Edward Waverley goes on a vacation to Scotland, staying with an old friend of his uncle's. He meets a Highland Chief and is invited to spend a couple of weeks hunting in the highlands. Waverley is inspired by the noble demeanor of the highland clans, and his romantic side gets the better of him. He becomes embroiled in the Jacobite Rebellion, and he falls in love with the Chief's pretty sister. At first, his adventures seem glamorous and exciting, but he quickly learns that he must deal with reality and give up his childish daydreams of glory.

A beautiful, intriguing tale of valor, love, honor, loyalty, with absurd funny bits and sorrow intermingled. This is my favorite book of Sir Walter Scott's!

I love the setting of the Scottish Highlands! It is absolutely beautiful. I found it incredibly interesting to learn about the old customs and rich culture of Scotland, and the way the Highlands and the Lowlands have such different manners and even a different language. Some of the Highland characters only speak Gaelic and only know a few words in English.

I absolutely adore Waverley's character. He is brave and honorable and true. He is a dreamer, preferring books and poetry, but also an active person, ready to dive into any adventure or defend his honor with a duel. The best thing about Edward Waverley is his intense character development. Through all his adventures and experiences, he learns to navigate reality as it really is, instead of wishing for foolish dreams. He has a very fiery personality, and he learns to tame some of those wild emotions.

All the supporting characters are fantastic! Every one of them is unique and memorable and interesting. They are a wild group sometimes! I love that each personality is well-written in a thoughtful way. They have their own character arcs, their own little intrigues and sorrows in the background.

The writing is phenomenal! It draws you in slowly and completely immerses you in this old world of history. I love that we get to see the inner workings of Edward Waverley's thoughts and emotions as he grows and changes. The rich language really puts the reader into the middle of every scene. There is a wonderful balance of serious and comical scenes, and moments of rest and action.

I adore everything about this book!