Where Scott Meets Dickens and Austen

St. Ronan's Well: The Works of Sir Walter Scott by Walter Scott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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.

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