The Scarlet Pimpernel

by Baroness Emma Orczy

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

In the year 1792, Sir Percy and Lady Marguerite Blakeney are the darlings of British society—he is known as one of the wealthiest men in England and a dimwit;she is French, a stunning former actress, and “the cleverest woman in Europe”—and they find themselves at the center of a deadly political intrigue. The Reign of Terror controls France, and every day aristocratsin Paris fall victim to Madame la Guillotine. Only one man can rescue them—the Scarlet Pimpernel—a master of disguises who leaves a calling card bearing only a signature red flower. As the fascinating connection between the Blakeneys and this mysterious hero is revealed, they are forced to choose between love and loyalty in order to avoid the French agent Chauvelin, who relentlessly hunts the Scarlet Pimpernel.

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.