Reviews with content warning for Antisemitism - The Scarlett Pimpernel

Reviews tagging 'Antisemitism'

The Scarlett Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

24 reviews

evitak's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I'm not too fond of pro-rich people narratives to be honest, so I approached this with low hopes to begin with. It was something of a pleasant surprise on that aspect I suppose, since it did attempt to empathize with both sides and only directly condemn the extremities, through Marguerite and her brother. The author tends to overuse specific words and phrases to an occasionally noticeable extent. Some parts towards the end have aged quite poorly, even if they may not reflect the author's opinions.

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csifbi23's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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cm93's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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utopiaandmelancholy's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I wish I could have read this book without knowing the twist! There was surprisingly less swashbuckling in this than I expected from popular culture surrounding the story, but what I got instead was a good story told from a female perspective which allowed for the twists and turns to be unfolded, rather than experienced directly. The characters felt very vivid (along with the lovely engravings in this edition) and I liked the story so much I've immersed myself in its myriad adaptations since - all of which I enjoyed - which I hope is a sufficient testament to Orczy's story and writing.

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sarahflies's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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ricksilva's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The Scarlet Pimpernel is known for being a major inspiration for bumbling/clueless secret identity characters such as Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent. Set during France's Reign of Terror, the title character is the leader of a band of Englishmen who help smuggle French aristocrats across the channel and out of the threat of the guillotine.

The Pimpernel (the name comes from an English wildflower, that is used as the man-of-mystery's signature) hides behind the identity of foppish Sir Percy Blakeney. His wife, French former actress Marguerite Blakeney, is completely taken in by the whole charade, in spite of being referred to as the "cleverest woman in Europe" repeatedly through the story. Marguerite is the real main character of the story, as she is blackmailed by French spy Chauvelin into trying to uncover the Pimpernel's identity, and then proceeds to embark on a desperate journey to undo the damage she has done and save the Pimpernel in the midst of a dangerous mission. Chauvelin is a reasonably compelling villain, although he does better matching wits with Marguerite. Against Percy, he seems to constantly overlook the obvious.

There's not as much action as one might expect (Hollywood versions of this invariably add swordfighting, where not a single blade is ever unsheathed in the book), but the author does a good job of building suspense through intrigue and pursuit. The interplay between the characters is also good, especially earlier in the story when Marguerite's snark is on full display. Percy also gets in some good humorous lines while playing up the incompetent rich man role.

The story plays into ugly stereotypes of Jews, although fortunately not as an overall main plot point. Still it's enough to cringe at.

There's also a bit of predictability to the climactic events, where the author may have foreshadowed a bit too hard with some earlier portrayals of the Pimpernel's methods. The fast pacing and witty characters help keep it interesting in spite of these issues with the plot.

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ilovelucy's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

I found this book very enjoyable. While not written quite as well as some of my favorite Jane Austen books, I nonetheless enjoyed the romance between the two main characters. The villain was very hateable which is always a plus, and the excitement of the mystery/adventure was enough to keep me interested, but it was not too action packed to take away from the drama of Marguerite’s relationship. My biggest critique however would be the horrid antisemitism introduced in the third act. It was wholly unnecessary, deeply disturbing, and honestly quite sickening. I would have given this book a 4 if not for that.

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