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The Antiquary

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The Antiquary

By: Sir Walter Scott
Narrated by: David Rintoul
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About this listen

Jonathan Oldbuck, the antiquary of the title, has a passion for the past–and delights in trying to convey it. He meets the mysteriously taciturn young Lovel and the two strike up a friendship, bonding over Roman ruins. When Lovel falls for Isabella, daughter of a local landowner, it looks like an impossible situation. Sharp, funny, gothic, romantic, and full of action, this is a thoroughly entertaining window on Scottish life in the summer of 1794: it was Scott’s intention to show the spirit of the times, and how the past affects the present–and it was his own favourite of all his novels.

Public Domain (P)2023 Naxos AudioBooks UK Ltd. Classics

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Critic reviews

"[Narrator David Rintoul's] rich, resonant voice brings the dialogue to life and enhances the narrative sections. His acting is so vivid and true, his attunement to feeling so fine, his narration so vibrant that his performance sweeps the listener along in the story, delivering far more entertainment than the text alone could provide." (AudioFile)
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The voice actor for this is one of the best I've ever come across. This is my first Scott book and I'm surprised at how witty and funny he can be. I also enjoyed the Spanish dialogues the English reader so brilliantly captures.

unique reading

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I enjoyed this - I took a glance at a synopsis occasionally and didn’t understand every word of the characters’ dialect, but what’s going on is clear from the context. Most of the action centres around Edie Ochiltree, an ex-soldier and licensed beggar who is resourceful and proud. It’s impressive that Scott provides such a sensitive and detailed portrayal of so humble a character, even down to a (probably accurate) rendering of his dialect. Meanwhile, pretentiousness of all kinds is gently ridiculed … the theme of “A man’s a man for ‘a that” runs heavily through this novel.

You get to hear how the habits of the old-fashioned Antiquary are different from the younger folk, and how lifestyles and accents vary according to social class as well. I enjoyed the reading, the use of the north east Scottish accent sounded authentic to me.

There is a point around half way through when Scott introduces a new set of characters with their own complicated back story, just as you’re getting used to the old ones. Also, the villain of the piece is unfortunately cast as “a German”, and is poorly described as a character. For these reasons, I give the plot four starts not five although the various plot strands tie together later on.

Wonderful snapshot of Scotland in late 1700s

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Initially, for an English person, it is difficult to understand the mendicant who speaks in a broad Scottish accent. However, you soon get used to it and the effort is very worthwhile because the text is so witty. This novel is full of adventures and is never depressing. The good win and the bad are punished. This is the kind of book that you can listen to over and over again because it is so rich in humour, in adventure, and in interest. The narrator is also excellent. It is surprising that this wonderful novel is not more famous.

Excellent classic

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This is one of Sir Walter Scott’s worst. The reading also left a very great deal to be desired in my opinion. Can not recommend. Though I am generally a great admirer of Scott’s work.

The Antiquary

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