The Scarlet Pimpernel / Baroness Orczy

The Scarlet Pimpernel

(#1 of many)

by Baroness Orczy

copyright 1913

read in June 2019

rated 7/10: well worth reading

I love the descriptions of the era: the fashions, manners, social stratifications. All good fun, especially for those (like Sir Percy) who are exceedingly rich, fashion leaders and who own an excellent set of horses.

I wonder how real it is? The book is old but the story is even older, set more than a hundred years before the author was born. Is it based, however loosely, on society of the day -- or is it all a pure fantasy. I have no idea. I just enjoy it.

The first half of this book is a lot of good fun. The plot is driven by surprisingly believable blackmail. The second half is... well... melodramatic. Believable enough but overdrawn.

Part of the believable nature of this book depends on the era. For example:

Hero, heroine and villain are racing from London to Calais. Why do they wait in Dover? They need to hire a local fisherman to get across the Channel. Then they wait for better weather, then for the tide to be right.

The climactic final scenes are set by the coast. It's so quiet that hidden soldiers must whisper, or be discovered. It's so dark that the heroine is unseen as she tiptoes close to the villains.

It's a different world -- and fascinating.

Unfortunately -- for this modern reader -- the second half of the book has too much of the heroine being overwrought. Yes, she toughs it out, and tries to save the day. But, I am sure, she is very close to... spraining her ankle. The final drama is dragged out, to become melodrama.

Not to worry (not too much). Cunning plans are revealed, the plot twists, then is nicely wrapped up. The happy ending is no surprise. How it is reached is clever, if not entirely a surprise. The truly villainous villain is routed, the hero and heroine sail off to happiness.

It is all good fun. Not so much action and adventure, as cunning and derring-do.

An old style adventure. Still very readable.

====    Dr Nick Lethbridge  /  Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
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"Be excellent to each other" … Bill & Ted
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dying for you to read my blog: notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au :-)
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