<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: A craving for swashbucklers!
Review: "He was born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad," so begins Scaramouche, Rafael Sabatini's 1921 novel set during the French Revolution. That single and unforgettable sentence propelled me back to my childhood and awoke in me nostalgia for the excitement and adventure I once held for books and movies.
Scaramouche is a tale of revenge, an astonishing tour de force - every single page seethes with incident, color, and detail. How could it no be? It is the story of a man born on the wrong side of the blanket, fugitive from the King's justice, star of traveling players, and the finest swordsman in all of France. A tale of revenge and revolution.
Scaramouche helped me rediscover everything I loved about the classic swashbucklers of the 40s starring Tyrone Power, Errol Flynn and Robert Donat. Sabatini also led me to other great tales of adventure by Alexandre Dumas, PC Wren, Emilio Salgari Henry Rider Haggard and Samuel Shellabarger. Scaramouche definitely has a special place in my heart ;)
Rating:
Summary: Great characters, great story
Review: (...) Andre-Louis's initial feigned passion for the Revolution is cause for criticism, for some. But I thought it made him that much more human. He rouses the crowds to revolt not because he believes their cause is just, but because he wants to avenge the murder of a close friend. In being dishonest, he is honest to himself and to his friend. Others have written that Andre-Louis is a difficult character to like. But I would put him in the same category as Austen's Mr. Darcy. Proud and arrogant, but decent, courageous and noble.
Rating: 
Summary: Dated
Review: A historical romance with a mocking tone, but badly dated. Not as good as Sabatini's Captain Blood.
Rating:
Summary: Great! Great! Great!
Review: I really recomend this book to everyone. It's so exciting, I read well into the night and the next day. OK, the begining was a bit slow and I sometimes skipped bits of Andre's speaches, but as you go ahead, you come to love it more and more. If you've seen the movie, well, really great movie and Stewart Granger looks so handsome, Janet is beautiful (esp. in that violet dress), but it really has nothing to do with the book. Bits of it were taken out, that's all. So read this book and be swept away in this complex and not exactly safe place, era of history!
Rating:
Summary: Jack of Hearts in revolutionary France!
Review: Sabatini's 1923 swashbuckler epitomizes the turbulent years preceding the French Revolution--which of necessity imposes literatry restrictions on the plotting. Despite uneven pacing in spots, the story unfolds with dramatic excitement, intrigue and hidden identity. The protagonist is depicted as somewhat callous, but one wonders how much of his cool heartlessness is but a facade. This adventure read is a romantic piece of historical fiction, which also educates in that it encourages readers to reflect on the legitimate grievances of the French people in the face of the arrogance and authority of the monarchy and the nobility. Young Andre-Louis Moreau, an illegitimate orphan raised by a kindly landowner in Brittany, is shocked at the swaggering indifference of the local Marquis, who deliberately provoked and murdered Andre's best friend in an unfair duel. Swearing personal vengance upon this hated representative of Privilege, Andre pleges to espouse the very views he formerly ridiculed. Refusing to have his friend's ideas silenced, he becomes atalented rabble-rowser. Once
discovering his amazing powers of oratory, Andre is forced into hiding from regional authorities by joining a troupe of traveling actors who specialize in Commedia del'Arte--based on the Italian style of improvization. Quickly becoming embroiled in many passionate intrigues--both amorous and political--Andre is swept up as frenzied Paris rushes headlong into emotional fervor over the wisdom and efficacy of a Constitutional Monarchy. Alternately plying his trade as actor/author/manager or as a fencing master, the godson of Gavrillac ultimately is obliged to return to the seething political arena. Throughout his existence Andre is proudly motivated to become the nemesis of the cruel Marquis, which unfortunately causes great anguish among several hearts of the gentry from Brittany. This fascinating tale transports readers to the prelude of the French bloodbath two centuries earlier. En garde! You are just a swordspoint away from becoming hooked!
Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Historical Novel
Review: Scaramouche is not only Rafael Sabatini's crowning literary achievement, it is one of the most engaging, thought-provoking and exciting historical novels ever written. Andre-Louis Moreau, (or Scaramouche, as he later becomes known), is a fascinatingly complex protagonist. Courageous, intelligent, quick-witted and intensely moral, Moreau is a character whose personal quest for revenge against the villainous Marquis de La Tour d'Azyr is a masterfully-woven story of swashbuckling action, romance and social conflict during the turbulent years of the French Revolution. Well-born lawyer. Fugitive. Dramatic actor. Expert swordsman. Impassioned, mob-inciting orator. Revolutionary politician. Sabatini sets Moreau upon an intriguing path of fate, development and discovery, a fictionalized yet compelling account of a single man's ultimate test of human character as the world around him spirals into madness. Sabatini has often been compared to Alexandre Dumas (author of the Three Musketeers, the Count of Monte Cristo) as a master of historical fiction. Though I believe Dumas to be the finest action-adventure writer of all time, and though some of Sabatini's other works (which I have not yet read) have been criticized as overly melodramatic, Sabatini has created in Scaramouche an historical action-adventure novel that transcends Dumas (and all modern action-adventure writers, for that matter) in that Moreau, his protagonist, is a thoroughly multi-dimensional character. Though Moreau is driven by his hatred and his quest for revenge, the spirit of his character is not defined by them, and the conflict of these passions with his ideals brings depth and substance to his exploits on the Theatre Feydau, the fencing halls of Paris, the floor of the National Assembly and his pursuit of the beautiful Aline de Kercadiou. Duels. Intrigue. Romance. More duels. Moral and political introspection. Its all here. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: A World--and a Man--Driven by Ironies
Review: Scaramouche-the name of a stock character in classical Italian comedy, a buffoon, a rascal. That André-Louis Moreau chooses this as his character when, fleeing the hangman's noose, he joins a traveling theatrical troupe, is but one of the many ironies in Sabatini's captivating novel, for André-Louis is anything but a buffoon, and only those of the Privileged class would have called him a rascal-or worse.
André-Louis is a complex protagonist, and he exudes irony throughout this novel in which neither suspense nor action ever lags. He adamantly refuses to see himself as a man of action, yet his speeches incite the restive crowds in both Rennes and Nantes, adding his powerful voice to the other catalysts of the French Revolution. He insists that he himself does not hold these dangerous republican views and is merely giving voice to his murdered friend, Vilmorin, yet he finds himself a republican member of the Assembly and instrumental in hastening the downfall of the Privileged class.
On a personal level, despite André-Louis' acute awareness of the madness of the world around him and his skillful artistry in manipulating that madness to achieve his ends, he is obstinately blind to the love that Aline holds for him, attributing her actions to a non-existent love for his nemesis, Monsieur de La Tour d'Azyr. Perhaps the ultimate irony, at least on such a private level, envelops the relationship between André-Louis and d'Azyr, but the revelation of that is saved for the final chapters of the novel, and I'll not destroy that suspense by revealing it here.
Sabatini's novel seamlessly interweaves fiction with history, and the window of history that he has chosen as his backdrop is a stirring one. The social injustices perpetrated by the French Privileged classes upon the commoners of the country have reached a climax. Violent revolution is at hand. If, Good Reader, you have not had the fortune to attend a live performance of Boubil and Schönberg's musical Les Misérables, go now and purchase the videocassette recording. While hardly equivalent to the stage production, the recording will still heighten your understanding of and empathy for the emotions of the "canaille," the rabble, as they become ever more violent in their opposition to the Privileged class that rules their society. Nor would it hurt to have a recording of the Revolutionary song Ça Ira and its successor, La Marseillaise, sounding their messages of revolt against societal wrongs as you read Scaramouche!
Sabatini's novel remains as intriguing and, yes, as stirring to the emotions of the reader as when it was newly published eighty-three years ago. Read it for its atmosphere of revolt against the wrongs perpetrated by the minority elite against the common majority. Read it for its cover-to-cover collection of delightful ironies. Read it to discover the complex character of the consummate actor André-Louis. Read it to learn the incredible and shocking secret of Madame de Plougastel. Read it to enjoy the hypocritical yet endearing godfather of André-Louis, Monsieur de Kercadiou. Read it because it is an entertaining and well-penned story. Now, uncork the Burgundy and let us toast this most delightful novel!
Rating:
Summary: Scaramouche- Fantastic Read
Review: This book is a masterpiece, portraying not only the time of the French Revolution accurately but weaving a story unsurpassed. This book consists of revenge, for those who loved the Count of Monte Cristo, history, for those who enjoy Patrick O'Brien and the like, action, for Robert Jordan lovers, simply put it is a tale for everyone. The plot seems simple yet Sabatini's deceptive twists and turns keeps the reader on the edge of his seat. The theme of the story, one of equality, is another reason to read this book. For everyone, read this book, you will enjoy it! A book for everyone and a story for the ages, Rafael Sabatini's Scaramouche is a glittering diamond in the stockhouse of books, known as Amazon.com.
Rating:
Summary: Swashbuckling, Derring-Do, Plot Twists...and More!
Review: This book is such a fun read that I can't think up enough superlatives to recommend it. It's simply a blast! If you like Dumas' The Three Musketeers, Errol Flynn flicks, Zorro, Paul Feval novels, Fantomas, etc., you've got to read this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Great fun and more
Review: This is an exciting historical novel set at the time of the French Revolution. It is a fast, fun read, but has more serious and meaningful elements too. Motivated by seeing the even better film as a youth I tried reading this then, but was defeated by the purplish prose. A few weeks ago I caught the film again on TV and, re-inspired, gave the book another shot. This time I could hardly put it down. I was surprised by many of Sabatini's turns of a phrase, his care for detail, and the crisp, compact dialogue. His description of the first appearance of the Count, the villain of the piece but also a man with some very real admirable qualities, is breathtaking, revealing what a wonderful job Mel Ferrar did with the part. There's an excellent review of the film on Amazon stressing the importance of its play within the play facet. This applies also to the book, though not so directly as the theatre troupe's role pretty much disappears midway through. What's there not to like? To criticize it as not being the heaviest of works is to miss the point, but it has more depth than could be expected. But on more than one occasion, particularly as the novel progresses, the author points out the point instead of letting his excellent tale weaving doing it for him, thus adding a slight didactic warp. 4 stars because, hey, although its terrific fun, well written, and with some unexpected depth, it's no War and Peace or even Of Human Bondage. But it puts the books I've read by Clancy and Grisham to shame in every respect. Guess I'll try one of Dumas' novels now. I also couldn't get through them as a youth.
<< 1 >>
|
