Shakespeare to J.K. Rowling have understand that lower class accents are only to be used for comic effect and then sparingly. Unfortunately, Scott wrote most of his dialogues in the artificial accent that he created. The reader suffers greatly to no good end.
For the forgiving reader who likes Sir Walter Scott, The Heart of the Mid-Lothian has many excellent qualities. It is not, however, the masterpiece that some consider it to be.

The story of one woman's heart-wrenching attempt to save her sister from death at the hands of Scotland's strict justice system in the mid-eighteenth century. On her way, she meets different people, from criminals to aristocrats, and she tries to move them all with her sister's story to help her in her difficult task, while trying to maintain her dignity. All this in a country torn apart by religious and political conflicts which infiltrate into every home and affect the lives of all people. The author combines these two elements in his own way, particularly harmoniously, which makes it easier to understand the story we are reading. On the other hand, the author does not manage to give a particularly dramatic tone to the story, being drawn into some chatter that does not particularly help the enjoyment of the text, although certainly, the description of the historical landscape is particularly interesting. Definitely a pretty good book compared to all his novels I've read.

Η ιστορία της συγκινητικής προσπάθεια μιας γυναίκας να σώσει την αδερφή της από τον θάνατο στα χέρια του αυστηρού συστήματος Δικαιοσύνης της Σκωτίας στα μέσα του δέκατου όγδοου αιώνα. Στο δρόμο της συναντάει διαφορετικούς ανθρώπους, από εγκληματίες μέχρι αριστοκράτες, και όλους προσπαθεί να τους συγκινήσει με την ιστορία της αδερφής της για να τη βοηθήσουν στο δύσκολο έργο της, προσπαθώντας όμως να διατηρήσει την αξιοπρέπειά της. Όλα αυτά σε μία χώρα που σπαραζεται από θρησκευτικές και πολιτικές συγκρούσεις οι οποίες εισχωρούν σε κάθε σπίτι και επηρεάζουν τις ζωές όλων των ανθρώπων. Αυτά τα δύο στοιχεία ο συγγραφέας τα συνδυάζει με τον δικό του τρόπο, ιδιαίτερα αρμονικά, κάτι που κάνει ευκολότερη την κατανόηση της ιστορίας που διαβάζουμε. Από την άλλη ο συγγραφέας δεν καταφέρνει να δώσει ένα ιδιαίτερο δραματικό τόνο στην ιστορία, παρασυρόμενος σε κάποια φλυαρία που δεν βοηθάει ιδιαίτερα στην απόλαυση του κειμένου, αν και σίγουρα η περιγραφή του ιστορικού τοπίου είναι ιδιαίτερα ενδιαφέρουσα. Σίγουρα ένα αρκετά καλό βιβλίο σε σύγκριση με όσα μυθιστορήματα του έχω διαβάσει.

This was a reread. I read it first in my first year at university where it was one of the set books and it was one of the two novels I got rid of as soon as the year was finished. I can see why my seventeen year old self was impatient with the pious Jeannie Deans and her sanctimonious father but my older self is a bit more tolerant and I find their behaviours interesting rather than irritating. This edition has good introductions, appendices and notes and I made use of all of them. From the beginning I was swept into a delightful time travel experience to both the years just before the 1820s when the book was written and the 1740s when it was set. Scott uses the historical events of the Porteus story and the walk of Margaret Walker to London to save her sister to weave a story that is exciting and romantic. But he is a man of his time. He seems to find the hypercritical bigotry of David Deans endearing rather than obnoxious and he shows some of that morality himself in his disapproval of Effie Deans and Sir George, their behaviours and their religion. And then there is the strange role of the Duke of Argyll, the rich and powerful benefactor who steps in and solves all the problems of of the poor but virtuous Jeannie and her father and husband to be. Dickens liked to solve his plot problems with a rich and powerful benefactor too. But it is a lively and complicated story and Scott tells it in a way that kept my interest and a lot of it I loved, especially the Porteus story which is exciting and amazing.

I've wanted to read some Walter Scott ever since I was told that he was Borges favourite novelist. The Heart of Midlothian is regarded as one of his finest novels, and is the only one which a major football team is named after. It seemed an obvious choice. It starts well, with stirring street scenes, a major riot and a strong sense of Edinburgh as a place. All in all very Dickensian. Thereafter the going becomes harder. A lot of time is spent with virtuous characters, and much less with some of the more lively villains. There is a lot about the presbyterian church, and a lot of the dialogue is a challenge to those unfamiliar with lowland Scots. The last third of the book, in particular, seems padded and serves mainly to show virtue rewarded and wickedness punished - a message which had come across loud and clear much earlier. Notwithstanding reading it was an itch scratched.

