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The Surgeon's Daughter
Much of the character and particulars of Mr. Gideon Gray -- a principal in the story -- were, according to Scott's biographer, Lockhart, "considered at the time by Sir Walter's neighbors in Tweedside as copied from Dr. Ebenezer Clarkson of Selkirk... A true picture - a portrait from the life, of Scott's hard-riding, benevolent, and sagacious old friend, to all the country dear."
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1827
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149 people want to read
About the author
Walter Scott
8,613 books2,035 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Sir Walter Scott was a Scottish novelist, poet, historian, and biographer, widely recognized as the founder and master of the historical novel. His most celebrated works, including Waverley, Rob Roy, and Ivanhoe, helped shape not only the genre of historical fiction but also modern perceptions of Scottish culture and identity.
Born in Edinburgh in 1771, Scott was the son of a solicitor and a mother with a strong interest in literature and history. At the age of two, he contracted polio, which left him with a permanent limp. He spent much of his childhood in the Scottish Borders, where he developed a deep fascination with the region's folklore, ballads, and history. He studied at Edinburgh High School and later at the University of Edinburgh, qualifying as a lawyer in 1792. Though he worked in law for some time, his literary ambitions soon took precedence.
Scott began his literary career with translations and collections of traditional ballads, notably in his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. He gained early fame with narrative poems such as The Lay of the Last Minstrel and The Lady of the Lake. As the popularity of poetic storytelling declined, especially with the rise of Lord Byron, Scott turned to prose. His first novel, Waverley, published anonymously in 1814, was set during the Jacobite rising of 1745 and is considered the first true historical novel. The success of Waverley led to a long series of novels, known collectively as the Waverley Novels, which blended historical events with compelling fictional narratives.
Over the following years, Scott produced a remarkable number of novels, including Old Mortality, The Heart of Midlothian, and The Bride of Lammermoor, each contributing to the romantic image of Scotland that became popular throughout Europe. With Ivanhoe, published in 1819, he turned his attention to medieval England, broadening his appeal and confirming his status as a major literary figure. His works were not only popular in his own time but also laid the groundwork for historical fiction as a respected literary form.
Scott married Charlotte Genevieve Charpentier in 1797, and they had five children. In 1820, he was granted a baronetcy and became Sir Walter Scott. He built a grand home, Abbotsford House, near Melrose, which reflected his passion for history and the Scottish past. However, in 1825, financial disaster struck when his publishers went bankrupt. Rather than declare bankruptcy himself, Scott chose to work tirelessly to pay off the debts through his writing. He continued to produce novels and non-fiction works at a staggering pace despite declining health.
Walter Scott died in 1832, leaving behind a literary legacy that influenced generations of writers and readers. His works remain widely read and studied, and he is credited with helping to revive interest in Scottish history and culture. Abbotsford House, now a museum, stands as a monument to his life and achievements.
Sir Walter Scott was a Scottish novelist, poet, historian, and biographer, widely recognized as the founder and master of the historical novel. His most celebrated works, including Waverley, Rob Roy, and Ivanhoe, helped shape not only the genre of historical fiction but also modern perceptions of Scottish culture and identity.
Born in Edinburgh in 1771, Scott was the son of a solicitor and a mother with a strong interest in literature and history. At the age of two, he contracted polio, which left him with a permanent limp. He spent much of his childhood in the Scottish Borders, where he developed a deep fascination with the region's folklore, ballads, and history. He studied at Edinburgh High School and later at the University of Edinburgh, qualifying as a lawyer in 1792. Though he worked in law for some time, his literary ambitions soon took precedence.
Scott began his literary career with translations and collections of traditional ballads, notably in his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. He gained early fame with narrative poems such as The Lay of the Last Minstrel and The Lady of the Lake. As the popularity of poetic storytelling declined, especially with the rise of Lord Byron, Scott turned to prose. His first novel, Waverley, published anonymously in 1814, was set during the Jacobite rising of 1745 and is considered the first true historical novel. The success of Waverley led to a long series of novels, known collectively as the Waverley Novels, which blended historical events with compelling fictional narratives.
