Emmuska Orczy Books

if you want Sir Percy and Lady Blakeney love, read this book. It recaptures the danger and romance of the first novel and shows a bit of Chauvlin's human side.

The goings on in Sir Percy Hits Back are a little bit different to the rest. Chauvelin features as a major character in a different way.

His daughter, Fleurette, is involved in an incident that brings her under suspicion of the committee. He realises that with the zealousness shown so far, and the number of innocent people murdered that she is likely doomed, even if he can try and sway the court.

There is not much hope that she can be saved, unless he turns to his bitter enemy, The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Chauvelin, the arch-enemy of the Scarlet Pimpernel is ruthless and merciless, but he does have a tender spot in his heart. He loves his daughter Fleurette more than anyone else in the world.
When he is speaking to her, he is almost another person. It is really touching to see how gentle and caring he is. Baroness Orczy describes Chauvelins love for Fleurtte as "pertained to that of a wild beast for its young." "If she was destined to perish, then it would be by his own hand, not as a spectacle for the rabble to gloat on." He loves her in a fierce way tigerish way, fitting to his character.
This book lets you have an insight in to Chauvelins earlier and family life. The audacious Sir Percy plays only a small part in this book, but a important one. Chauvelins's devotion to Fleurette is something you never thought existed in the man, whose heart you thought was made out of stone.

When Fleurette is condemed as a traitor to the country, and is sentenced to death by the same laws Chauvelin helped to make, he has to try to save her, or at least die with her. Only when he has suffered intense, mental anguish for weeks does he realize that he must turn to his bitter enemy for help; the Scarlet Pimpernel, the only one who can save his beloved child.

Well. I wouldn't've thought Chauvelin had a heart, judging by the other stories about SP. But then, there are always two sides to a coin, and this was a definate quirk.

So after trying and trying and trying (and failing) to capture the Pimpernel, he finally goes to him for help. Maybe he finally had to concede that there was only one person who could do so.

His humanity is rather touching, you know, with his devotion to Fleurette and all (I mean, really. When you go to your arch-enemy for help...), and all the way to the end, you're wondering if he was really all that evil to begin with.

This is definately my favorite of all of Orczy's books that I've read- I think that I've read most (8) of the Scarlet Pimpernel series, and this is the one that I keep coming back to reread. It is one of the most amusing and gives more information on Chauvelin than all of the other books combined. Yes, I'll admit it, I'm a Chauvelin fan! I love learning more about him!

Again, this is not a full length novel, but a group of shorter works. So the title is apt, as there are indeed several adventures of Sir Percy and the gang to be found in these pages.

A couple of the opening paragraphs are pretty funny:

"You really are impossible, Sir Percy! Here are we ladies raving, simply
raving, about this latest exploit of the gallant Scarlet Pimpernel, and
you do naught but belittle his prowess. Lady Blakeney, I entreat, will
you not add your voice to our chorus of praise, and drown Sir Percy's
scoffing in an ocean of eulogy?"

and

"Oh!" he said, "do not ask me to inculcate hero-worship into this mauvis
sujet. If you ladies cannot convert him to your views, how can I...a
mere man...?"

And His Highness shrugged his shoulders. There were few entertainments
he enjoyed more than seeing his friend Sir Percy Blakeney badgered by
the ladies on the subject of their popular and mysterious hero, the
Scarlet Pimpernel.

This novel is a treasure because of the way that the author protrays the hardships of the nobility during the French Revolution. The book mainly focuses on the Scarlet Pimpernel, his wife, and the villian who is a spy for France's Republic. The Scarlet Pimpernel, in short, is a rescuer of the nobility of France. He and his nineteen comrades take numerous and daring trips accross the English channel to help unfortunate and innocent people escape the clutches of the dreaded guilloutine. His wife unknowingly places him in danger and then when she realizes that, she risks her life to find him and warn him of the death that awaits him. Read this novel and throw yourself into a time that is past where heros exist and love is everlasting.