This is my favorite Sir Walter Scott book, (doesn't everyone have a favorite?) As to why I read it, that would be my obsession with the obscure Scottish prog rock band Marillion when I was in college. It was wonderful to see the look on my prof's face when I explained why I had chosen this book for my orals list.

I was supposed to read this for Professor Finlayson's class at Queen's University (the one in Kingston, Ontario, not the one in Ireland) 36 years ago. I found it too hard to get through back then; I didn't this time. I hoped to find an email or something for the professor. I hadn't remembered his name in the years between but it came back to me just now--and looking him up, I see he passed away about seven years ago.

A shame. He was something of a wit, described in the university notice of his passing as "charmingly cantankerous, with a wicked, dry sense of humor..." That's how I recall him, in the silent lecture hall full of nerds seated in ranks, and he'd make off-topic comments that went almost unnoticed but amused him. He'd half suppress a smile and go on.

I'm sorry I can't tell him I finished my reading, finally, and I liked it. (As a good Scot himself, he was an admirer of the author.)

It isn't my favorite of Sir Walter Scott's novels, however. The story spans decades, and the pacing is less even than is usual in his novels. (The fictitious landlord who narrates this novel and many others even admits that he "filled more pages than I opined.") Yes, it's a 19th Century novel, and you have to make allowances for style, but even doing so, he goes on here in a very Victor Hugo kind of way. It really seems to me that the first hundred pages or so and about 50 near the end could have been left out without doing the story harm--probably several other chapters in the middle--while making the overall reading experience much more accessible and entertaining. However, having said all that, it's still pretty great. For reals.

The main character is a young woman who is not terribly pretty or well educated or outgoing, but she is quietly impressive and becomes quite a hero. When her sister conceals a pregnancy and the newborn child, delivered in secret, goes missing, she is tried under a law that makes it an assumption that the baby was murdered. Jeanie could save her poor sister from hanging if she tells a lie--that her sister confided in her about the pregnancy. But raised in a severe Christian home, taught to be scrupulously honest, she refuses to lie and her sister is condemned to hang.

Jeanie Dean's heroism is manifested instead in the way she resolves to find a way to get her a pardon, walking from Edinburgh to London barefoot most of the way even though she'd never gone anywhere alone. Assuming she can cover the distance without being robbed and beaten on the road, she still has to find a way to get an interview with the Duke of Argyll and somehow convince him to intercede with the queen--who will then, hopefully, intercede with the king. It's a longshot, and succeeds at every step on the strength of her honesty, humility, courage, and quiet patience. She's no superhero; she has no great skills (except making cheese, apparently); but she is a fantastic protagonist, a great example of a strong female MC who uses what agency she has to take on a giant task, and she succeeds because of who she is. No one else could have done it. Her humble character opens doors to her, and when she speaks the truth, people believe her.

The novel says a lot about what justice is available to different people--who has easy access to mercy who doesn't, who receives due process who doesn't, who is believed and who isn't. There's probably a great deal to be said on the topic (and many other topics) and I find myself wishing for a few more meetings in that half-remembered lecture hall to address all of them...

Alas.

Recommended, as always, for lovers of Sir Walter Scott, but not really for casual readers. Would make a great Netflix show.

I really liked the single sentence Goodreads review by Nathan: 'This was turning into quite a good book until Scott decided to moralize the ending by means of cheap authorial omnipotence.' Scott-the-omnipotent-author, punishes the 'sinful' characters with the events at the end of his book. Yet, oddly, Scott-the-creative-intuitive-author (quite a different character to his omnipotent one, I feel) rewarded the 'sinful' characters earlier in the book. Thus Effie achieved far greater social standing than her sister. Is the fairy-tale rags-to-riches story Jeanie Deans', or Effie's? Fascinating that while Scott says he wants us to admire the other-worldly virtue of Jeanie, which won the respect and support of the Duke of Argle, and then the Queen, he also shows that Effie's worldly charm, beauty and intelligence achieved just the same, if not more, as she won a place in their society. And wasn't the other-worldly goodness of Jeanie just a bit too priggish at times? I think Scott really likes Effie, in spite of himself.

I enjoyed this book, not least because I found it quite similar to 'Sense and Sensibility' in its focus on two quite different sisters. Also here is Austen and Trollope's theme of clergymen having a fluid social status, some being admitted into aristocratic circles, others passing their lives in poverty and obscurity. For Scott, in this novel, clergymen are the bridge between the low life and the high, the law-abiding and the law-remaking, the obscure and the famous.

While I enjoyed the diversity of Scott's characters, I found the links between them, the chance meetings, and the overlap of acquaintances just too farfetched. I took off another star because for me the book dragged on too long after the narrative tension had gone.

DNF - i can’t do this lmao

I don’t know what it is, but around 100 pages in I still had no clue what was going on. It didn’t help most of the dialogue is had by Scotch lawyers who speak in a blend of Scots, English, and Latin. The story isn’t properly set anywhere or at any time, which means there’s barely any context, and it’s so ramm full of cultural and time specific references that I feel like I’m a kid overhearing a conversation way out of my league. The Oxford edition of the novel I have also doesn’t put the editor’s notes in the text, leaving you to figure out for yourself if there’s an explanation to be had to help you out.

To the friendly proprietor of the bookshop in Edinburgh who recommended this novel to me: I’m sorry? 😹

I found most of the characters intriguing. A lot of the wayside trips into Scottish law and politics I found less interesting. I sometimes felt that the number of secrets the reader is expected to both accept and keep track of was a bit too large. I also felt that perhaps the last hundred pages were unnecessary, or at the very least might have been better made into a sequel novel, a separate text. But the protagonist, a very serious and brave young woman, is usually quite admirable and the novel does make a case--200 years ago--for taking women seriously in a way in which the culture of these characters usually did not,

[Longer review to follow]

This is pretty difficult to rate - On the one hand, I'm fascinated by how much background information and historical depth Scott has managed to fit into this novel, on the other hand there's the plot which starts in a very roundabout way and ends about 80 pages before the actual novel ends...

(Just in case anyone is confused by the large jump from page 490 to done - the actual novel is around 530 pages, the rest are notes and a Scots glossary)

I really like how Scott combines narrative with history. He does it in a very subtle way. The history is part of the narrative and neither aspect is forced. He is good at bringing characters to life. It was not the easiest to read. Definitely not for everyone. But it was worth it in the end. I agree with the introduction that the end was overextended.

There is a genuinely good story in here nestled among sleep-inducing, semantic passages about Deuce Davie Deans's presbyterian ramblings.
Like somebody made a nice reuben sandwich and then decided to put a pound of sauerkraut on there.

One of Scott's best known and most beloved works, The Heart of Midlothian examines the reverberations of justice and law across a range of characters, reminding me of Dickens' Little Dorrit. His central character, the working-class woman Jeanie Deans, is deeply memorable.

Had a bit of a hard time with the transliterated Scottish dialogues, but this edition carries an appendix that solves the problem. The thing is I discovered it a bit late, for I try to avoid knowing the number of pages on a book before I am apparently half way through.

On a more gastronomic note, the book goes pretty well with usquebough and atholl brose, but that kind of impairs the search on the appendix.

The story is great, anyway. It is a wonder it has not been made into a movie (or, alas, into a Netflix TV show). I mean, google tells me there were two movies, but both are about a hundred years old now.

It is obviously a conservative opus - Scott adds a post scriptum stating that it illustrates "the great truth, that guilt, though it may attain temporal splendor, can never confer real happiness, that the evil consequences of our crimes long survive their commission, and, like the ghosts of the murdered, for ever haunt the steps of the malefactor; and that the paths of virtue, though seldom those of the worldly greatness, are always those of pleasantness and peace".

But, on the other hand, the modern Human Being, not always conscious of the value of keeping virtuous, would be pleased to see a heroine, incapable of lying, that goes through an ordeal to save her sister from the claws of the ~system, when every man around her is at a loss. There are also some side-line Dickensian characters, like Mr. Saddletree, a bad Latinist and a lawyer wannabe (is there an English word for “rábula”?), or the unforgettable Madge Wildfire, a hippie avant-la-lettre.
Besides that, there is the lovable Old Edinburgh scenery (if you have never been there, you should), and the usual Scott attachment to history - here, it is specially interesting, as it hovers over the eternal Scottish separatism.

I had read Ivanhoe and when I was in Edinburgh and saw that massive Scott Monument I wondered if, for that one, he deserved such an extraordinary homage*. Well, maybe not - but for this one, let me say that the monument now seems a bit on the shy side.

*(It is, to my knowledge, the biggest monument for a writer in the whole world. Yes, yes, I saw the note on wikipedia about Martí's, but c'mon.)