St. Ronan's Well

by Walter Scott

HardPress Classic Books Series

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Scotland, Novels

152 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1824

About the author

Librarian 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.

Reviews

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite Sir Walter Scott. It had a comedic element and combined it with melancholy aspects. Clara was a weak character. Touchwood the mysterious elderly Nabob was the one I liked the most. The setting of a spa with elitist wannabes was amusing. Goodness they were a vitriolic bunch. Meg Dodds was also a great curmudgeonly character.

The novels plot is about the rivalry of two half brothers: Valentine Bulmer, the Earl of Etherington, and Francis Tyrrel. Both wish to marry Miss Clara Mowbray, who is the sister of John or Mr Mowbray, the laird of Saint Ronan’s. It starts as a romance but fails to ignite. There is a duel, deathbed confession and intrigue.

Saint Ronan’s Wells named is an actual spa at Innerleithen, a town near Peebles in southern Scotland.

[Even · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a bit of a departure from Scott's usual subject matter, being set only 20 years prior to the time it was written. It was not well accepted by Scott's contemporary audience, who was used to explorations of historical characters and periods. For the modern reader there is little difference between his usual subject matter and the setting of this book. It takes place at a health Spa in Scotland, and involves the goings on and drama of the inhabitants and guests.

St Ronan's Well certainly has its weaknesses. The first 100 pages or so drag on, and probably coul dhave been cut or heavily edited. They focus mainly on an idiosyncratic alewife (Meg Dodds) running a run down inn in a nearly derelict neighborhood near the Spa. Scott likes to paint pictures of interesting or odd characters, but Dodds is tangential at best to the meat of the story, as are most of the characters introduced early on.

By about 3/4 of the way through the book Scott has hit his stride. He has managed to both build some dramatic tension and introduce some interesting characters who play a role in the story. usually Scott's endings can fall a little flat, with the revelation of some improbable kinship between characters (which he telegraphs quite a bit in advance) which somehow resolves the story in a neat bundle. The ending on this was was quite a bit darker though, and seems much more satisfying for not being so traditionally satisfying.

[Curt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel is very different than the usual Sir Walter Scott. I got the impression he was trying the Jane Austen approach whom Scott admired for her fine details. I expected a more romantic tale due to its title.
I found the amount of alcohol (especially the fellow who drank a bottle of whisky per day) amusing for a health spa. I found the novel disappointing especially the tragic finish. Not a bad read but I prefer the historical Scott.

[Steve R]

As Scott states in his Preface, a departure from the normal tenure of his Waverley novels into the more feminine (he references four or five writers - the only one I'd heard of was 'Austin'), in that it is set at the inn of the title, which the well-to-do have developed the custom of coming to for its waters. Other than this peculiarity, the work is really a typical Scott structure - competing young men, in this case half-brothers, a contested inheritance to an earldom, a woman caught between the two of them, a tragic love of several years past which went astray, an intrusive, well-being busybody who actually knows far more about the true situation than he lets on until far too late in the narrative, an absent-minded parson whose heart is nevertheless in the right place, an upper class Lady who vies with the new title holder of the lands of the title for the patronage of the other regulars at the inn and the best of all, Meg Dods, the innkeeper of a neighboring establishment who wants nothing to do with the new business or its patrons. She brings to mind other harridan-like characters from other Waverley novels: loud, opinionated, forceful of character and decidedly single. The rather bleak outcome of the machinations of the bad guy against the interests of the good guy and his true love is different from other Scott works, but the plotting is as masterful as ever - he brings several conflicting impulses and schemes to a climax that involves three deaths, and two voluntary exiles from the country. Quite interesting in this rather sad ending, with one of the novel's most interesting and enjoyable characters wondering who he is going to leave all his riches to now that all his supposed choices are either dead or overseas. Better than average, although it felt like he wrapped things up just a little too quickly and with too negative a feeling, one that even engulfs the inn founded on the waters from the well of the title.

