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Lorna Doone
A level 4 Oxford Bookworms Library graded readers. Retold for Learners of English by David Penn
One winter’s day in 1673 young John Ridd is riding home from school, across the wild lonely hills of Exmoor. He has to pass Doone valley – a dangerous place, as the Doones are famous robbers and murderers. All Exmoor lives in fear of the Doones.
At home there is sad news waiting for young John, and he learns that he has good reason to hate the Doones. But in the years to come he meets Lorna Doone, with her lovely smile and big dark eyes. And soon he is deeply, hopelessly, in love . . .
One winter’s day in 1673 young John Ridd is riding home from school, across the wild lonely hills of Exmoor. He has to pass Doone valley – a dangerous place, as the Doones are famous robbers and murderers. All Exmoor lives in fear of the Doones.
At home there is sad news waiting for young John, and he learns that he has good reason to hate the Doones. But in the years to come he meets Lorna Doone, with her lovely smile and big dark eyes. And soon he is deeply, hopelessly, in love . . .
96 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 1999
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221 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 12, 2020
It's a very good story!! I really enjoyed it.
April 27, 2014
i loved the film, but could not get on with the book. i found it very long and difficult to read. Those who are very academic may enjoy reading this.
July 22, 2013
"Forbidden Romance in the Ruthless Highlands"
Novels written in the 19th century are not everyone's cup of English tea, so taste therefrom with literary trepidation. This book is quite different from Blackmore's AT THE BACK OF THE NORTH WIND; no intertwined Fact and Fantasy here, but a curious blend of Romance and Adventure, as if the author were not entirely certain which genre he was brewing up in the wild countryside. In my opinion, LORNA is much more readable and almost enjoyable.
It was slow getting into, but one must make allowances for Blackmore's (to us) antiquated style: archaic vocabulary, country dialect to slog through, plus a great deal of religious and political warfare--obscure historical references for most Americans. Expect highly improbable plot contrivances, with unrealistic events thrown in to help the romantic protagonists. Yet for the majority of the novel, the plot moves swifly apace over several years, reaching a satisfactory denoument, with most of the young people married off and Justice being served.
The tale opens when 12-year-old John Ridd (the hero/narrator) of Somerset returns home from school to discover that his father has been murdered by a renegade band of footpads and cutthroats--the Doone clan. That den of some 40 thieves has long been a thorn in the side of honest landowners and the local constabulary. John encounter their sweet young "Queen" Lorna, who wants none of their mayhem, on several occasions during her childhood, until they finally meet as teens, though he is much older.
His heart is instantly captivated; thus he undertakes to win her love, which is difficult considering the bitter feud between their families and her elevated social class. As if Love cares for mere class distinctions! Many years pass with counterplots and revolutionary hopes, espionage for the King and a secret gold mine. Yet our hero will have none but his beloved Lorna, as he researches her mysterious background. Blackmore's style includes sly humor, wry wit and jibes at London in general, as he spins this rustic tale of Romance and Adventure. The plot is chaste and the vocabulary might prove too great a challenge for junior high kids. The novel was written before there was a Young Adult market, but it would be fine for diehard Romance fans or students of 19th century British lore.
(I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
Novels written in the 19th century are not everyone's cup of English tea, so taste therefrom with literary trepidation. This book is quite different from Blackmore's AT THE BACK OF THE NORTH WIND; no intertwined Fact and Fantasy here, but a curious blend of Romance and Adventure, as if the author were not entirely certain which genre he was brewing up in the wild countryside. In my opinion, LORNA is much more readable and almost enjoyable.
It was slow getting into, but one must make allowances for Blackmore's (to us) antiquated style: archaic vocabulary, country dialect to slog through, plus a great deal of religious and political warfare--obscure historical references for most Americans. Expect highly improbable plot contrivances, with unrealistic events thrown in to help the romantic protagonists. Yet for the majority of the novel, the plot moves swifly apace over several years, reaching a satisfactory denoument, with most of the young people married off and Justice being served.
The tale opens when 12-year-old John Ridd (the hero/narrator) of Somerset returns home from school to discover that his father has been murdered by a renegade band of footpads and cutthroats--the Doone clan. That den of some 40 thieves has long been a thorn in the side of honest landowners and the local constabulary. John encounter their sweet young "Queen" Lorna, who wants none of their mayhem, on several occasions during her childhood, until they finally meet as teens, though he is much older.
His heart is instantly captivated; thus he undertakes to win her love, which is difficult considering the bitter feud between their families and her elevated social class. As if Love cares for mere class distinctions! Many years pass with counterplots and revolutionary hopes, espionage for the King and a secret gold mine. Yet our hero will have none but his beloved Lorna, as he researches her mysterious background. Blackmore's style includes sly humor, wry wit and jibes at London in general, as he spins this rustic tale of Romance and Adventure. The plot is chaste and the vocabulary might prove too great a challenge for junior high kids. The novel was written before there was a Young Adult market, but it would be fine for diehard Romance fans or students of 19th century British lore.
(I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
October 2, 2019
أتوقُ إلى ما هو إنسانيٌ أكثر ، شيء يمكن أن يكون حقيقاً بالوقوع ، تبدو هذه القصص جميلةً لكنها قد تكون أيضاً مضللة لمفاهيمنا، لمحاكمتنا لتجاربنا الحياتية. هذه قصة تلامس أحلام اليقظة، فيما يكون الواقع شيئاً آخر، ليس سيئاً بالضرورة، لكنه شيء أشبه بصعود جبل ..
