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A review by brandypainter
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
5.0
The Scarlet Pimpernel is one of my favorite books of all time. This book has it all: adventure, intrigue, humor and romance.
The Scarlet Pimpernel is the secret identity of a wealthy English nobleman who leads a group of like minded individuals in rescuing French aristocrats from "the fond embrace of Madame la Guillotine". The story is mostly told from the perspective of Lady Marguerite Blackeney, a French woman who was a fierce supporter of the Revolution in its infancy but is now disgusted by the bloody means her fellow countrymen are employing to achieve their Utopian freedom. She is now living in England and married to the foppish Sir Percy Blackeney. Against her will she is drawn into the intrigue surrounding the Scarlet Pimpernel. Marguerite is forced to make some difficult decisions regarding the people she loves and where her loyalties lie. She must contemplate these life altering decisions while enduring the stress of a disintigrating and disappointing marriage.
The book deals with serious themes but is not at all serious. It is fluffy frivolous melodrama at its swashbuckling best. Read it with that in mind and you will enjoy yourself immensely.
The Scarlet Pimpernel is the secret identity of a wealthy English nobleman who leads a group of like minded individuals in rescuing French aristocrats from "the fond embrace of Madame la Guillotine". The story is mostly told from the perspective of Lady Marguerite Blackeney, a French woman who was a fierce supporter of the Revolution in its infancy but is now disgusted by the bloody means her fellow countrymen are employing to achieve their Utopian freedom. She is now living in England and married to the foppish Sir Percy Blackeney. Against her will she is drawn into the intrigue surrounding the Scarlet Pimpernel. Marguerite is forced to make some difficult decisions regarding the people she loves and where her loyalties lie. She must contemplate these life altering decisions while enduring the stress of a disintigrating and disappointing marriage.
The book deals with serious themes but is not at all serious. It is fluffy frivolous melodrama at its swashbuckling best. Read it with that in mind and you will enjoy yourself immensely.