"Adventures" is a collection of short stories about the exploits of the Pimpernel and his league. They are wonderfully entertaining and Pimpernel addicts will be in heaven! Lots of disguises and narrow escapes here. I particularly enjoyed "Fie, Sir Percy!" The prince of dandies falls asleep during a recitation of the pimpernel's adventures, bringing the playful wrath of the ton down on his immaculate head.

During the year 1792, while the French Revolution is at its peak, a mysterious young Englishman vows to rescue innocent people from their death at the guillotine. Each time he succeeds in sneaking someone out of France, he leaves a note signed with a little flower called the Scarlet Pimpernel. No one can identify this mysterious person, but a French spy has sworn to bring this meddlesome man to his death. Meanwhile, a beautiful, young, French exile, named Marguerite Blakeney marries a tall dull Englishman. The plot thickens as the French spy, Chauvelin, tricks Marguerite into betraying her own husband. But when the Scarlet Pimpernel gets caught in a trap, he always has a daring plan to get out.

I liked the book because it was very exciting and the characters seemed incredibly real. Just when you thought you knew what would happen, the author, Orczy, would change things around. Also, whenever one of the characters was in danger, I was scared for them and had to keep reading until they were out of trouble. Overall, I loved the book and would definitely recommend it to someone else. It was cleverly written and full of intrigue.

Gentle reader, If you like The Scarlet Pimpernel novels, by Emmuska Orczy, Then this romp, through France will be for you . Castles in the Air, made me smile with whimsy chuckle and howl with laughter. if it doesn't do like wise for you gentle reader you can always get a refund .

I loved this book. It's definitely my favorite of the Scralet Pimpernel books that I've read so far (about half of them). This book has our usual players, Blakeney, Marguerite, Chauvelin, Armand, and Tony. It's the story how Blakeney rescues--or does he???---the Dauphin from the clutches of the Tower prison. It's also an interesting character study for Armand and Blakeney. Armand is torn between love and honor, and his choice may suprise you. The repercussions of his choice were nearly deadly, and Blakeney pays a high price for them, as does Armand. It's a great read!

The Scarlet Pimpernel is a classic novel, though it is hard to categorize. It is part romance, part adventure, part spy thriller, and part superhero fiction. All of these elements went into the pot and the resulting stew is extremely entertaining.

The book follows the adventures of Sir Percy Blakeney as he seeks to help French aristocrats escape the guillotine during the French Revolution. Since official English policy forbids this, Blakeney adopts a masked identity as the Scarlet Pimpernel to remain anonymous. The French, of course, detest this interference in their affairs and set out to trap and kill the Pimpernel at all costs. As part of his effort to deflect suspicion from himself, he plays the fool in every day life and he does it well. His own wife considers him a useless fop... and that's where the story really gets interesting.

I won't give away more of the plot, but she ends up following him into danger in an attempt to save him. This allows the most suspenseful section of the book to be told from Mrs. Blakeney's perspective. Her terror for her husband's fate is pure and adds to the tension considerably. If we saw it through the Pimpernel's eyes, it would doubtless be far more composed and nowhere near as suspenseful.

In closing, The Scarlet Pimpernel is well worth buying. It's laugh out loud funny, suspenseful, romantic, and generally quite a page-turner.

The Scarlet Pimpernel is one of the best books I have ever read!!
It has action, adventure, romance, intrigue, and suspense, all wrapped up into one incredible story! Baroness Orczy is a wonderfully talented writer, and I highly recommend not only The Scarlet Pimpernel, but all of her other books as well. Definately worth your time and money!!

This is a wonderful book, and I definitely intend to read it over and over again (I must've read this 50 times already!) My romance with this book started at the age of nine, and after all these years, I STILL LOVE IT! This is one of my all time favorites, and a definite recommended read! The balance of humor, adventure, and romance make this book unforgettable and the blend of characters are better than jane austen even! I guarantee you that you won't forget this tale once you read it. As for myself, i'm in love with Sir Percy, the hero of this book.