Over the following years, Scott produced a remarkable number of novels, including Old Mortality, The Heart of Midlothian, and The Bride of Lammermoor, each contributing to the romantic image of Scotland that became popular throughout Europe. With Ivanhoe, published in 1819, he turned his attention to medieval England, broadening his appeal and confirming his status as a major literary figure. His works were not only popular in his own time but also laid the groundwork for historical fiction as a respected literary form.
Scott married Charlotte Genevieve Charpentier in 1797, and they had five children. In 1820, he was granted a baronetcy and became Sir Walter Scott. He built a grand home, Abbotsford House, near Melrose, which reflected his passion for history and the Scottish past. However, in 1825, financial disaster struck when his publishers went bankrupt. Rather than declare bankruptcy himself, Scott chose to work tirelessly to pay off the debts through his writing. He continued to produce novels and non-fiction works at a staggering pace despite declining health.
Walter Scott died in 1832, leaving behind a literary legacy that influenced generations of writers and readers. His works remain widely read and studied, and he is credited with helping to revive interest in Scottish history and culture. Abbotsford House, now a museum, stands as a monument to his life and achievements.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 16, 2020
The Surgeon's Daughter' is set in the 1770s. It tells
the story of Menie Gray, daughter of Dr Gideon Gray. Menie falls in love with Richard Middlemas, he was left by his mother and father in the village and brought up in the surgeon's household. However, Richard is a bad egg. His nurse fills his head with tall tales and he is a greedy, selfish and egotistical man.
The good doctor trains him and Adam Hartley as doctors. Adam also loves Menie but it is not returned.
Richard leaves Scotland after first being robbed of all his money but thanks to Hartley is able to go to India. Not before he meets her s parents and causes his mothers death.
In India, he kills his commanding officer in a duel and has to escape. He becomes the lover of Adela Montreville and they both who plot to lure Menie to India and give the Vice-Regent of Bangalore, Prince Tippoo Saib who after seeing a picture of her becomes infatuated. Menie has to go as her father has died and left her in poverty.
Adam is the hero of the story and through his auspices gets the help of Hyder Ali, Tippoo Saib's father. He also punishes Richard with an elephant. Guess who comes out best.
Menie returns to Scotland but there is no happy ending for Adam as Menie Gray is traumatized by her experiences in India. Unusual for Scott to write about India but he heard a story about a surgeons daughter going to India. However, her story ended better with her rescuer marrying her. An enjoyable read and my 100th book of the year.
the story of Menie Gray, daughter of Dr Gideon Gray. Menie falls in love with Richard Middlemas, he was left by his mother and father in the village and brought up in the surgeon's household. However, Richard is a bad egg. His nurse fills his head with tall tales and he is a greedy, selfish and egotistical man.
The good doctor trains him and Adam Hartley as doctors. Adam also loves Menie but it is not returned.
Richard leaves Scotland after first being robbed of all his money but thanks to Hartley is able to go to India. Not before he meets her s parents and causes his mothers death.
In India, he kills his commanding officer in a duel and has to escape. He becomes the lover of Adela Montreville and they both who plot to lure Menie to India and give the Vice-Regent of Bangalore, Prince Tippoo Saib who after seeing a picture of her becomes infatuated. Menie has to go as her father has died and left her in poverty.
Adam is the hero of the story and through his auspices gets the help of Hyder Ali, Tippoo Saib's father. He also punishes Richard with an elephant. Guess who comes out best.
Menie returns to Scotland but there is no happy ending for Adam as Menie Gray is traumatized by her experiences in India. Unusual for Scott to write about India but he heard a story about a surgeons daughter going to India. However, her story ended better with her rescuer marrying her. An enjoyable read and my 100th book of the year.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2012
Originally the third story of the first book of the Chronicles of Canongate, The Surgeon's Daughter is often published as a stand alone book. I would say with good reason. The first two stories (The Highland Widow and The Two Drovers) were mediocre efforts by Scott, but the Surgeon's Daughter is one of his best.
