[.ca] The Ramsay Scallop (ISBN 0606084584)

Why I liked it and many didn't:
Well, after reading all of the other reviews offered at the bottom of this page, I was suddenly motivated to write a review of my own. I loved this book and was a bit confused at first about why others hated it.I think that the readers who reviewed this book and thought it was bad were not prepared for all of the information or didn't expect it to be how it was. Obviously there has to be something about this book or else it wouldn't've won the ALA Best Book for Young Adults award. I thought it was very interesting to learn about this time period and all this religious stuff got kind of boring but then you sort of got intrigued. The best part of the book was the blooming romance between the main characters Thomas and Elenor. I loved how at first Thomas referred to Elenor as "the Brat" and then eventually switched to Nora. I'm only a teenager and know as much about pilgrimmage as I do about gnu herding in West Africa (if there is such a thing). I found myself engrossed, though, and all in all it was a really good book I think.

The Ramsay Scallop is deprived of action and romance:
There are many great literary works out today-from timeless classics like E.B. White's Trumpet of the Swan to modern thrillers such as the Artemis Fowl and Harry Potter series. However, The Ramsay Scallop is neither. The plot for the story had much potential. Elenor, the sole heir to the manor of Ramsay (A town in England), has been betrothed to Thomas, a sullen yet strong knight who returns from the Crusade after committing countless sins. Elenor and Thomas both detest each other and are told to go on a pilgrimage to Santiago, Spain, to forgive the community's sins before being married. One would surmise that the book would be a spellbinding tale of adventure and bravery, ultimately ending with love between the two. Unfortunately to the innocent reader, the book turns into an endless journey, only distinguished by the people they meet along the way-very few have much personality. The history of the 13th-14th century in this book is portrayed well, but your average history book is much more informative and probably loads more interesting. In the end, the two finally love each other, and the story ends. Even though I never really enjoyed love stories as much as other types of books, most romance books are probably better than this, as the romance in this book is very minimal and is starving for more action and touching moments. I don't blame the author for this, because they probably started out OK but lost interest after the first 20 pages or decided to buy a pencil-making simulator, because that was as fun as this book was to read. If you wanted to read a book about the middle ages, I suggest you grab a history volume, or read Canterbury Tales. If you wanted action out of this book, you should run and grab a copy of Artemis Fowl. However, if you want a good way to get bored, fall asleep, or remember how much more fun it was watching that film on the Greenland ice cap you saw, pick up this book. If somehow you get caught being forced to read this volume for school/summer reading, (that's the quality of this book), I strongly suggest you advise your teacher(s) to find a more lively tale immediately.

THE MOST BORING, HORRIBLE BOOK EVER!!!:
You know how you can be reading books.. but have your mind.. wander.. to other things.. such as your lunch yesterday? I faced this problem many times during the hours I spent hunched over, sitting at my desk, half asleep. Being a fan of science fiction, fantasy, anything but realistic fiction, I found this book to be horrible. HORRIBLE!! The writing style was very annoying and the events seemed to be jumbled up. AND IT READ SO SLOWLY!! How can a 310 book seem so long!? Basically, it's about a 14 year old girl who is betrothed to some guy that had gone off on the crusades and their wonderfully exciting pilgrimage to Santiago. There was no action at all! The only exciting part was when I finally finished it and began The Light Fantastic (Terry Pratchett, it's a lot better than this! Read it!!). The book dragged on and on and on and wouln't end!!! ARGH! Don't read it! Stay away from it!

RIGHT.......:
Although i agree that this book was slow moving and the characters roles could have delve deepe into another story this was a good book....It's not about action so i don't understand why you would gather that from it it's about relatinships and hardship not action!!! I suggest this to the young history buff if interested in HISTORY NOT action

Boring book...:
This book is literally one of the worst I've ever read. Seriously, there is nothing you can get out of it. I don't understand how people can possibly enjoy this book-- I mean, the storyline isn't that bad, but it's just so slow-moving. Plus the main character, Elenor can be so stupid at times it just makes me want to stop reading. (Unfortunately I can't, as it's a school book). If you don't like historical fiction featuring mindless characters, DONT read this book.