A review by cpjeanz
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
4.0
What can I say about this book? It's frankly one of my favorite stories ever. It has everything you could want: good villain, intriguing main characters, a romp of a story, action and of course some romance too. It obviously has some dated dialogue and sentiments, but it's just fun from start to finish. To me, this is what a classic is, a story you can enjoy and feel regardless of when it released, and it still hits you the same way.
Quick hits:
+ Percy is such a great character. He's dynamic and mysterious, keeping the reader on their toes, never knowing what he'll say or do next.
+ Chauvelin is a great villain. The tense moments created with him in the room have you on the edge of your seat.
+ The side characters have a nice role in the story and it's fun watching them simp over The Scarlet Pimpernel.
+ Percy and Marguerite have such good chemistry. Every scene between them you can feel the tension and emotion between them. Their story is such a great subplot. The scene after the party when they're outside is just *chef's kiss*.
- A bunch of antisemitic remarks in the story. Unfortunately a standard of the time. There's one section of the story that contains a lot, but the rest doesn't have anything really.
Overall, I love this book. I love the writing, story, and characters. The story feels really personable even for being 100 years old, and I would highly recommend people read this, especially if you appreciate classics. Also, if you haven't, I highly recommend watching the movie with Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon. It's not a direct adaptation, but it keeps so much of the core and heart of the story. I prefer it much more than the one from the 80s or 90s, and it evokes the same feeling the book did for me. I look forward to my next reread!
Quick hits:
+ Percy is such a great character. He's dynamic and mysterious, keeping the reader on their toes, never knowing what he'll say or do next.
+ Chauvelin is a great villain. The tense moments created with him in the room have you on the edge of your seat.
+ The side characters have a nice role in the story and it's fun watching them simp over The Scarlet Pimpernel.
+ Percy and Marguerite have such good chemistry. Every scene between them you can feel the tension and emotion between them. Their story is such a great subplot. The scene after the party when they're outside is just *chef's kiss*.
- A bunch of antisemitic remarks in the story. Unfortunately a standard of the time. There's one section of the story that contains a lot, but the rest doesn't have anything really.
Overall, I love this book. I love the writing, story, and characters. The story feels really personable even for being 100 years old, and I would highly recommend people read this, especially if you appreciate classics. Also, if you haven't, I highly recommend watching the movie with Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon. It's not a direct adaptation, but it keeps so much of the core and heart of the story. I prefer it much more than the one from the 80s or 90s, and it evokes the same feeling the book did for me. I look forward to my next reread!