The Scarlet Pimpernel

10:15 am 10 January 2016
The Scarlet Pimpernel - Emmuska Orczy

When I was about ten, I fell in love with the 1982 production of The Scarlet Pimpernel starring Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour. What the movie, which is actually a mishmash of two books in the series, doesn't tell you is that at its core, this classic romantic adventure is Marguerite's story, not the Pimpernel's. He plays an integral role, to be sure, but this book that I love with a four-star passion is about one brave, intelligent woman's quest to save her brother, her husband, and her marriage.

 

Not so easy a task when her husband just happens to be a clever, courageous daredevil who likes to save French aristocrats from the guillotine for the lulz. (Spoiler-tagged because the last time I assumed everyone knew who the Scarlet Pimpernel was I ruined it for a first-time reader. And I still feel bad.)

(show spoiler)
classics Kindle 2016