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Summary: The Amazing Pimpernel
Review: I was assigned this book for school and was not expecting much, but by the time I was done with the first chapter I was hooked. The novel has adventure, romance, and history all in one, and I would be hard pressed to name a book that I have enjoyed more. I could understand the characters and felt as if I was there, experiencing the terror of "Madame la Guillotine" along with them. The Scarlet Pimpernel in a finely written classic.
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Summary: This is my favorite book!
Review: I saw this book on the shelf in the bookstore, decided to buy it, and flew through it. The story is so terrific that all movie adaptations seem to butcher Baroness Orczy's novel. The story will keep you wondering throughout the entire novel who the Pimpernel is, and there is just enough suspense to keep you excited without driving you crazy.
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Summary: The Scarlet Pimpernel
Review: Wow this book was marvelous.. It blended historical evidence with the elements of a legend.. if there was one thing i would change, that would have been the ending.. the end was just a little bit dissapointing because it was so systematic like a fairy tale. Never-the-less it was a great story and I look forward to reading other books by Baroness Orczy
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Summary: Not as good as everyone says...
Review: I am a fan of classic literature and find this story a littledull. The most annoying thing is the fact that Orczy repeats thingsover and over. It is so very irritating when you find the same thing out more than twenty times. I also feel that this book isn't geared toward an audience. The novice reader may like the repetitive nature so he or she can catch what is going on; but they will not endure the dragging plot. The advanced reader will become bored from hearing the same description over and over (i.e. the fact that "the net is closing around the 'aristos'" at the end) and barely finish the book because of its unappealing style. Furthermore, I think that the characters in the book rely on capricious events and call it "wit." The fact that Marguerite is the smartest woman in all of Europe is never actually "shown" in the story. It is stated an innumerable amount of times; while she herself only makes a few clever comments in dialogue. As far as capricious events go, if you have read the book, think back at the chances of the happenings in the last chapters actually taking place ... In the end, I do not think The Scarlet Pimpernel is a good book. It has qualities that are ok but lack the development necessary to be great. I rate the book 3 stars because of its originality and the fact that some parts were ok. I feel that it is still so popular because of the "superhero" qualities that the Pimpernel has. If you want a real book, read the unabridged version of The Count of Monte Cristo. In my opinion it is the best novel ever written.
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Summary: Flair for the Dramatic
Review: Everybody loves a good play--especially one that dabbles with intrigue and romance. In The Scarlet Pimpernel, Baroness Orczy displays an incredible flair for the dramatic. Her book contains all the elements of a good play. For example, the plot's conflicts are clear from the first scene, and these conflicts heighten as the action moves along. The characters are very specifically drawn, and they develop as the conflicts heighten. The climax finds readers biting their nails, and the finale leaves them smiling in relief. As a senior interpretative speech major at Bob Jones University, I have chosen to perform The Scarlet Pimpernel as my Performance Recital. Baroness Orczy has made the task of performing this story a joy because of the dramatic elements she has skillfully woven into the fabric of her plot. This fabric forms a tapestry of romance, intrigue, and adventure--a tapestry that performers and readers alike cannot help but stand and admire.
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Summary: Surprisingly a good read
Review: I had to read this book for English class. Instead of it being the usual trash, I found it to be very entertaining and engrossing. Sir Percy Blakney, is percieved as a stupid nobleman by most of his peers. However, that is only a cover for his true identity, the Scarlet Pimpernel. He rescues French nobility who are about to be decapitated by Madame Guillotine. The peasants hate him and the nobles love him. Great love story too. Excellent book and won't take too long to read.
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Summary: "Supposedly clever people doing stupid things very slowly"
Review: There are few things that activate my gag reflex like Baroness Orczy. The Scarlet Pimpernel has been called "a stirring tale of romance and adventure set in the French Revolution." Historical accuracy in this work was that there was indeed a Revolution in France in the late 18th century and that England is, in deed, separated from France by the English Channel. Obviously not content to incorporate reality into her story, the Baronness totally fabricated the brutal bloodthirsty Reign of Terror of 1792. So unfortunate for her that it began in September of 1793. Furthermore, she ignores the fact that the historical Chauvelin was a *marquis* and that by the time the Reign of Terror started England and France has ceased to be on diplomatic relations (hence, the fact that they were at war...). In this book, the entire French Republic is assumed to have the collective IQ of a giant turnip, a stereotype of the French people which may explain why Marguerite, supposedly the "cleverest woman in Europe", takes half of the novel to discover that her husband is, indeed the elusive Pimpernel himself....despite the fact that Sir Percy wears a pimpernel ring, and that pimpernels are the family flower. Perhaps Marguerite is bright in other ways. Furthermore, I find the Baronness' fulsome, if not particularly well-written, nostalgia for the Ancien Regime absolutely sickening. You notice how Sir Percy never dirties his hands rescuing commoners who are wrongly accused...oh no, certainly not. But I am not a pedant normally when it comes to books, as long as they have literary merit or an interesting plot. So sad for the Pimpernel that it really lacks both. If one cannot guess by the 5th page that a) Percy is the Pimpernel and b) he will rescue whatever aristo he's after and be quite fine by the end of the novel then perhaps one should consider repeating the 6th grade. In place of in-depth characters, Baronness Orczy's relies on absolutely nauseating stereotypes; Chauvelin "evil, fanatical, and, lest we forget, fox-like and shrewd revolutionary", Sir Percy the unsinkable Englishman, and, of course, there is Orczy's revolting anti-Semitism in dealing with Percy's disguise as a "loathesome" Jew. I am at a loss to explain for the popularity of this novel. It is just a Hungarian aristocrat reveanging herself on the world for chasing her family out of their 36-bedroom-chateau when she was a child. As the venerable Hilary Mantel (if you want to read real French Revolution stuff, try A Place of Greater Safety) said so well, "The plot of the Scarlet Pimpernel is weak; it depends on people who are said to be clever and quick-witted doing stupid things very slowly, and dropping messages, saying 'I will be in the supper room at one o'clock precisely.'" Sink me if the lady isn't right.
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Summary: Exciting...
Review: A very enjoyable book but very perdictable....I loved the history on the French culture and revolution....I do beleieve I will read the other books in the series just to see what happens next.
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Summary: My god this book is boring
Review: I had to read this in 7th grade for English, and I could barley stay awake for it. It takes the character about 5 pages to do something as simple as pour themselves a glass of milk. We read this book in class and half of the class was asleep while reading it. If you heard the groan of horror in my class every time the teacher said get out the Scarlet Pimpernel book, you wouldn't even consider reading it.
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Summary: Superb!
Review: I read the Scarlet Pimpernel last year during summer vacation and have read it at least fifty times since! It is a nice sweet romance with a load of adventure and suspense! The Jane Seymour version of the movie is the closest to the book. I hope everyone will read and enjoy this book as much as I did!
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