22 h 34 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What use is an honorable name when the king owes you money and his courtiers hold the doors?
In Walter Scott's The Fortunes of Nigel, Nigel Olifaunt, Lord Glenvarloch, arrives in London with little money and a just claim. His late father lent a large sum to the crown. Now the family lands are at risk, and Nigel must persuade King James I to repay the debt.
But justice moves slowly where money and favor rule. Nigel's pride and hot temper make an unfamiliar city still more dangerous. His servant Richie Moniplies brings loyalty and practical sense, while the generous goldsmith George Heriot offers guidance. At court, the charming Lord Dalgarno offers friendship with purposes of his own.
What you’ll discover
- Honor under pressure Follow a proud young lord whose sound claim meets a world of favors and delay.
- A crowded London Step among apprentices, goldsmiths, courtiers and bullies in streets alive with talk and competing interests.
- A very human king Meet Scott's learned, anxious James, whose lectures and favorites bring comedy into Nigel's difficult quest.
- Help worth trusting Discover Richie's shrewd loyalty, Heriot's honest advice and Margaret Ramsay's clear eye for people.
- Justice with a price Consider what a rightful claim can achieve when those with power are slow to act.
Who will love it
For readers who love historical fiction with humor, court intrigue and a vivid portrait of a real king and a real city, where honor, money and friendship are tested.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A poor lord arrives in London
- Honest friends appear in unlikely places
- The king is both foolish and shrewd
- A charming friend with a hidden aim
- One angry moment ruins his hopes
- Sanctuary among thieves and misers
- What the story says about debt and justice
- A king, a city and a sharp eye for comedy
- Why the book lasted and how to read it
Who’s who
- Nigel Olifaunt, Lord GlenvarlochA young, proud Scottish nobleman who comes to London to claim a debt owed to his late father, and to save his family estate.
- Richie MonipliesNigel's servant, a butcher's son from Edinburgh, loyal, shrewd and boastful, who supplies much of the book's humor and practical help.
- King James IThe learned, anxious and talkative king, who admits Nigel's claim is just but is slow to act, easily swayed by those around him.
- George HeriotThe king's goldsmith, nicknamed Jingling Geordie, a wealthy and generous Scot who gives Nigel honest advice and tries to guide him.
- Lord DalgarnoA handsome, witty young courtier, son of Lord Huntinglen, who offers Nigel friendship while pursuing aims of his own.
- Margaret RamsayThe clever, steady daughter of the king's watchmaker, who becomes a friend to Nigel and sees people more clearly than most.
- Lord HuntinglenAn old Scottish earl and soldier, blunt and honorable, who remembers Nigel's father with respect and offers to help him.
- Captain ColepepperA swaggering bully of Alsatia, ready to sell his protection and his sword to anyone who pays.
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 22 h 34 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Les Aventures de Nigel
by Walter Scott · 1822
Nigel comes to London to claim a royal debt and save his family lands, but false friends put his honor at risk.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 9
A poor lord arrives in London
Nigel, Lord Glenvarloch, is newly arrived in London from Scotland. He is young, proud and short of money. His father spent his fortune serving the Scottish crown, and the king never paid the debt back. Nigel has come to petition for it, because the family estate depends on the answer.
He has one companion, his servant Richie Moniplies. Richie is the son of an Edinburgh butcher, and he is shrewd, talkative and loyal, with a high opinion of himself and a gift for plain speech. Scott uses him as the comic voice of the book, a man who sees the city more clearly than his master does. Richie argues, boasts and complains, yet he looks after Nigel whenever it matters.
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What is The Fortunes of Nigel about?
It follows Nigel Olifaunt, a young Scottish lord who goes to London to claim a debt the crown owes his father. At the court of James the First he meets allies, a false friend and many dangers.
Is The Fortunes of Nigel a true story?
No, Nigel and his story are invented, but the setting is real. King James I, the Duke of Buckingham, Prince Charles and the goldsmith George Heriot were real people, and the novel was published in 1822.
Who is Richie Moniplies?
He is Nigel's servant, the son of an Edinburgh butcher. He is talkative, loyal and shrewd, and he gives the novel much of its humor while helping his master in many practical ways.
The author
Walter Scott
1771–1832 · Scottish novelist and poet
Walter Scott (1771–1832) was a Scottish novelist, poet and playwright. He was born in Edinburgh and lived in Scotland, including at Abbotsford near Melrose, where he died. He wrote Marmion (1808), The Lady of the Lake (1810), Waverley (1814), Rob Roy (1817) and Ivanhoe (1819).
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