Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews
Written on May 6, 2011
I went into The Scarlet Pimpernel knowing who was the true Scarlet Pimpernel, so while there was no surprise there still kept me on the edge of my seat. Baroness Orczk's novel is at once a tale of espionage,suspense, action and even a little romance. At first I had a strong dislike Lady Marguerite Blakeney, for while it was done unknowingly, betrays her husband for the safety of her brother; therefore, trading one brave man's life for another, also it made me curious because if Armond St. Just had joined the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel he would have done so knowing the consequences and would he really want to be saved? Lady Blakeney does redeem herself after realizing the true identity of the mysterious figure and I found the discovery of this information to be very cleverly executed. What ensues is quite literary a cat and mouse chase between Marguerite Blakeney agent Chauvelinin a race to capture the elusive Scarlet Pimpernel. The conclusion is exquisite, and the only negative I can say about the book is that I guessed Scarlet Pimpernel's final disguise, but is still a phenomenal read.