The Scarlet Pimpernel

Call me a hopeless romantic, but, more decades ago than I care to admit, I was smitten with this book and the 1982 film adaptation of it. I home-school our daughter now, and she is the age I was (12) when first introduced to this book, so I decided to give it a re-read and let her enjoy it for her last week of school. As an adult, and a fairly no-nonsense one at that, I was happily surprised with how the story enchanted me once more, and my daughter could not put it down, either. Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, the hero (a mysterious character known only as "The Scarlet Pimpernel") daringly uses various disguises and other strategies to rescue aristocrats otherwise destined for Madame Guillotine. The book is full of intrigues and wranglings with questions like whether or not one life would be more valuable than another if it comes down to a choice. It has inspired plenty of good discussions in our home about the French Revolution, what it means to behave in a noble manner, and "what would you do" if you were in the position of Marguerite, a woman who must choose between the life of her beloved brother and the life of The Scarlet Pimpernel. The villain of the story, Chauvelin, tragically plays too close to the reality one can see around the world today...someone supposedly driven by ideals that seem noble in the abstract but show themselves to be nothing more than a sorry excuse to commit evil atrocities and violence in reality. Not only are we challenged to peek behind the mask to discover the identity of The Scarlet Pimpernel, but we are challenged to peek behind the mask of virtuous ideas used to cover the reality of extremism and hate. The story is old-fashioned in its sensibilities, so if you have no tolerance for that, you will not enjoy the adventure. Like any good story, it is very entertaining and goes down easily, but it has some treasured solid nuggets to ponder for those so inclined. It was a breath of fresh air for me to re-visit this fun but solid read, which promotes virtues like courage and self-control--the promotion of which I generally observe to be lacking in most popular entertainment today.

“The Scarlett Pimpernel” is an exciting historical fiction tale set in the Fall of 1792 during the French Revolution. The timing is not quite historically accurate, but the general theme falls within the “Reign of Terror” when the French people ousted their king, and brought ‘justice’ to thousands of aristocrats by way of the guillotine. The book was a little slow to get started while it spent time introducing the main characters in the story. There is a bit of a mystery as to the identity of The Scarlett Pimpernel, although it doesn’t take long to figure it out. From there, we learn about the daring exploits of 20 Englishmen noblemen – 19 followers and one mysterious leader – who set about the task of saving people from the guillotine by sneaking them out of France by any means possible. The mysterious leader, The Scarlett Pimpernel, gets his name from a piece of paper left behind whenever his band rescues someone, as the paper bears a small red flower found in England among other countries. I enjoyed the book, as it lauded the efforts of men who did not stand idly by while others were in need. I also enjoyed the tension the author developed around Marguerite St. Just, a beautiful French actress, who married an English nobleman. Much of the story is told from her perspective to include events on in both France and England.

My son had this as a summer reading assignment. He whined so much I said I would also read it, it couldn't be that bad! It does have a bit of a slow start, but I enjoyed the story and was sad when it ended. I can see how a sequel would be warranted, I wanted to find out what happened next! I would suggest some kind of French Revolution for Dummies* if you aren't familiar with the events of the French Revolution. The book does explain a bit, but I found I enjoyed it more with the added knowledge. *History in a Hurry: French Revolution by John Farman" was what I read to supplement my lack of knowledge.

The original has to be one of my all-time favorite tales, the first character in history to have a "secret identity". I bought this volume to read the sequels, but of course you must begin with the first, because several of the characters are revisited and there is added depth to them based on what they went through. I would say they go in descending order of excellence, like a gentle glide-path of enjoyment: "Scarlet Pimpernel" is a must-read, "I Will Repay" has some excellent exchanges and another terrific dilemma to negotiate, and "The Elusive Pimpernel" is merely a very good and readable yarn. Get it, read it. You will not be disappointed if you have any romanticism and love of adventure in your heart.

