The Scarlet Pimpernel | Baroness Orczy

Welcome to my first review: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy!

I picked this one up without much thought. I had recently re-downloaded my audiobook app and- wanting something to to listen to- looked on my TBR shelf, saw The Scarlet Pimpernel, and downloaded the audiobook. It took me ten days to complete it, {as I have other current reads} but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute, and can't wait to share my thoughts with you all! With that, let's dive in.

{This review will be completely spoiler free- so read without fear!}

First I will say, the narrator, Bill Homewood, did a fantastic job with this story. If you want to listen to this on audiobook, I highly suggest him. His voice was deep and resonant, and added a vibrance and depth to the story that some narrators just can't achieve. He also did so good with the various accents in the book- it's going to take a few days to stop speaking in my garish version of a French accent, but Homewood does it very well!

The Scarlet Pimpernel is set at a perilous time in history, when the French revolution is at its height. The aristocracy and all who stood with them are being slaughtered daily- hourly even, by zealous revolutionists who have taken over France. It is a dark and bloody time, but not completely without hope, for a mysterious vigilante has risen. He and his small band of gallant heroes, smuggle scores of innocent aristocrats out of the dangerous country, under the very noses of the bloodthirsty revolutionists. They do so silently, seeming to cheat the very rules of logic and chance, evading capture again and again- led by their fearless leader. Coming and going like a wraith, he leaves nothing to signify his having been there, except a lack of bodies for the guillotine and his trademark device- a small, red flower. Thus the book begins with yet another successful conquest by the daring Englishman- The Scarlet Pimpernel

The POV switches around a bit before we land on our main character, Lady Marguerite Blakeney. The story follows her as she finds herself entangled in a net of mystery and danger. Blackmail is forced, and impossible choices must be made- although they all come with disastrous consequences. The fate of the aristocrats hangs in a balance, as their one hope of rescue is suddenly in mortal danger. Deception is on the inside- everything seems to be adding against the Scarlet Pimpernel- the masked man. Can he pull off his most dangerous mission yet?

I was hooked. This book has almost everything: adventure, cruel plot twists, mystery, intrigue, awful blackmail, simmering romance, and, of course, danger. I enjoyed it so very much, and wish I could give all my reasonings, but- alas!- I promised a spoiler-free review.

The character development was wonderful, and the underlying message was, as far as I can see, positive. The Scarlet Pimpernel selflessly risked his very life, simply because he saw awful things taking place across the Strait. Innocents were being murdered in cold- blood, and he could not sit by and let it happen without pushback. We could get deeper, and I would say he carries a hefty amount of pride, but when it comes to his actions, they are noble. Just- not vengeful. He did not murder-did not cruelly strike back against the villains in France, he simply did what he could and smuggled innocent men, women, and children away from their horrible deaths.

There were some drawbacks I had with this book, however. It seemed to me that they arose from the author not knowing how to fill in space between plot points. The writing got quite bogged down and repetitive. Things were being repeated over and over, to the point I wanted to yell "I know she is is smart and witty, I know the danger they are in, I know her nerves are tired, I know, I know, I know!!!" Not only were things explained over and over again, but the same words were used in each description. This led to a somewhat frustrating climax, as it repeatedly emphasized the danger they were in, rather than focusing on action and substance. Additionally, the suspense was almost overdone and was never really relieved until the climax was practically over. In my opinion it wasn't as satisfying as it could have been, but still THOROUGHLY enjoyable.

Well, I daresay that is as far as I can go without getting into spoilers! I must now ask the question- does this book make it into my Excellent Library?

Yes! My personal rating is 4.5/5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

So let me know! have you read this book? If so, what did you think? And if you haven' t read it, do you plan on doing so?

Thank you so much for reading! Before I go, here are the content warnings for The Scarlet Pimpernel:

Content Warnings:

~Violence:

As aforementioned, this is a horrid time in history. Men, women, and children were being mass- executed by guillotine for being members of the aristocracy. This is talked about frequently throughout the book. However, not much is graphic!

A character has a riding whip supposedly made out of the hair from the heads of those who fell victim to the guillotine

A man is beaten with belt buckles non-graphically

The Villain plans to "do away with" -shall we say- the Scarlet Pimpernel and his team.

~Romance and sensuality:

Two side characters fall in love.

Talk of "passion" and such feelings between a man and wife as they fall in love again.

Nothing graphic, just talk of love and courtship and one mention of a kiss.

~Language:

God's name is misused as an interjection on multiple occasions, along with Lord.

Some uses of "gad", "d*amn", "d*amnned", and "demm*d"

J*ckanapes is used as an insult.

~Drinking, drugs, and smoking

Snuff is mentioned.

Pipes are lit and used.

Beer and Ale are consumed- nobody becomes intoxicated.

Many scenes are set in bars/inns, no excessive drinking.

~Other

Verbal and Physical abuse of Jews- as a Jew character is introduced for the final few chapters. Jews are built up to be objectionable, lowlifes, and a Jew is beaten with belts. It is hard to tell if the author held this as her own belief, was playing off of a cruel stereotype, or if was simply writing of the way Jews were perceived at the time. Either way, not good!