It is most unfortunate that I must disagree with the vast majority of the reviewers of this book, as I had high hopes for it after hearing it compared to the work of Dumas. I was rather disappointed with The Scarlet Pimpernel, however, as I found it to be of rather mediocre quality. It was rather unpolished compared to Dumas, which is surprising considering the haste with which Dumas penned his numerous volumes. The Scarlet Pimpernel is simply not nearly as fun and exciting as either Dumas, Stevenson, Shellabarger, or Sabatini (the other swashbuckling authors). What I found most unappealing about it was Orczy's apparent underestimation of the reader. The first three quarters of the book is obviously supossed to leave the reader guessing as to the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel, but it was rather easy to guess who it was early on in the book, and by the half-way point it was so blatantly obvious that no one could conceivably be surprised by the much-hyped discovery of the hero towards the end of the book. Add to this the over-the-top melodrama and frequently cheesy dialogue and you have the makings of an average adventure novel.

Some may think that I have been harsh with this book. That may be so, but if it is it is because I am so shocked that others dare favorably compare this to the masterpieces of Dumas, or to the great Zorro writings of McCulley. Orczy is not a terrible writer, but it is rather outrageous to compare her to the great swashbuckler authors. She is almost entirely missing the raw spirit of adventure present in others, and this spirit is at the very heart of the adventures of those like Dumas. For me there was no point in this book where I was entheusiastically turning the pages, eager to find out what would happen to the main character, following with glee each turn of events. This is not at all because the main character is female. It is because the main character is not the hero, and is not even adventuresome. To be quite frank, she is rather boring until toward the very end of the book, and even then she does not endear herself to the reader in the manner of a D'Artagnan or an Edmond Dantes. There are no supporting characters worthy of comparison to Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. Even the villains are rather boring (not to mention wooden), leaving us with little to really care about in this book. I think author's intended "hook" was supossed to be the mystery about who the Scarlet Pimpernel is, but this was entirely lost by the half-way point, so I found the last half of the book rather unremarkable.

The most redeeming merit of this book is not its enjoyability, but its historical significance. The dual persona of the hero was the inspiration for further variations on the theme, beginning with McCulley's Zorro in the early 20th century and subsequent rise of superheros. It is hard to imagine that such a motif is so recent, but we really do have Orczy to thank for that, and I am truly grateful, for The Mark of Zorro is one of my favorite books. Beyond that, however, my advice is to stick to Dumas, Stevenson, Shellabarger, and Sabatini. They are all far better than this.

Overall grade: C+

This book was thoroughly enjoyable. It almost seems way ahead of it's time as an 1800s version of the modern thriller novel. This book is a great adventure and a spy thriller set in the time of the bloody French Revolution. It has romance, action, espionage, twists and turns, and fun characters. At times the plot is fairly predictable, but it still manages to keep you on the edge of your seat. This book is a fun and entertaining read if not deep. Definitely recommended as a light summer read and an alternative to much of today's popular novels.

The book is a great read with one of the best heroes ever created in fiction. The love story is also maybe a bit fantastical, but so amazing. Guys and girls alike should both love it.

My wife and I had watched the movie "The Scarlet Pimpernel" and immediately wanted to read the original book.
Amazon.com was easy to use to find the book and order from. The book was everything we hoped and we thank Amazon.com for their prompt professonal service in making the book available to us.
The book was every bit as exciting to read as the movie was to watch.
THANK YOU AMAZON.COM!

This book is a delightful read. In contrast to the sorrow and heaviness of other books on the French Revolution (including Marie Antoinette The Journey by Antonia Fraser), this book is a very different take on the tragedy. Sir Percy vies with his wife Marguerite, a brilliant French actress, in terms of acting ability. He has mastered the role of a brainless dandy to such an extent that he is the last person anyone would suspect as having the wits and wherewithal to be the Scarlet Pimpernel. Aristocrats are spared the guillotine time after time thanks to this man's ingenuity.