I was only familar with screen adaptations of 'The Scarlet Pimpernel' especially the classic Leslie Howard version, David Niven in the 1950s and Richard E Grant's more recent performance. The latter was criticised for 'taking liberties' with the books, but on the evidence of this publication the mor eliberties the better. Like most popular fiction of the period (with the honourable exception of Anthony Hope's Ruritanian trilogy and, of course, the incomparable Sherlock Holmes) the stories are overwritten and lack pace. The worst are the two prequels that describe the adventures of Sir Percy's forebear immortalised by Hals as 'The Laughing Cavalier.' The two stories themselves are dull, contrived, overlong and Orczy's overwriting is particualrly evidenced by repeated detailed descriptions and adjectival overuse. Combined and edited they might have made a reasonable short-story but the central conceit is flawed. The rotund and red-faced 'Laughing Cavalier' might be a forbear of fat-boy James Corden but of the louche and elegant Sir Percy never. The main stories do have some interesting plots but are marred by the use of 'historical' exclamations such as 'Zounds' and 'Gadzooks', that exist nowhere outside historical novels. This usage was particulary well parodied in an episode of 'Blackadder the Third'. The weakest is a particularly ludicrous story that offers Sir Percy's observations on early 20th century life. Useful for killing time on a long journey, but otherwise only of novelty interest.

Baroness Orczy certainly gave us great entertainment with the character the Scarlet Pimpernel, becoming a series of books, this being the first and the best. Originally Orczy wrote a play and with the success of that in 1905 this novel was published. It is the height of the Terror in France, but over in England there is a band of men who are willing to risk all to save French aristocrats from the guillotine. An elusive league of gentlemen, led by the Scarlet Pimpernel, who is only known to them, who could this man be? With the daring escapes of aristocrats right under the noses of the French regime this is definitely someone who is a thorn in their side, and whom they would love to get hold of and execute. Chauvelin has been sent over the Channel to try and identify this unknown gentleman and follow him, trying to prevent more escapes. And with his machinations, including a bit of blackmail he may just be able to get onto the scent of our hero. This works on so many levels, although not appreciated by many today the Pimpernel has the characteristics that were to become better known throughout the world when comics and superheroes came upon the scene. There is the secret identity and the always managing to ultimately stay one step ahead of the enemy. Packed with excitement, derring-do, disguises, romance and heroism this does make for a thrilling read. With a wife afraid that she has lost the respect and love of her husband, and the awkward position she is put into where she realises that she will have to endanger either her brother or her husband so there are lots of elements to this fast paced read. I am slightly envious of someone coming to this for the first time, as I have read it so many times over the years that I know what is going to happen next, although that doesn’t take away from my enjoyment of this. Always remember:- ‘We seek him here, we seek him there Those Frenchies seek him everywhere! Is he in heaven? Or is he in hell? That demmed Elusive Pimpernel?’

The basic story of The Scarlet Pimpernel is well know, and due to the homages to the story in other incarnations (e.g. the fantastic episode in Blackadder), although I had never read the original, I knew of the 'twist' and final outcome. The basic premise is an adventure story, although there is a lot more of a romantic slant that I expected. An 'unknown' Englishman sets about rescuing French aristocrats who are threatened by the zeal of the new order during the French Revolution, although in this case there is far less of the title character than might be expected. Clearly of it's time, the characters are perhaps a tad cliche - obvious good vs. evil, but they are reasonably drawn, and the book keeps you interested. The writing style is an odd mix - the descriptions of the locations are good, and you really get a feel for the inn at the start, and the french coast. However, it is also terribly repetetive - one of the lead characters repeatedly bemoans a decision and mythologises another character so many times in almost exactly the same manner you would think the sentances were copy/pasted. This did mean i could not give it 4 stars, but 3.5 would probably be fairer than 3, and I may well take a chance on the next in the series.

Although most memorable for its portrayal of a group of aristocratic Englishmen rescuing their unfortunate counterparts from revolutionary France, The Scarlet Pimpernel is in essence a love story. It is primarily told from the point of view of Marguerite St. Just, now married to Sir Percy Blakeney. Marguerite is French and through a misunderstanding between Percy and Marguerite shortly after they marry, Percy is left with the impression that Marguerite has betrayed some of her friends in France. Both Percy and Marguerite have come to believe that the love they once had has been lost. The principal story is how Marguerite comes to learn that there is far more to her husband than she believed and how important their love for one another is. The secondary story of the Scarlet Pimpernel and his daring exploits is the one that we all remember. This is the story that brought us “They seek him here, they seek him there, those Frenchies seek him everywhere. Is he in Heaven or is he in hell, that demned elusive Pimpernel.” An entertaining and enduring novel.

Found it a quick read and although I'm by no means a royalist, I enjoyed it. I see in my head Anthony Andrews playing the dim, chivalrous, Sir Percy Blakeney. The book was quite descriptive of the surroundings and characters and although AA doesn't seem to be the right build, but he did play it well, sink me!! Found I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next so a good page turner. Oh and I did love the wife!!

