Ivanhoe

This is one of my favorite classic stories, since I was a child & saw the Wishbone adaptation of this classic tale.  I have previously read abridged versions of this tale but now I have finally read the full tale from cover to cover.  This is the one of the great medieval stories it is a tale that I would recommend for anyone who is interested in Lord of the Rings, A Game of Thrones, or any stories about Robin Hood or King Arthur.  One of the things I love about this story is how compact it is but there is a depth created by connecting it to the history of the crusades, the tale of Robin Hood.  This depth gives the reader a sense that they have been transported to another place if not just another time.  The character of Wilfred of Ivanhoe is one of the classic archetypes to come out of medieval literature.  You can see its everlasting influence in everything from movies like Knights Tale & Monty Python & the Holy Grail to other literary characters like Eddard Stark & Aragorn.  One of the things that really struck me this time while I was reading was the theme of antisemitism that flowed throughout each of the acts of the book leading to the rescue in the finale.  For a book that was written in the early 19th century it is still surprisingly relevant to the world today adding another reason to pick this up & give it a shot.