By now I look for some novelty when reading Scott, and this story supplies it in droves. A foray to India goes even farther afield then The Tailsman's setting in the Crusades of the Middle East. Most importantly though, the main character is not only flawed, but is most decidedly a villian (who gets a properly delicious villian end). The story, like the other Canongate tales ends on a decidedly down note. Unlike the other two tales though, Scott manages a dramatic tension as he develops the story that really keep the pages turning.
By now I look for some novelty when reading Scott, and this story supplies it in droves. A foray to India goes even farther afield then The Tailsman's setting in the Crusades of the Middle East. Most importantly though, the main character is not only flawed, but is most decidedly a villian (who gets a properly delicious villian end). The story, like the other Canongate tales ends on a decidedly down note. Unlike the other two tales though, Scott manages a dramatic tension as he develops the story that really keep the pages turning.
August 25, 2023
3.5 stars.
September 6, 2015
Not one of writer's Waverley novels this time, instead a novella from his Chronicles of the Canongate trilogy, which were written near the end of his career, embellished anecdotes with the romance elements significantly toned down.
That last point works in the stories favour. Though two young men vie for the affections of the eponymous surgeon's daughter, Menie Gray, and she in turns loves one of them (the wrong one, as it happens) the themes here are ambition and avarice rather then romance, resulting a suitably gruesome ending for a tale that takes us to mid-18th century India.
As usual with Scott, even the bad guy, Richard Middlemas, isn't really all bad, especially as he was abandoned by his parents at birth. Other than his grisly comeuppance by far the most notable moment is when someone dies after playing the harpsichord.
Careful next time you tinkle those ivories!
That last point works in the stories favour. Though two young men vie for the affections of the eponymous surgeon's daughter, Menie Gray, and she in turns loves one of them (the wrong one, as it happens) the themes here are ambition and avarice rather then romance, resulting a suitably gruesome ending for a tale that takes us to mid-18th century India.
As usual with Scott, even the bad guy, Richard Middlemas, isn't really all bad, especially as he was abandoned by his parents at birth. Other than his grisly comeuppance by far the most notable moment is when someone dies after playing the harpsichord.
Careful next time you tinkle those ivories!
August 14, 2022
Scott’s fiction has given me a great deal of pleasure over many years and this novella was the one remaining work that I had not read. So I now have a pleasing sense of completeness, and I certainly enjoyed it, but it isn’t really one of his best. All of Scott’s finest work is set in Scotland, and setting his tale in an India he had never visited was risky. Nevertheless, I found it quite convincing – but then I haven’t been to India either. Less convincing are the frequent touches of melodrama and plot improbabilities.
There is still a lot to enjoy. The heroine may be conventionally soppy but she is balanced by a magnificently bitchy powerful female villain, and the male villain – who at first seems as though he could be the hero – comes to a wonderfully satisfying sticky end.
There is still a lot to enjoy. The heroine may be conventionally soppy but she is balanced by a magnificently bitchy powerful female villain, and the male villain – who at first seems as though he could be the hero – comes to a wonderfully satisfying sticky end.
June 13, 2021
Couldn't finish it. So boring.
May 31, 2017
The sad story of Minie, the daughter of Gideon Gray, a surgeon in the town of Fife. She is loved by both Richard, whose parents had left him with Gray when he was a baby , and Hartley, another pupil of Dr. Gray. The eventual travels to India, and the death of one of the principals at the hand (or, more precisely, the trunk and feet0 of an elephant, are, in typical Scott fashion, told with an adroit sense of making the complex and bizarre seem relatively commonplace and understandable.
March 8, 2023
This is another one of Sir Walter Scott's in-between books that I ended up liking quite a bit. (The Black Dwarf was another.) I'm not sure if he meant to write a novel or a short story, but he ended up with a novella of about 52,000 words, and it has flaws, IMO, but like Stitch, it's still good.
The scope of the story--starting at the birth of a sort-of abandoned child, Richard Middlemas, and going through his life and career--screams novel, but it ends up being far too short. I would have liked to see so much more of his adulthood, especially when he became influential in a king's court on the edge of British East India-controlled territory. Most of the really important events in his life after he becomes a doctor are summarized and told secondhand, as if Scott had outlined all of it but got tired and cut it short. On the other hand, if he wanted a short story, he could have jumped straight to Middlemas and his old acquaintance Hartley meeting up in India, nuking the first 2/3rds of the story and getting to the point. Picturing this story being filmed, I imagine they'll either flesh out the skipped over bits or jump straight to India and making that part more detailed.