Call me a hopeless romantic, but, more decades ago than I care to admit, I was smitten with this book and the 1982 film adaptation of it. I home-school our daughter now, and she is the age I was (12) when first introduced to this book, so I decided to give it a re-read and let her enjoy it for her last week of school. As an adult, and a fairly no-nonsense one at that, I was happily surprised with how the story enchanted me once more, and my daughter could not put it down, either. Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, the hero (a mysterious character known only as "The Scarlet Pimpernel") daringly uses various disguises and other strategies to rescue aristocrats otherwise destined for Madame Guillotine. The book is full of intrigues and wranglings with questions like whether or not one life would be more valuable than another if it comes down to a choice. It has inspired plenty of good discussions in our home about the French Revolution, what it means to behave in a noble manner, and "what would you do" if you were in the position of Marguerite, a woman who must choose between the life of her beloved brother and the life of The Scarlet Pimpernel. The villain of the story, Chauvelin, tragically plays too close to the reality one can see around the world today...someone supposedly driven by ideals that seem noble in the abstract but show themselves to be nothing more than a sorry excuse to commit evil atrocities and violence in reality. Not only are we challenged to peek behind the mask to discover the identity of The Scarlet Pimpernel, but we are challenged to peek behind the mask of virtuous ideas used to cover the reality of extremism and hate. The story is old-fashioned in its sensibilities, so if you have no tolerance for that, you will not enjoy the adventure. Like any good story, it is very entertaining and goes down easily, but it has some treasured solid nuggets to ponder for those so inclined. It was a breath of fresh air for me to re-visit this fun but solid read, which promotes virtues like courage and self-control--the promotion of which I generally observe to be lacking in most popular entertainment today.

My son had this as a summer reading assignment. He whined so much I said I would also read it, it couldn't be that bad! It does have a bit of a slow start, but I enjoyed the story and was sad when it ended. I can see how a sequel would be warranted, I wanted to find out what happened next! I would suggest some kind of French Revolution for Dummies* if you aren't familiar with the events of the French Revolution. The book does explain a bit, but I found I enjoyed it more with the added knowledge.*History in a Hurry: French Revolution by John Farman" was what I read to supplement my lack of knowledge.

“The Scarlett Pimpernel” is an exciting historical fiction tale set in the Fall of 1792 during the French Revolution. The timing is not quite historically accurate, but the general theme falls within the “Reign of Terror” when the French people ousted their king, and brought ‘justice’ to thousands of aristocrats by way of the guillotine.The book was a little slow to get started while it spent time introducing the main characters in the story. There is a bit of a mystery as to the identity of The Scarlett Pimpernel, although it doesn’t take long to figure it out. From there, we learn about the daring exploits of 20 Englishmen noblemen – 19 followers and one mysterious leader – who set about the task of saving people from the guillotine by sneaking them out of France by any means possible. The mysterious leader, The Scarlett Pimpernel, gets his name from a piece of paper left behind whenever his band rescues someone, as the paper bears a small red flower found in England among other countries.I enjoyed the book, as it lauded the efforts of men who did not stand idly by while others were in need. I also enjoyed the tension the author developed around Marguerite St. Just, a beautiful French actress, who married an English nobleman. Much of the story is told from her perspective to include events on in both France and England.

The original has to be one of my all-time favorite tales, the first character in history to have a "secret identity". I bought this volume to read the sequels, but of course you must begin with the first, because several of the characters are revisited and there is added depth to them based on what they went through. I would say they go in descending order of excellence, like a gentle glide-path of enjoyment: "Scarlet Pimpernel" is a must-read, "I Will Repay" has some excellent exchanges and another terrific dilemma to negotiate, and "The Elusive Pimpernel" is merely a very good and readable yarn.Get it, read it. You will not be disappointed if you have any romanticism and love of adventure in your heart.

