A review by dlberglund
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
4.0
Quite delightful, full of adventure and intrigue. A bit repetitive (almost as if it had been published as a serial, and she had to remind us of the current situation every once in a while) but otherwise a great read. Knowing a bit of le francais helps with fluent reading, but I wouldn't say that the French words would impede your understanding if you don't know them.
It is interesting to reflect on the noble heart of the man who would risk his life to smuggle aristocrats out of France and away from the guillotine. I'm used to rooting for the revolutionaries in the French Revolution, so saving the poor downtrodden aristocrats is an interesting twist. (Did they learn anything from the experience? The evidence in this novel had les aristos picking up where they left off, entering high society in England and not seeming to show any more care for the peasants than they did in France...but that is not integral to Orczy's thesis. )
Worth the read.
It is interesting to reflect on the noble heart of the man who would risk his life to smuggle aristocrats out of France and away from the guillotine. I'm used to rooting for the revolutionaries in the French Revolution, so saving the poor downtrodden aristocrats is an interesting twist. (Did they learn anything from the experience? The evidence in this novel had les aristos picking up where they left off, entering high society in England and not seeming to show any more care for the peasants than they did in France...but that is not integral to Orczy's thesis. )
Worth the read.