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runjnee's review against another edition
5.0
**spoiler alert**
Not sure I know any women who Don't like this book!
It's a wonderfully angsty period of history, the beginnings of the French revolution. A French beauty-and-good-brains is married to a lazy English aristocrat. She has a dark secret in her past that has led to her estrangement from her husband, and it haunts her throughout the book. She is blackmailed into helping Chauvelin, the new French envoy, identify the mysterious Scarlet Pimpernel - leader of a gang assisting aristocrats escape the violent persecution in France. She cooperates, and later finds out her very husband is the Pimpernel - guilty and fearful, she follows him to France (where he goes to help her brother) and desperately tries to warn him. He is one step ahead and outwits Chauvelin anyway, but is amazed by Marguerite's ardour in pursuing him and their marriage appears to be once again happy.
A daring plot, a dashing hero and a lovely lady - with the appropriate exclamations of love here and there, this is the perfect book to look respectable And hide under your covers to read at night. How you'll wish to have a man like Percy Blakeney, how you'll wish to be in Marguerite place because you Know you'd be better than her, how you wish such romance existed in your life!
Well, silly me, the little giggling girl got out again. But the point is, it's a guilty pleasure to read this book and you needn't be ashamed you love it!
Not sure I know any women who Don't like this book!
It's a wonderfully angsty period of history, the beginnings of the French revolution. A French beauty-and-good-brains is married to a lazy English aristocrat. She has a dark secret in her past that has led to her estrangement from her husband, and it haunts her throughout the book. She is blackmailed into helping Chauvelin, the new French envoy, identify the mysterious Scarlet Pimpernel - leader of a gang assisting aristocrats escape the violent persecution in France. She cooperates, and later finds out her very husband is the Pimpernel - guilty and fearful, she follows him to France (where he goes to help her brother) and desperately tries to warn him. He is one step ahead and outwits Chauvelin anyway, but is amazed by Marguerite's ardour in pursuing him and their marriage appears to be once again happy.
A daring plot, a dashing hero and a lovely lady - with the appropriate exclamations of love here and there, this is the perfect book to look respectable And hide under your covers to read at night. How you'll wish to have a man like Percy Blakeney, how you'll wish to be in Marguerite place because you Know you'd be better than her, how you wish such romance existed in your life!
Well, silly me, the little giggling girl got out again. But the point is, it's a guilty pleasure to read this book and you needn't be ashamed you love it!
ftrebelo's review against another edition
4.0
Spies, guillotines, balls, and furious boat races across the channel: this is a great little adventure story set in the French Revolution. The only thing missing was one good sword fight! It's easy to see why this has remained a beloved classic and produced so many movie, play, and even musical (!) adaptations.
heraldicllama's review against another edition
4.0
The first "classic" I have read and actually really enjoyed. Except DO NOT read the preface as it tells you the Scarlet Pimpernel's secret identity. I learned this the hard way.
tympligtlasande's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
kessler21's review against another edition
3.0
This centers around the reign of terror after the French Revolution where the aristocrats where rounded up and executed in the late 1700s. There is a British man, known only as the Scarlet Pimpernel who is somehow rescuing these condemned aristocrats and taking them to safety in Britain. The Revoluionists want the Scarlet Pimpernel caught and killed, and they go about this by blackmailing a French wife of a British nobleman into helping uncover the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
This was originally written as a play in the early 1900s and was successful. Then it was turned into a book and it read as though. There is not much detail to surroundings and characters are not introduced very well. I was lost at the beginning of the book and had to read the summary on wikipedia (just up to the point of what I've read) to catch up and then the story was much easier to follow after having that foundation. The book felt to be in scenes rather than of a continuous flow.
However, I did enjoy the story once I understood what was going on and who was who. Very fun story. The Scarlet Pimpernel also was a driving force into other anonymous vigilantes such as Batman, Superman, The Shadow, and Zorro. (the original Batman was nothing like we know of him today. He was more of a detective)
I will get around to the rest in the series as a fun and interesting read.
This was originally written as a play in the early 1900s and was successful. Then it was turned into a book and it read as though. There is not much detail to surroundings and characters are not introduced very well. I was lost at the beginning of the book and had to read the summary on wikipedia (just up to the point of what I've read) to catch up and then the story was much easier to follow after having that foundation. The book felt to be in scenes rather than of a continuous flow.
However, I did enjoy the story once I understood what was going on and who was who. Very fun story. The Scarlet Pimpernel also was a driving force into other anonymous vigilantes such as Batman, Superman, The Shadow, and Zorro. (the original Batman was nothing like we know of him today. He was more of a detective)
I will get around to the rest in the series as a fun and interesting read.
solstjohn's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism
scotteabbott's review against another edition
5.0
An enjoyable classic that I had previously missed, made more fun by being in some of the locations (ie, London, Paris, Calais) as I was reading about it.
lizziestudieshistory's review against another edition
5.0
Ridiculous, melodramatic, and oh so brilliant!
I loved this book and my only complaint is that it was too short... I could have easily read another 100+ pages, particularly if we got more of the relationship between Sir Percy and Marguerite or the rest of the Band of the Scarlet Pimpernel. I suppose this means I'll have to read the other books in the series then!
The whole silliness of the novel reminded me of Alexandre Dumas' books, particularly The Count of Monte Cristo. I adored playing along with the ludicrous disguises and over the top plans Sir Percy used on his trips to France, as well as obliviousness of the cleverest women in Europe!
It was a delightful romp, and would make an excellent first classic for anyone looking to get into swashbuckling classic novels!
I loved this book and my only complaint is that it was too short... I could have easily read another 100+ pages, particularly if we got more of the relationship between Sir Percy and Marguerite or the rest of the Band of the Scarlet Pimpernel. I suppose this means I'll have to read the other books in the series then!
The whole silliness of the novel reminded me of Alexandre Dumas' books, particularly The Count of Monte Cristo. I adored playing along with the ludicrous disguises and over the top plans Sir Percy used on his trips to France, as well as obliviousness of the cleverest women in Europe!
It was a delightful romp, and would make an excellent first classic for anyone looking to get into swashbuckling classic novels!