I was only familar with screen adaptations of 'The Scarlet Pimpernel' especially the classic Leslie Howard version, David Niven in the 1950s and Richard E Grant's more recent performance. The latter was criticised for 'taking liberties' with the books, but on the evidence of this publication the mor eliberties the better.Like most popular fiction of the period (with the honourable exception of Anthony Hope's Ruritanian trilogy and, of course, the incomparable Sherlock Holmes) the stories are overwritten and lack pace. The worst are the two prequels that describe the adventures of Sir Percy's forebear immortalised by Hals as 'The Laughing Cavalier.'The two stories themselves are dull, contrived, overlong and Orczy's overwriting is particualrly evidenced by repeated detailed descriptions and adjectival overuse. Combined and edited they might have made a reasonable short-story but the central conceit is flawed. The rotund and red-faced 'Laughing Cavalier' might be a forbear of fat-boy James Corden but of the louche and elegant Sir Percy never.The main stories do have some interesting plots but are marred by the use of 'historical' exclamations such as 'Zounds' and 'Gadzooks', that exist nowhere outside historical novels. This usage was particulary well parodied in an episode of 'Blackadder the Third'. The weakest is a particularly ludicrous story that offers Sir Percy's observations on early 20th century life.Useful for killing time on a long journey, but otherwise only of novelty interest.

The basic story of The Scarlet Pimpernel is well know, and due to the homages to the story in other incarnations (e.g. the fantastic episode in Blackadder), although I had never read the original, I knew of the 'twist' and final outcome.The basic premise is an adventure story, although there is a lot more of a romantic slant that I expected. An 'unknown' Englishman sets about rescuing French aristocrats who are threatened by the zeal of the new order during the French Revolution, although in this case there is far less of the title character than might be expected. Clearly of it's time, the characters are perhaps a tad cliche - obvious good vs. evil, but they are reasonably drawn, and the book keeps you interested.The writing style is an odd mix - the descriptions of the locations are good, and you really get a feel for the inn at the start, and the french coast. However, it is also terribly repetetive - one of the lead characters repeatedly bemoans a decision and mythologises another character so many times in almost exactly the same manner you would think the sentances were copy/pasted. This did mean i could not give it 4 stars, but 3.5 would probably be fairer than 3, and I may well take a chance on the next in the series.

Baroness Orczy certainly gave us great entertainment with the character the Scarlet Pimpernel, becoming a series of books, this being the first and the best. Originally Orczy wrote a play and with the success of that in 1905 this novel was published.It is the height of the Terror in France, but over in England there is a band of men who are willing to risk all to save French aristocrats from the guillotine. An elusive league of gentlemen, led by the Scarlet Pimpernel, who is only known to them, who could this man be? With the daring escapes of aristocrats right under the noses of the French regime this is definitely someone who is a thorn in their side, and whom they would love to get hold of and execute.Chauvelin has been sent over the Channel to try and identify this unknown gentleman and follow him, trying to prevent more escapes. And with his machinations, including a bit of blackmail he may just be able to get onto the scent of our hero.This works on so many levels, although not appreciated by many today the Pimpernel has the characteristics that were to become better known throughout the world when comics and superheroes came upon the scene. There is the secret identity and the always managing to ultimately stay one step ahead of the enemy. Packed with excitement, derring-do, disguises, romance and heroism this does make for a thrilling read.With a wife afraid that she has lost the respect and love of her husband, and the awkward position she is put into where she realises that she will have to endanger either her brother or her husband so there are lots of elements to this fast paced read. I am slightly envious of someone coming to this for the first time, as I have read it so many times over the years that I know what is going to happen next, although that doesn’t take away from my enjoyment of this.Always remember:-‘We seek him here, we seek him thereThose Frenchies seek him everywhere!Is he in heaven? Or is he in hell?That demmed Elusive Pimpernel?’

This is a "must read" classic. It deals with the very real dangers and terrors and aspirations of the French Revolution, and how some brave heroes tried to mitigate its worst effects. We all need heroes, but even heroes don't always do personal relationships well, blackmail and naivety also play a part in this emotional historical suspense story. Don't expect a modern day thriller, but enjoy getting to grips with attitudes in a changing world.

Although most memorable for its portrayal of a group of aristocratic Englishmen rescuing their unfortunate counterparts from revolutionary France, The Scarlet Pimpernel is in essence a love story.It is primarily told from the point of view of Marguerite St. Just, now married to Sir Percy Blakeney. Marguerite is French and through a misunderstanding between Percy and Marguerite shortly after they marry, Percy is left with the impression that Marguerite has betrayed some of her friends in France. Both Percy and Marguerite have come to believe that the love they once had has been lost.The principal story is how Marguerite comes to learn that there is far more to her husband than she believed and how important their love for one another is. The secondary story of the Scarlet Pimpernel and his daring exploits is the one that we all remember. This is the story that brought us “They seek him here, they seek him there, those Frenchies seek him everywhere. Is he in Heaven or is he in hell, that demned elusive Pimpernel.”An entertaining and enduring novel.