The Scarlet Pimpernel

My Review

This was another novel I bought way back in the mid-nineties at a Wal-mart, 2 for $1. It's been sitting on my shelf since then, unread. Admittedly, choosing these older books over the years has been challenging when there are so many other great, more modern stories to read.

In that original collection, I probably bought 10-20 books. Here are some of the titles that I remember and have read:

• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
• The Time Machine
• A Connecticut Yankee in King Authur's Court
• The Prince & The Pauper
• Treasure Island
• Captain's Courageous
• War of the Worlds
• The House of the Seven Gables

I still have not read Wuthering Heights. I will one day, however.

The Scarlet Pimpernel, at first glance, brought assumptions of difficult language and long drawn out plots. But it was certainly none of those. Written 100 years after The House of the Seven Gables and by a Hungarian noble, it was quickly entertaining and fascinating. The story drew me in and casued a longing to keep reading. I was humbly surprised.

The story takes place during the French Revolution, when the long established royal families were overthrown, and consequently beheaded, often without any established crime. The Scarlet Pimpernel, an English hero and master of disguise,  leads hundreds of royal family members to the safety of England. This tale has a classic villain that is easy to hate, a hero, and a beautiful and intelligent woman entwined in all the suspenseful events.