20 h 45 minAudiobook13 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 is an honest young man worth in a court where lies can win more than swords?
Quentin Durward arrives in France poor, proud and alone. The young Scottish nobleman seeks a living, but finds himself caught between King Louis XI and Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. In Walter Scott’s historical adventure, keeping your word means little unless you can judge whom to trust.
When Louis sends Quentin to escort Isabelle, Countess of Croye, and her aunt toward Liège, honour becomes a dangerous duty. Isabelle flees a forced marriage and wants to choose her own fate. Around them, royal schemes and violent rebels threaten a world where a knight’s promise still matters—but may not be enough.
What you’ll discover
- An outsider with honour Follow a penniless young Scot whose good heart meets the hard demands of survival.
- A king behind disguises Meet Louis XI, who wears plain clothes and trusts schemes more than open battle.
- An heiress seeking choice Discover Isabelle’s struggle to escape a forced marriage and claim her own future.
- A road full of danger Travel toward Liège with two fugitive noblewomen, a secretive guide and uncertain shelter ahead.
- Two worlds in conflict Watch the code of chivalry clash with power built on lies, bribes and patience.
Is it for you?
This book suits you if you like adventure with real history behind it, or if you enjoy watching a clever ruler outwit his enemies. It may be less suited to readers who want fast modern pacing, since Scott takes his time over scenery and talk.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A penniless Scot arrives in France
- A stranger at breakfast is no merchant
- Louis the Eleventh, the spider at Plessis
- Two noble ladies flee the Duke of Burgundy
- A dangerous road toward Liège
- Charles the Bold and the quarrel of two princes
- The Wild Boar of the Ardennes
- Honour against cunning: what the book is about
- How Scott tells it: history as adventure
Who’s who
- Quentin DurwardA young Scottish nobleman, last of his family, who seeks a living in France and holds to honour and his word.
- Louis XIThe cunning king of France, who prefers schemes and patience to open war and often travels disguised.
- Isabelle, Countess of CroyeA young heiress who flees Burgundy to avoid a forced marriage and seeks to choose her own fate.
- Countess HamelineIsabelle's vain, easily flattered aunt, who flees with her and hopes for rank and a husband.
- Ludovic Lesly, Le BalafréQuentin's uncle, a scarred, boastful soldier of the Scottish Archers, rough but loyal to his kin.
- Charles the BoldThe proud, hot-tempered Duke of Burgundy, who wants to control his vassals and rule his lands as an equal of the king.
- Hayraddin MaugrabinA wanderer and guide, sharp-tongued and secretive, who leads the travellers through dangerous country.
- William de la MarckThe Wild Boar of the Ardennes, a brutal rebel captain who seeks lands and power through violence.
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- Large-print eBook
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- Audiobook
- 20 h 45 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 13 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- 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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Language: English
“an author to whom Karl Marx again and again returned, whom he admired and knew as well as he did Balzac and Fielding.”
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 9
A penniless Scot arrives in France
The story opens in 1468 on the banks of the river Cher, near the royal castle of Plessis-les-Tours. Quentin Durward is a young Scottish nobleman, the last of his family. His kin have been killed in a feud with a neighbouring clan, and his home is gone. With little money and few prospects, he has crossed to France to find his mother's brother.
That uncle is Ludovic Lesly, known to his comrades as Le Balafré, which means the scarred one. He serves in the Scottish Archers, the king's bodyguard, a corps of Scottish soldiers who guard the person of the French king. Quentin hopes that blood and shared homeland will win him a place among them. He has a strong young body, a quick temper and a firm sense of what is right.
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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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What is Quentin Durward about?
It follows a young Scottish archer in 1468 France who is sent to guide two noble ladies fleeing the Duke of Burgundy, and who gets caught between King Louis XI and his enemies.
Is Quentin Durward a true story?
No. Quentin is invented, but King Louis XI, Charles the Bold and William de la Marck are real figures. Scott bends dates and events to fit his plot. It was published in 1823.
Who is Maître Pierre in Quentin Durward?
Maître Pierre is the plain merchant Quentin meets near Tours and talks to with great freedom. He is in fact King Louis XI, who likes to move among his people in disguise.
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