The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

After this book staring at me from the coffee table since June, I finally decided last week that it was time to read The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy.

I was under the impression that it was a children’s book, but that’s not the case. From the back cover: “It is 1792 and France is in the grip of a seething, bloody revolution. Mobs roam the Paris streets hunting down royalists, barricades block any chance of escape, and every day hundreds die under the blade of Madame Guillotine. But in the hearts of the condemned nobility there remains one last vestige of hope: rescue by the elusive Scarlet Pimpernel. Renowned for both his unparalleled bravery and his clever disguises, the Pimpernel’s identity remains as much a mystery to his sworn enemy, the ruthless French agent Chauvelin, as to his devoted admirer, the beautiful Lady Marguerite Blakeney.”

It’s an exciting tale. First published in 1905. The characters are real, and fascinating. I so enjoyed this book. I am sad that I waited this long to read it. Very accessible.

The free ebook of The Scarlet Pimpernel is available here, or at Project Gutenberg. You can also listen to the audio book free online.