Shortly after Marguerite and Sir Percy marry, Marguerite tells Sir Percy of her involvement in the arrest of a certain marquis who had humiliated her brother. Marguerite does not tell her husband the whole story, including that she had no idea her words would be taken out of context and used against the marquis and that she had done everything within her influence to try to prevent the marquis's death at the guillotine. Sir Percy's attitude towards Marguerite changes: he is still the gallant he always was, but a certain coldness and reservation mark his manner. Marguerite had hoped that her husband would not need a full explanation, and that his worshipful devotion towards her would continue unabated. She is hurt by his changed opinion of her and retaliates with pointed sallies at Sir Percy's expense. She is considered one of the cleverest women in all of Europe, and she sharpens her wits by making fun of her husband, whom she wrongfully assumes is too unintelligent to take offense.

It is not until Marguerite partially confides in her husband when her brother's life is threatened that Sir Percy learns the truth of Marguerite's (unintentional) involvement in the marquis's death. Sir Percy repents his false impressions of his wife and vows that he will do everything within his ability to save Marguerite's brother. As Marguerite makes her way up the staircase after this intense communication, Sir Percy actually kisses the stairs where Marguerite had just walked! His worshipful attitude towards her is renewed, and Marguerite for her own part recognizes how much she has loved her husband all along. But is it too late for the lovers? Marguerite was forced by circumstance to reveal information about the Scarlet Pimpernel to an unrelenting French commissioner (an obsessive, Javert-like character) before realizing that the same man is her own husband.

The rest of the book is a clever game of cat and mouse, replete with a happily-ever-after ending (or rather, a happy-for-the-time-being ending, as there are more books in the Scarlet Pimpernel series).

I had seen the movie with Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour several years ago. Both the book and movie are equally wonderful, though the movie's storyline is a bit different. Anthony Andrews (whom I had a crush on as a young girl after seeing him in a TV miniseries) was beyond perfection in the title role, and of course, Jane Seymour was wonderful as Marguerite.

Everyone who has read the first three books in Orczy's Scarlet Pimpernel series will know what to expect in ELDORADO, the fourth installment of the Pimpernel's adventures rescuing innocent folk from the guillotine in the French First Republic in the waning years of the 18th century. As in the earlier books, we find the evil leaders of the Revolution imposing a harsher and more deadly rule on the people of France than the deposed monarch ever did. We find Sir Percy Blakeney and his English accomplices skulking through the alleys of Paris in disguise, bent on spiriting "aristos" and "suspects of treason against the Republic" out of France to the safety of England--and thumbing their noses at the Revolutionary government in the process. We find Lady Blakeney ever more madly in love with her multifaceted husband, who can be an effete dandy in an English drawing room one day and a consummate master of disguise in France the next evening.

As with her other novels, Orczy has written a gripping story of intrigue, betrayal, capture, and miraculous escape. ELDORADO is a fun read, but it is also a superficial one. All of the interest lies in the development of the plot. The characters remain their usual, flat, undeveloped selves; their actions, their emotions, and their thoughts remain predictable. The leading characters are, in fact, exaggerated stereotypes: Sir Percy of the bold, imperturbable, and unconquerable adventurer who does much good for others in the course of his adventures; Lady Blakeney of the adoring wife whose feminine weaknesses sooner or later require her husband's intercession to rescue her from the clutches of the villains; and Monsieur Chauvelin of the unrepentant, revenge-seeking villain. Come to think of it, with characters such as these, ELDORADO lacks only a tinkling piano and a railroad track to be a first class melodrama.

Orczy's writing is in no way inspirational. Her descriptions of scenes read much like the directions for the settings of stage plays. The dialogs of her characters are highly repetitious at times. To achieve that "1790s effect," she throws in a few archaic words now and then, things such as "decatombs" and "lanthorns"; unfortunately, she uses the very same archaic terms in all of her novels, and the reader tends to become a bit bored with their frequent recurrence. The range of Orczy's vocabulary, while quite adequate for an adventure novel, is hardly inexhaustible, and reading all of her Pimpernel novels does expose one to much linguistic repetition.

The recurring theme of feminine frailty is alive and well in ELDORADO. While we do have a new twist in that it is one of the Pimpernel's men who intentionally betrays him to Chauvelin, that betrayal results from the man's blinding love for Mlle. Lange, who is thus portrayed as the unwitting cause of all the ensuing troubles. Furthermore, as in an earlier novel, Lady Blakeney goes herself to France and again requires rescue by Sir Percy.

While the strength of the novel lies entirely in its plot, one thing in particular challenges my credulity. During his imprisonment, Sir Percy is as closely guarded and watched as was Marie Antoinette before she was led to the guillotine. How our hero manages to write three different secret letters to his wife and comrades without Chauvelin noticing the missing sheets of paper is nothing short of miraculous.

I also remain curious as to the title. "El Dorado," of course, refers to a land of jewels, silver, gold, and other riches. There are several possible "riches" in this novel: the safety and beauty of England to which our adventurers must try to escape, the glory of true love between Sir Percy and Marguerite, the esteem in which Sir Percy holds his honor, perhaps even the sense of adventure which Sir Percy shares with the Spanish Conquistadores who sought "El Dorado" in the New World. Perhaps it alludes to the glory of freedom to which Sir Percy aspires from his dank, claustrophobic prison cell. Nonetheless, the full significance of the title continues to elude me.

Inasmuch as ELDORADO is characterized by recurring themes, recurring characters and recurring dialog, why have I given it four stars? As we've noticed, it does have a new plot twist, but mainly it's just a rollicking read. How can Sir Percy possibly escape this time? How can he save himself when Chauvelin holds the lives of his wife and his brother-in-law hostage? Is this the end? Will the Mountie rescue the damsel from the railroad track before the racing train is upon her? (Oh, sorry. That was from a different melodrama.) Come to Orczy's novel wanting to be entertained by an adventurous swashbuckler who defies death in near-impossible situations, and you'll find your reading time well spent. Come seeking any other outcome, and you may be disappointed.

I've read about half of the Scarlet Pimpernel books, and this one is definitely my favorite thus far. I won't rehash the plot as others said it well here. Briefly, SP must save the Dauphin from the clutches of Robespierre and Chauvelin. Armand has to choose between his honor and his heart, and he chooses, forcing SP to clean up the mess, at great physical cost to himself. There was interesting character development for Armand, and I also liked the scenes with Sir Tony, who is my favorite of the peripheral characters. If you've seen the SP production with Anthony Andrew and Jane Seymour, part of the plot is taken from this book. Try it out! It's a romping good adventure, and not as lackluster or meandering as some of her other titles.

If you enjoyed The Scarlet Pimpernel, it's worth the effort to try to dig up a copy of the sequel.

Percy and the League try to smuggle the Dauphin out of France, which is complicated when Armand becomes disobedient after falling in love. I won't ruin what happens to Percy (if you look at other reviews they say), but it puts the Scarlet Pimpernel through a pretty bad ordeal.

This one is faster paced than The Scarlet Pimpernel, but it's still a little slow in the beginning. Once you hit the second part, though, it really speeds up. The scenes between Marguerite and Percy are great. I can't recommend this book enough. I read it in about three days (which would have been two if I wasn't falling asleep after staying up until 2 in the morning to try to finish it!)

However, getting hold of a copy is much harder than the original. Bucaneer Books does have a hard-cover copy in print, but parts of it are abridged. I would recommend either trying to find a used copy, getting a copy from the library, or importing a copy from the UK (I belive that edition is unabridged, although I'm not positive). But this book is worth the hassle it might take to get it.

Determined to save the young Prince Louis, heir to the throne of France, Percy and the league embark upon their most dangerous adventure yet. Everything goes well until Armand, struck by Cupid's arrow, disobeys orders to try and help his ladylove, landing Percy right in Chauvlin's hands. Will he escape from the darkest cells of the Conciergre? Will he be able to save the Dauphin? Wait and see!

This is my favorite of all the Pimpernel books. With its numerous plot twists and suprise ending, this is one of my favorite books altogether. Not to mention it has some great scenes between Percy and Marguerite as Percy is being tortured (yes! Tortured!) in prison. I sobbed miserably during that part. Of course, you'll proably end up hating Armand for the rest of your life, but that's a small price to pay for such a marvelous story!

So far I have read "The Scarlet Pimpernel," "The Elusive Pimpernel" and I had just finished "El Dorado." This last book wounded me emotionally so much I'm still hurting.

I had watched Jane Seymoure's version(1982) of the movie before so I had an idea of the plot. I knew Armand would be the cause of our hero's troubles but I didn't know it was going to be such a near death experience... The price Percy had to pay for Armand's folly was just too much.

SPOILER ALERT!!!
I was spell-bound by Percy's attitude through-out... he was a visionary but he was realistic enough to accept that 'mayhaps'... Chauvelin would win tis time. So he told Sir Andrews before going back to Paris: <>

But then, I was horrified when I understood the depth of Armand's folly. In the movie, he was just impulsively stupid. The book reveals a much darker truth... so terrible that Percy had to try hard to conceal it from Margarite. He forgave Armand for Margarite's sake, but if she knew... she would hate her brother for life, and that Percy had to keep from happening (since if he died, Margarite would have no one left but Armand).

And the comment the impulsive brother-in-law threw at Percy: "You do not know what love is!" This comment hit Percy so hard that he not only agrees with Armand but he mentions it several times after: "We both agreed that I do not know what love is." That's what he says, but his actions speak otherwise.

As for Armand, his way of loving is too selfish, impulsive and inmature. I wonder who was the one who really "didn't know..."

You can't catch him! A French agent is sent to England undercover as a French diplomat, to try and capture Percy Blakeney (or, actually, his alter-ego, the Scarlet Pimpernel) and get him back to France where they can lop him for all the humiliation and trouble that he has caused.

Said dodgy Frenchman with the help of a sneaky French actress manages to get his hands on Marguerite, and has her in prison.

This leaves the Pimpernel to come up with a plan that will make the Frenchies look silly again.

Definitely an entertaining adventure.

The Elusive Pimpernel follows closely on the heals of the first book of the series, The Scarlet Pimpernel. It seems to me that Baroness Orczy was pouring out her own heart feelings through that of Lady Blackney. Her excellent use of discription makes your own heart ache till near bursting with devotion, love, passion and even fear. There is never a dull moment in this wonderfully wriiten book. I love it and will read it over and over.

"Elusive" isn't my favorite Pimpernel sequel, but it's not bad at all either.

First, the bad: While I can understand that Marguerite is a woman in love, some of her stupidity at the beginning bordered on unbelievable (I don't mean this as an offense to Margot, who is one of my favorite characters, but if you read this book, you'll understand what I mean when I say she makes a bad decision). As usual, Percy becomes a secondary character in his own books, and that bothers me. Lastly, the choice Chauvelin gives Marguerite and Percy gets to be a little too much.

The good:
When Percy is around, he really shines. He has some really great moments in this book (which I won't spoil). The reader gets an idea of some of the emotions that are going on behind the facade. Also, "Elusive" has much more of a climax than some of the other Pimpernel books, which is a nice relief. Lastly, Desiree Candeille is an interesting character.

In all, I would recommend Eldorado between Elusive Pimpernel, but it's still a good read anyway.

THE ELUSIVE PIMPERNEL, the third book in the Pimpernel series by Baroness Orczy, thoroughly establishes the predominant feature that the reader has come to expect in Orczy's novels: faultless cunning and adventurous bravado by the heroic Pimpernel that never fails to foil the nefarious schemes of his enemies, the revolutionaries of Robespierre's 18th century French Republic.

The reader also knows to expect a bit of archaic word usage, such as "lanthorn" for "lantern," as well as a little French slang here and there that will not succumb to most translating dictionaries, such as "calotin," which, by virtue of the context, I take to be a derogatory term for a churchman. Orczy also throws a few quite good but somewhat uncommon terms into her prose, such as "Columbine," a stock character from Italian drama. Merely because I generally feel rather cheated if I miss the full implication of an author's words, I found it comforting to have one of my English dictionaries as well as my French translating dictionary near at hand while reading Orczy, although it is quite possible to enjoy the plot without recourse to such references, especially if one is adept at grasping the general meaning of unusual words from their context in the story.

As in her other novels, Orczy's characters are stereotypes and are "flat"; that is, they remain the same throughout the story and do not undergo any particular development or change. Sir Percy Blakeney remains the stalwart, unshakable and indestructible adventurer throughout. His arch enemy, Monsieur Chauvelin, begins and ends as a dark, despicable creature who constantly connives to bring down Sir Percy. Lady Marguerite Blakeney plays the part of every significant female figure in Orczy's novels: She means well ands her motivations are impeccable, but her "feminine weakness," the fatal flaw that she suffers merely because of her sex, leads her into unwittingly betraying her husband and placing them both in such jeopardy that nothing short of the audacity and swashbuckling daring of the Scarlet Pimpernel can possibly save them.

As stereotyped characters, the actors who populate Orczy's novel are all somewhat larger than life. Sir Percy is invariably heroic and gently but firmly conquering. Lady Blakeney is invariably the pure, honorable but weak woman. Chauvelin and other leaders of the French revolution are invariably terrorists and anarchists. Abbe Foucquet is invariably the naive old priest who constantly murmurs his Paters and Aves in good times and bad. The attraction of Orczy's novels lies firmly in their suspenseful plots, not in the roundedness or the development of their characters.

Thinking of her depiction of the old priest as well as some descriptions in the preceding novel, I WILL REPAY, I find Orczy's attitude toward religion to be interesting. On the one hand, she depicts churchmen as naive and guileless innocents, rather useless and, at best, irrelevant in the worldly struggle that surrounds them. On the other hand, she portrays the revolutionaries in the harshest of lights and sarcastically observes that they have replaced the good God (le bon dieu) with the "Goddess of Reason," who, in being represented by an incompetent actress during her inaugural procession, is shown to be false. Hence, we find criticism both of those who would nay-say the existence of God and of those who would guide the devotions of his followers.

While it is not absolutely necessary to have read the two preceding novels in order to enjoy THE ELUSIVE PIMPERNEL, the earlier works do establish the background for certain relationships, and a few events in them do receive occasional references in this novel. One's understanding of the third book in the series will certainly be enhanced by an acquaintance with the earlier books. On a final note, which I do hope piques my readers' curiosities, if one is not aware of the differences between the songs "Ca Ira" and "La Marseillaise," a brief Internet search will bring up the historical backgrounds, words and tunes of the two, enabling one to appreciate much more fully Orczy's references to them.

In brief, THE ELUSIVE PIMPERNEL continues its author's romp through the adventurous fields of a France racked by revolution and invaded by "that demmed elusive pimpernel." It's lightweight reading that mixes fun and relaxation in equal amounts. If we can think of some books on serious scientific or social topics as "classroom reading," then the Pimpernel books are our "recess reading" and should be enjoyed as such.

What a great book! It's a worthy follow-up to the original, with plenty of excitement, loads of humor, world-class table-turning and narrow escapes.