[Rose A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scott's most maligned novel but it shouldn't be! Unlike the rest of his works, St Ronan's Well was set in contemporary Scotland as Scott went head to head with Jane Austen to write a comedy of manners. He doesn't quite succeed in that as the novel is an uneasy mix of dark, gothic tragedy and drawing room comedy but it is even more interesting to witness his attempt. Despite this, the characters and plot of this novel are outstanding. Etheridge is a really chilling and compelling villain, Clara one of Scott's most interesting and well-developed heroines and her relationship with Tyrrel has its original aspects. Make sure you get a modern edition (I recommend the Edinburgh edition if possible) as Victorian editors changed aspects of the text due to thinking the precise nature of Tyrrel and Clara's past relationship unsuitable for publication; it does matter. This is a really fascinating novel both for what it succeeds at and for where it falls short.

[Richard Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a deep cut.

Nobody reads this as their first Sir Walter Scott novel. But if you like his books, as I do, I expect you'll like this one. It stands out, though. It's odd in a way.

The most curious thing about St. Ronan's Well is that Scott set out to write a "watering hole" novel. Think Bath, as it appears in other authors' novels of manners. Or think Sanditon: a little resort, frequented by an odd assortment of well-off (fairly well-off, most of them) idlers enjoying the spa while it is still rather new. It feels like it's going to become popular, but right now it's still mostly the early adopters hanging out, annoying each other.

He mentions in his introduction the authors Burney, Austen (misspelled, though!), Edgeworth, and Charlotte Smith, who have had success in this area, and refers to his own temerity at attempting to enter their field. I think he's done something interesting here, but it isn't quite the same thing as those authors. He still writes something closer to a romance than a novel of manners. The characters have Dickensian names like Bingo Banks, Lady Penelope, Dr. Quackleben, Captain MacTurk, Mr. Winterblossom, and the like, and their personalities are exaggerated in a typical 19th Century novel way. The plot through the middle of the novel feels like it's going to be mostly about the clash of personalities and small grievances, maybe even played for laughs, but it gets more serious.

In fact, it gets a little gothic, kinda, with the FMC being a bit off, maybe crazy, but super sweet, trying to quietly survive in a world that did her wrong, hiding away in a crumbling old house. Over time, we learn her secrets, along with those of her brother, her one-time lover, his rival, an eccentric clergyman, and a world-traveling visitor who gets in everyone's business. There are lies and tricks and wills with strange stipulations and fake marriages and every kind of intrigue you could imagine.

Forgive the spoiler--or skip ahead--but it doesn't end happily, and I was disappointed in that. I would have called this a 5-star read that I'd want to come back to if all the secrets had emerged one day sooner, and all the good guys ended up with HEA's. Okay, yeah, I still enjoyed it, but I didn't like the sour note at the end, and I doubt I'll ever read it again. Life's too short to get bummed out by a sad story.

(In fact, I *literally* don't understand why so many people sign up to read things they know are devastatingly sad. Share them with friends. Read them in groups. Read them twice. I don't get that. To me, it's like enjoying a meal--maybe it's pretty good, maybe it's up and down, but you're still enjoying it--and you're especially looking forward to the desert, but when you get to it, it's sawdust and broken glass. Sadness. Disappointed hopes. Lives ended too soon. Ack!)

(I might be overstating it some, but do you get me?)

Anyway.

That all said, I still enjoyed reading the book. It got heavier and darker toward the end, diverging from its novel of manners beginning, but it was still entertaining and weird and pretty fun.

[Robert burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel, it was completely different from anything Scott has written before. Rich with characters, great description of people and locale, and humor throughout. Scott is not for everyone, you need patience, you can't read him with other distractions going on. I think he loses readers when his characters speak with the Scottish dialect, but to me that is making his novels realistic.
Scott gives credit in his introduction to the following authors, Fanny Burney, Maria Edgeworth, Jane Austen, Charlotte Smith and others for writing this type of novel.

[Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is rare for me to come close to discard reading a novel, but I came close with this one. The first 100 to 150 pages are among the most tedious in the classics. The novel begins well enough with strongly delineated, colorful characters against a Scottish landscape and background. But there are far too many digressions and the author favours a very abstract and long-winded manner of expression.
I feel at times that Scott seeks to emulate Shakespeare's style with his long, discursive sentences but they lack the pith and marrow one finds in Shakespeare's prose/poetry.
There are direct references to Shakespeare throughout and an overly long digression of a Shakespeare performance by the characters of the novel. Most of that can be safely skimmed.
At some point, a narrative and conflict emerge, after too long winded an introduction, but the reader is well rewarded as the novel continues.
I noted that the characters of the novel all have analogs in Hamlet: Frances Tyrell is Hamlet; Clara is Ophelia; Touchwood is Polonius; Earl of Etherington is King John. There is no Horatio, Yorick or Rosencrantz. Although I am certain this similarity is mainly my own surmise, this does feel like a Shakespearean tragedy.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good story, though somewhat different from previous books. This novel was set contemporaneously, and centers on a community that had sprung up around a hot spring out in the country near a small village. As always, there are a large cast of well-drawn characters. Interestingly, there were two endings: the one that was published, and the original one that the publisher declined to publish, because that ending was a little too tragic. As usual, the putative main character disappears for a large part of the narrative. On the other hand, there are no dwarves, witches, or gypsies this time, although there is a strange old man who wanders through the plot. Also interesting is that the setting is thought to be based on Innerleithen, which is about 15 miles from Abbotsford. Inspired by the book, the community there organized the first St. Ronan's Games in 1827, and it's been held every year since, except during the Crimean, First, and Second World Wars. Until 2020, when it was canceled due to Covid-19. The book is a study in how people live with the consequences of their actions. Some seek redemption for their misdeeds; others are incorrigible.

[Monty Milne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah yes, novels set in spas: a well mined seam. Austen (Northanger Abbey and Persuasion), Smollett (Humphrey Clinker), and Thomas Mann (The Magic Mountain) are all better known and, I fear, better constructed than this one. The biggest problem is that Scott was forced to rewrite a section to obscure the fact that two of the characters had sex before being married (the shock, the horror!). The plot is already full of absurdities and contradictions, but with this central fact written out, it makes absolutely no sense. No wonder this garnered negative reviews when first published.

It is by no means a bad novel, though, and I enjoyed it. Scott is perhaps more enjoyable for atmosphere and memorable and amusing portrayals of entertaining minor characters than for plot. Of course, he is frequently long winded. The secret of enjoying this is to luxuriate in it, preferably by a blazing fireside with no distractions and no noise save for the gentle ticking of a clock or the purring of a cat while the wind and rain do their worst outside. I am (re) reading all of Scott’s novels in chronological order, and reviewing them here – this is my 18th. For sure, it wasn’t the best (unusually, there is no happy ending, and the blend of comedy and tragedy is sometimes a bit discomposing). But I don’t regret any of the hours I spent reading it.

[Esdaile · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was rich as always and I can think of no novelist writing in English (?) for whom I more frequently need to resort to a dictionary. I thought the yarn was over spun however and the entire novel was very much written for a leisurely age and a leisurely generation, which could and would take the time-consuming meanderings and convoluted descriptions in its stride. At the time it was written the novel described scenes from a very recent past whereas today it comes down to us as much a historical novel as any other which Scott wrote. If someone wished to read only one Scott novel, this would not be it, but for anyone who enjoys Scott's style (certainly not everyone's taste!) this novel is well up to scratch. The last third of the book is quite gloomy and pessimistic, although the general gloom is somewhat obscured by the writer's antiquated and florid style of writing and the high falutin manner which diverts from the earnestness of events.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm getting to quite enjoy reading Scott, fourteen novels in.....the problem with this novel is that Scott was apparently forced to change some elements because of public morals. I'm glad I found that out before reading it, or I would have agreed with this from one of the characters late on in the novel:
"I cannot understand one word of all this,” said Mowbray."
Classic! Another reviewer has complained of too much minor character eccentricity - well I think that's what makes Scott, you certainly wouldn't read this for the ridiculous plot. But Meg Dods, Lady Penelope and Mr Touchwood, they are gems.
Don't start this unless you have time on your hands, though.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given this book 4 stars because I really enjoyed reading it, but the end was tragic and melodramatic.