🧗🏻♀️
🧗🏻♀️
June 13, 2025
It was a good short story. Easy read and the characters were also lovely and friendly except the Doones of course. Glass necklace turned out to be an interesting detail afterwards. I recommend reading this book for English learners
September 25, 2024
no se me obligó a leerlo la de ingles estuvo lindo✌🏻
March 18, 2020
Richard D. Blackmore's “Lorna Doone” is a classic historical novel partly based on real events that took place in the 2nd half of the 17th century in Exmoor, an area in southwestern England.
The success of “Lorna Doone” was at first due to a mistake: when it came out in 1869, one of Queen Victoria’s daughters had just married the Marquis of Lorne, and people bought the book because they thought it was about the Marquis’s family. In fact, there was no connection, but the novel became very popular and remains so today.
The book tells us that at the end of the 17th century a famous gang of robbers and murderers was operating in Exmoor. The clan consisted of the Doones, who had lost their ancestral lands.
When the main character, John Ridd was a 12-year-old boy, his father, a local farmer, was killed by the Doones in an attempt to resist the robbery. Since then, John became the head of his family and dropped out of school to help his mother on a farm. He has good reason to hate the Doones…
But in the years to come he meets Lorna Doone, beloved granddaughter of the head of the Doones, with her lovely smile and big dark eyes. And soon he is deeply, hopelessly, in love…
The book seemed a bit naive and “sugar” to me, perhaps because I read an adapted version in English for level B1+.
But, thanks to it, I gained the final confidence and move on to the next step - level B2. Originals, wait! Just a little more time and I'll get to you! ;)
The success of “Lorna Doone” was at first due to a mistake: when it came out in 1869, one of Queen Victoria’s daughters had just married the Marquis of Lorne, and people bought the book because they thought it was about the Marquis’s family. In fact, there was no connection, but the novel became very popular and remains so today.
The book tells us that at the end of the 17th century a famous gang of robbers and murderers was operating in Exmoor. The clan consisted of the Doones, who had lost their ancestral lands.
When the main character, John Ridd was a 12-year-old boy, his father, a local farmer, was killed by the Doones in an attempt to resist the robbery. Since then, John became the head of his family and dropped out of school to help his mother on a farm. He has good reason to hate the Doones…
But in the years to come he meets Lorna Doone, beloved granddaughter of the head of the Doones, with her lovely smile and big dark eyes. And soon he is deeply, hopelessly, in love…
The book seemed a bit naive and “sugar” to me, perhaps because I read an adapted version in English for level B1+.
But, thanks to it, I gained the final confidence and move on to the next step - level B2. Originals, wait! Just a little more time and I'll get to you! ;)
April 8, 2016
At over 600 pages long, this novel takes a while to get into and I needed lots of leisure time, so had to read some on holiday It has gentle humour, beautiful descriptions of scenery in the Exmoor region and an interesting plot, which I didn't know the outcome. Exmoor is an area I am not familiar with, but the Doones and much of the action are as rough and wild as the countryside. The weather plays an important part of the action, which is about religious conflict and a rebellion to put the Duke of Monmouth on the throne. I think I need to re-read some, as it is not easy. The dialect at the beginning put me off a bit, and John Ridd, the "I" in the novel is a passionate and devoted lover. Very good descriptions of family relationships and conflicts and a lovely story.
May 16, 2017
I read this book for a reading challenge group under the classic romance section. I have trouble reading books from this time period (1800s) because the writing style was so different back then. But, I love the stories and characters and novelists of this time.
Lorna Doone is a romance told from the perspective of the man who loves her, John Ridd. Theirs is not an easy love story. Problems abound for the couple, who love each other at first sight. I love John Ridd's dry, subtle humor. Great literary quotes in this novel also. It's not an easy read, but definitely worth it.
Lorna Doone is a romance told from the perspective of the man who loves her, John Ridd. Theirs is not an easy love story. Problems abound for the couple, who love each other at first sight. I love John Ridd's dry, subtle humor. Great literary quotes in this novel also. It's not an easy read, but definitely worth it.
February 6, 2017
it was ok , imean ,for a school read.
April 5, 2014
Absolutely wonderful. One of me all time favourites of all time. Being brought up in Devon like John Ridd, loving clotted cream and having a family connection with the consequences of the battle of Sedgemoor this is almost autobiographical. This book IS Exmoor in the same way that "Jamaica Inn" IS Bodmin Moor and "A Pair of Blue Eyes" IS that bit of north Cornwall between Launceston and Bude.
May 20, 2016
I got the audiobook and then realized it was an abridged version. I listened to it anyway, but there were gaps, and relationships were not developed well. I'm anxious to read the original. I'm reserving my rating until I get the right version....
December 19, 2015
So, I read this book because my then-boyfriend gave it to me as a gift, and I ended up loving it. I think the story is sweet, even if the dialect is a bit hard to understand. I've probably read it three times and it makes more sense every time.
December 14, 2017
I usually enjoy a classic but RD Blackmore's Lorna Doone failed to engage me. I could not empathise with the characters, I found it meandering & it almost became a chore to finish.
Want to read
May 8, 2016jaj
April 10, 2017
Classical story about love and about revanche. Love wins over hatred, good triumphs over evil. Good
choice for simplified reading, but reading full book could be a little boring...
choice for simplified reading, but reading full book could be a little boring...
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews