Lorna Doone
111. R. D. Blackmore, Lorna Doone
This novel, written in the 19th century but set at the end of the 17th, is narrated by a simple young farmer named John Ridd. He lives with his family in western England in the region of Exmoor, which has been terrorized for several years by a family of outlaws called the Doones. The Doones have robbed the honest people of Exmoor, kidnapped their wives and children, and even murdered John’s own father. Yet John harbors no desire for vengeance, especially after he meets the beautiful Lorna Doone and falls in love with her. John and Lorna’s romance is set against a time of political upheaval, as the western counties follow the Duke of Monmouth in his ill-fated rebellion against the King.
I enjoyed the plot of this novel very much. It combines a lot of great story lines: the romance, the satires on law and Londoners, the band of outlaws, the political concerns of the time period, etc. However, the book moves very slowly; John Ridd is an extremely digressive narrator. Maybe I’m just a little burned out from trying to finish my 999 Challenge, but I frequently got tired of reading this novel. I did genuinely enjoy some of it, though. I guess it’s a common flaw with 19th-century novels - you end up with an excellent book, but you have to work for it! Anyway, I’d recommend this book to fans of classic Brit lit, and I plan to get my hands on the miniseries at some point.