Waverley - Sir Walter Scott

When Sir Walter Scott finally took credit as author of 'Waverley' (it was initially published some years before by 'anonymous', though most critics recognised Scott's style) he claimed he had created a hero that 'only he could like'. I hate to disagree with such a highly respected member of the literati, but I must say that I am one of Edward Waverley's greatest fans! Having recently studied this novel as part of my Scottish Literature university course, I found myself introduced to a fantastically written novel that blends the historic with the fictional and romance with realism. An overview of the plot is, of course, essential. 'Waverley' was the first ...  Read the complete review

Waverley is a novel about a young, well-bred Englishman, Edward Waverley, from a family of mixed Hanoverian vs. Jacobite (non-Juror) sympathies who finds himself unwittingly caught up in the '45 Jacobite rebellion. He fights at the Battle of Prestonpans and travels with the Highland army and Bonny Prince Charlie ("The Chevalier") right down to Derby and is separated from the Jacobite Army during their retreat through the Lake District. The rest, as they say, is history. Don't be put off by the fact that Waverley starts off somewhat slowly! It was, after all, Scott's first novel and in his second wind of inspiration he really lifts this book ...  Read the complete review