The Scarlet Pimpernel

By: Orczy, Emma

The man in the corner pushed aside his glass, and leant across the table. "Mysteries " he commented. "There is no such thing as a mystery in connection with any crime, provided intelligence is brought to bear upon its investigation." Very much astonished Polly Burton looked over the top of her newspaper, and fixed a pair of very severe, coldly inquiring brown eyes upon him. She had disapproved of the man from the instant when he shuffled across the shop and sat down opposite to her, at the same marble-topped table which already held her large coffee (3d.), her roll and butter (2d.), and plate of tongue (6d.). A surging, seething, murmuring crowd of beings that are human only in name, for to the eye and ear they seem naught but savage creatures, animated by vile passions and by the lust of vengeance and of hate. The hour, some little time before sunset, and the place, the West Barricade, at the very spot where, a decade later, a proud tyrant raised an undying monument to the nation's glory and his own vanity. During the greater part of the day the guillotine had been kept busy at its ghastly work: all that France had boasted of in the past centuries, of ancient names, and blue blood, had paid toll to her desire for liberty and for fraternity. The carnage had only ceased at this late hour of the day because there were other more interesting sights for the people to witness, a little while before the final closing of the barricades for the night.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B086PVSLSY
• ISBN13: 9798634753157
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.49 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

“It was the sound of a good, solid, absolutely British ‘D-a-m-n-!’”

I first saw several movie versions of “The Scarlet Pimpernel” and always wanted to see the Play. With the purchase of a Kindle and text-to-speech, I could not afford to pass up the book. I was amazed to see that the book started similarly to the movies, with the telling of the bloodlust of the French Revolution and how one man, for the sport of it, saved many from the guillotine, thwarting the authorities and tricking the sergeant at the city gate into letting him through. Then I was afraid the story was going to bog down as we dragged through a scene in an inn. I did not realize this was meant to introduce the major players in the soon-to-be mystery. The essence of the story was best said in the book: “Only between these two hearts there lay a strong, impassable barrier, built upon pride on both sides, which neither of them cared to be the first to demolish.” The story picks up after Marguerite realizes what she has done by giving away the pimpernel's identity and decides to make amends. Usually, I cannot stand flowery writing or long descriptions of feelings. But for some reason, this book was so well written that what would seem like extraneous information enhanced the tale. I also noticed it is told mostly from Lady Blakeney’s point of view. Once again, this is a case of the book being better than the movie. I was surprised to find the Pimpernel poem came from the book: They seek him here; they seek him there. Them Frenchies seek him everywhere. Is he in Heaven? Is he in Hell? That d-a-m-n-e-d elusive pimpernel.