However, having said all that, I still liked it. It wasn't the pacing I'd prefer, but I like Hartley being the hero; I like Menie, the heroine, well enough; I find the setting very exciting; and the adventure--where a solid, hardworking, ethical hero has to save the love of his life from the clutches of a bad man who is delivering her to a despot in 18th century India--is pretty awesome. The last couple chapters are really good, and even though the very end is wound up really quick, I found it satisfying. Again, as a movie, I can picture an elderly Menie doing good works back in her native Scotland, handling relics from her terrifying adventure in India, remembering the men in her life who went two different ways. Good stuff.
Also, there's a bit where good Dr. Hartley cares for a very sick man, an old fakir, showing every respect while accepting no fees, and then the fakir is in a position to do him a good turn later in the story. I love that. (Hmmm. When people ask what tropes do you love, I can never think of any. I guess that's one. Wonder what it's called.)
So structurally, I think the work is flawed, but emotionally and dramatically I think it works well. And I have a soft spot in my brain for Sir Walter Scott, so I still found this to be a success overall. Though it's not one I'd recommend to casual readers, since there are several that are better choices (Waverley, Guy Mannering, The Antiquary, Ivanhoe, Heart of Midlothian, Rob Roy, Kenilworth) I'd still slot it in ahead of a couple of his books that didn't work so well.
Plus, it's lots shorter.
The scope of the story--starting at the birth of a sort-of abandoned child, Richard Middlemas, and going through his life and career--screams novel, but it ends up being far too short. I would have liked to see so much more of his adulthood, especially when he became influential in a king's court on the edge of British East India-controlled territory. Most of the really important events in his life after he becomes a doctor are summarized and told secondhand, as if Scott had outlined all of it but got tired and cut it short. On the other hand, if he wanted a short story, he could have jumped straight to Middlemas and his old acquaintance Hartley meeting up in India, nuking the first 2/3rds of the story and getting to the point. Picturing this story being filmed, I imagine they'll either flesh out the skipped over bits or jump straight to India and making that part more detailed.
However, having said all that, I still liked it. It wasn't the pacing I'd prefer, but I like Hartley being the hero; I like Menie, the heroine, well enough; I find the setting very exciting; and the adventure--where a solid, hardworking, ethical hero has to save the love of his life from the clutches of a bad man who is delivering her to a despot in 18th century India--is pretty awesome. The last couple chapters are really good, and even though the very end is wound up really quick, I found it satisfying. Again, as a movie, I can picture an elderly Menie doing good works back in her native Scotland, handling relics from her terrifying adventure in India, remembering the men in her life who went two different ways. Good stuff.
Also, there's a bit where good Dr. Hartley cares for a very sick man, an old fakir, showing every respect while accepting no fees, and then the fakir is in a position to do him a good turn later in the story. I love that. (Hmmm. When people ask what tropes do you love, I can never think of any. I guess that's one. Wonder what it's called.)
So structurally, I think the work is flawed, but emotionally and dramatically I think it works well. And I have a soft spot in my brain for Sir Walter Scott, so I still found this to be a success overall. Though it's not one I'd recommend to casual readers, since there are several that are better choices (Waverley, Guy Mannering, The Antiquary, Ivanhoe, Heart of Midlothian, Rob Roy, Kenilworth) I'd still slot it in ahead of a couple of his books that didn't work so well.
Plus, it's lots shorter.
December 3, 2023
I couldn't wait to read the sequel. Although I actually DID have to wait to get it. Loved the story
September 28, 2013
From the opening sequence, a horse ride home by the surgeon of the title, Scott takes us straight into his story which contains some Dickensian surprises and later on an exotic Empire location. Scott's childhood lameness might go some way to explaining the liberating horse riding sequences which in turn might explain his popularity in America. This is a Western set in a Scottish climate and I really recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews