Rating: 
Summary: A romantic, yet supsnseful novel
Review: The Scarlet Pimpernel is an amazing and well-written novel. It is brimming with action, suspense, romance and it is all crammed into a 200-page book. In the beginning, it may seem like a difficult read because the author is developing the characters and describing the setting, but once the plot begins in earnest, it is hard to put down.
The story revolves around the elusive character, the Scarlet Pimpernel. Although his true identity is unknown, he is said to have rescued many French aristocrats from blade of the guillotine in France, to a safe haven in England. A French revolutionary official known as Chauvelin has been searching for the Scarlet Pimpernel for many years. He knows that the Scarlet Pimpernel is in the England, so he seeks the help of a prominent figure in England's society named Marguerite. Chauvelin claims to have the evidence to send her brother, Armand, to the guillotine, unless she finds the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Throughout the book, she finds clues and gives them to Chauvelin, until they finally discover the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel. He leaves for France to catch the Scarlet Pimpernel in the act of saving a family of aristocrats. Marguerite finds that her brother is safe, but the Scarlet Pimpernel turns out to be someone who she truly cares for. She makes the dangerous journey France to find the Scarlet Pimpernel before Chauvelin does.
You'll have to read the end yourself; the story gets better with many twists and turns and lots of both action and romance. This is truly a book that both boys and girls would like.
Rating:
Summary: Orczy has woven a stirring French Revolution-era tale.
Review: I picked up this book when I was fourteen and have read it numerous times since. Orczy's dramatic writing fully captures the drama and the tragedy of the French Revolution. This novel has something for everyone: political intrigue, adventure and romance. I particularly appreciate the development of her three main characters. They live lives that require superhuman intellect and courage. All of them find themselves searching for something: whether it be love, power or heroic fulfillment. Orczy has a true talent for writing. She envelopes her plot with dramatic dressing. One can see this by reading the novel's first sentence: "The seething, surging, mumuring crowd of people, human only in name..." If you enjoy this book, I recommend you read her other titles in the series. Most are not in print, but usually libraries have some or most of the hard to get titles. My other favorite novel in the series is The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel. It carries the same premise as the first book but incorporates more edge-of-your seat excitement.
Rating:
Summary: Very, Very, Very Good Book!!!
Review: I really enjoyed this book, and I am defiantly going to read the rest of them! This is the first of many Pimpernel stories, and it is very good. It has lovable character, wonderful twists, and a heartbreaking Love story. My mother and I both read it and Loved it!! I totally recommend it for anyone of any age I was 15 when I read it a year ago, and My mother is in her 40's, and We both loved it!! NOW THERE IS ONE THING I SHOULD WARN YOU ABOUT... The first few chapters are a little slow and you may be tempted to stop reading, but KEEP WITH IT!!!! It is so worth it!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Funny, refreshing, romantic book...
Review: This is a book that it is delightful, enchanting, at times thrilling, smooth sailing, and wickedly easy to pay attention to. First off...generally, a pimpernel is a flower. In the book it's used as a communication symbol. The plot? Well nowadays it isn't anything brand new, but for its time it was. This was the first "masked hero" kind of a story, which is pretty impressive considering we wouldn't have dear old Superman or Batman or Zorro or anybody if it weren't for that good old Scarlet Pimpernel. The Pimpernel rescues "aristos" and anyone else who needs the help, from the Reign of Terror in France. It's actually a very refreshing and fun book. I liked it a lot and think that its a true classic, which it is. The characters? There's Percy Blakeney, the fool, the fop, the ridiculously annoying "demmed idiot." His charming wife, Marguerite, who is considered the "cleverest woman in all Europe". There's Chauvelin, he's the bad guy. He's nasty, and wicked, and despicable, and it's easy to hate him, yet I love him. There's the Scarlet Pimpernel, who actually is --------, but no one but his best friends know that it's him. His friends are part of the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, and help rescue the "innocent" ( or maybe not so innocent) from the claws of the guillotine. These 4 characters, plus Marguerite's brother Armand, get hopelessly entangled in a rather deadly and stomach turning game of who-trusts-who (much to Chauvelin's delight) that takes place mainly in glimmering ballrooms, enchanted gardens, and dark dingy alleyways. Told through Marguerite's perspective you really get anxious for her... The Scarlet Pimpernel has some extremely interesting escapes and I think that is where Orczy's imagination sets in. It is like Sherlock Holmes without the feeling of "I have to figure this out." and more of "I shall see how it plays out and relax a bit." The book is sometimes funny, in an odd way, but look to it more for some good romantic scenes and some great excitement. Good vs. Evil. Masked Hero. Brave lady. Happy Ending. It's one of those, feel good, refreshing, suspenseful, two hanky books.
Rating:
Summary: Demmed Wonderful Reading!
Review: I saw the play in Stratford, Ontario a few years ago, and ever since I've been seeking this elusive book ... Well, I found it, and I love it! It's a classic, it got me intrigued, and now I'm hopefully going to read the other Pimpernel books one of these days. It has it's hilarious moments, it has moments where you want to read over and over again. It has spellbinding intrigue and moments where the plot and action is so tender you just want to bawl your eyes out. This book is said to be the perfect adventure. All the elements are there - surprise, twists, love, suspense and comedy above all. This is one of my all time favourite books. If you don't read it you are missing out on a wonderful and absolutely magnificent story.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, Exciting, Thoughtful, and Romantic
Review: The Scarlet Pimpernel is set during the French Reign of Terror, when aristocrats and royalists were being beheaded in the name of "liberty, freedom, and brotherhood". The author creates The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, a band of Englishmen committed to helping aristocrats escape to England, and keep their heads. The head of this band of Englishmen is, of course, called by the code name The Scarlet Pimpernel. His identity is secret to all, even those he helps escape. This sets the scene for a "Three Musketeers" style swashbuckling adventure story. It is fun and exciting, full of suspense that lasts until the very end. There is a nice love story woven quite naturally into the fabric of the plot, that manages to add to the plot without being syrupy. The story also includes some thoughtful moments that excute simply without bogging down the story in the least. Overall, a very enjoyable novel. It treads lightly on the moral/ethical issues surrounding the French Revolution, and deals mostly with an adventuresome story. Those looking for a more 'serious' fictional work of the French Revolution may prefer A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.
Rating:
Summary: An awesome book!
Review: I always think its such a shame that this book isn't better known and more widely read. It's probably one of the best romance/adventure stories I've ever read. The character of Sir Percy is so wonderful (his daring and audacity), and there are moments when you don't want to put the book down because you MUST know what will happen next. I've read the book over and over, and I still enjoy it just as much as I did the first time I read it. I highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: love it !!!
Review: I have loved this book since i was 12 when i first read it - it gives you a close look at the French revolution - sure it is a bit sappy in parts but all in all a very good read !!!!!
Rating:
Summary: The Scarlet Pimpernel-A Must Read Story
Review: This kid, who'll be 13 tomorrow, was forced to read this book for a literature circle in 8th grade Honors English. I picked it because it seemed to be the best selection out of the four others. Anyway, I read it and thought that it was the best classic book that I've read so far. This book had both suspense and romance as the story of the main characters get more interesting. In the first of the book, the French Revolution is at hand, and the French are killing the "aristos." The gilloutine was at work all day killing the relatives of the nobles who ruled long ago. Some reports were coming in of arisocrat families escaping with a band of English men. These men were, of course, in the leauge of the Scarlet Pimpernel. As the gaurd at the West Barracade tells of the Scarlet Pimpernel who recently saves everyone, he get hoodwinked himself. Soon the Comtesse and her children come to the Fisherman's Inn, a great setting for the following events. The Comtesse comes face-to-face with Margurite and soon exits the room. Sir Percy is with his wife, Margurite, so that she could say goodbye to her brother, Armand. The two part, and then she gets confronted by an old friend from France who asks her to find out who the elusive Scarlet Pimpernel is. She accepts, and then the story goes on from there... For Christmas, I'm going to buy my sister, who's only ten, this book. It's exciting allmost all the way through, and even I liked it. I reccommend it to anyone who likes Harry Potter books.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the Thrill Advertised
Review: I hate, really hate giving a poor rating to a book that so many others have loved, but it must be done. Reading the reviews of the Scarlet Pimpernel, one expects Erol Flynn in print, with clever banter exchanged during swordfights, daring escapes, diabolical plotting by the villains. In the event, we get maybe one out of three. It's not that the novel is terribly written; there are some comlaints to be had there, but ultimately the book is too short for the complaints to matter. In fact, the novel starts out beautifully, with a French official bragging about how the Scarlet Pimpernel will never get past *him*, only to be duped himself. But after that first chapter it's Dullsville, with only an occasional spark of excitement. It's hard to get excited about a rich nobleman saving other rich noblemen, for one thing. For another, the gallant adventure promised is simply missing completely. If you want daring and dashing adventure, read The Three Musketeers - it's incredibly long, but you'll get much more satisfaction per page than you will here.
|
