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Emmuska Orczy
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The Scarlet Pimpernel Paperback – June 30, 2005

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 6,318 ratings
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Large format paper back for easy reading. Classic tales of the English Knight rescuing aristocrats during the French Revolution.
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  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 6,318 ratings

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Emmuska Orczy

Emmuska Orczy

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
6,318 global ratings
Pocket Size
5 Stars
Pocket Size
This is a beautiful edition! I’m not detail oriented so I missed the fact that it’s pocket sized. It’s about 6-7 inches tall. I love that it’s cloth bound and has a ribbon bookmark. The print is small. I believe I’ll keep it because it’s been hard to find a nice, collectors hardcover copy of this book. I’m just sad it’s not bigger!
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Top reviews from the United States

Michele
5.0 out of 5 stars An 18th century superhero
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2010
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It is easy to see why Baroness Orczy's tale has become such a classic. It combines adventure and romance in the beautiful writing of the very best classics. Written just over 100 years ago, The Scarlet Pimpernel is charming but still eminently readable to a 21st century audience.

The story focuses on Sir Percy Blakeney and his French wife Marguerite. Both are fabulously beautiful, fabulously fashionable, fabulously rich, the toast of London society. I must confess that I had the slightest crush on Sir Percy -- he is very tall, broad, muscular, rich, handsome, gallant and a close friend of the Prince of Wales. *sigh* If he is foppish, inane and somewhat droll, well that can all be easily overlooked because of all the above qualities. He is married to Marguerite, equally beautiful and widely regarded as the cleverest woman in Europe. Alas, their marriage of just one year, although begun in great passion and love, has already fallen on hard times; a misunderstanding has pushed them apart and they are little more than polite strangers.

The Scarlet Pimpernel is the mysterious, brave adventurer who has managed to rescue numerous French aristocrats from under the nose of the revolutionary forces and bring them safely to English shores. He is the hero of England, the talk of every party as everyone speculates on his true identity, and the bane of the French who would like nothing more than to capture and send him to the guillotine.

When Marguerite learns that her beloved brother has fallen into displeasure with the French revolutionaries and is destined for the guillotine, she is hopeful that The Scarlet Pimpernel will somehow rescue him. But when events compel her to return to France, she plunges both her brother and her husband into peril.

Before listening to this audio book I had read a synopsis of the book, and so I already knew the identity of The Scarlet Pimpernel. I wish I hadn't -- it would have been so much more enjoyable to begin the story knowing nothing. How long would it have taken me to figure it out?

Michael Page's narration is excellent -- Brilliance Audio does a wonderful job with their classic audio books. They have top-notch readers, and even add nice little touches like music at the beginning and end of each CD, and lovely artwork on every CD.

For a lover of classics and/or charming old-fashioned adventure stories, I highly recommend this one.
6 people found this helpful
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Kenya Starflight
4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining classic, and fascinating as a look at the creation of a genre
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2021
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I admit I picked up this book mostly because I'd heard that it was one of the earliest examples of the "vigilante in disguise" genre, and was most likely the inspiration for Superman, Batman, and countless other superheroes. And I admit that it wasn't quite what I expected. But it's still an enjoyable read, with quite a bit of adventure, humor, and romance to it, and it's fascinating to see some of the tropes we take for granted in modern fiction in their early stages.

France is undergoing a bloody revolution, and aristocrats are being hunted down and taken to the guillotine... but a mysterious hero known only as the Scarlet Pimpernel is somehow rescuing these aristocrats and smuggling them to safety in England. Marguerite, a French actress who married a dull-witted British fop named Sir Percy, is one of many women who swoon over tales of the Pimpernel... but her life changes forever when she learns the Pimpernel's true identity. And when she learns he's being tracked by a sinister agent of the new French government, she sets off on her own perilous quest to save the Scarlet Pimpernel...

This book gets off to a slow start, but those who stick with it will find it worth the effort. The writing is much less stilted than other "classic" novels, and has quite a bit of humor and adventure to liven things up. And while some of its content can feel a bit dated, even cringey, it's surprisingly fair for its day, with its female protagonist actually being the focus of much of the plot. And while it's not as action-packed as I expected it to be, there's still a fair amount of intrigue and suspense that makes it well worth reading.

It's also fascinating to read this and see how it inspired other classic "vigilante characters in disguise" -- from Batman and Superman to The Phantom and Zorro. If this book feels like it hits a lot of the cliches of the genre, keep in mind that it's one of the first examples of said genre, and undoubtedly inspired many of those characters and spinoff stories. Anyone who's a fan of superhero stories, especially those featuring secret identities, should give this book a read and see where it all began.

A refreshingly fun classic novel, and a fascinating look at how a genre came into being. Definitely worth a read, even over a century after its publication.
15 people found this helpful
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Laura Robinson
5.0 out of 5 stars Great delivery and enjoyable book!
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2023
Verified Purchase
This book was packaged nicely in a cardboard book box, so it arrived in great shape—no creases, bends, or tears. That is very important to me. Oxford World Classics are great—They have notes, introductions, they are flexible without breaking the spine, and the pages are like silk.
As for the content, a very interested read; A bit of a page-turner. Very romantic, suspenseful, and adventurous. I think this book would be perfect for a modern movie re-make. Highly recommended! If you like adventures like Zorro or Robin Hood, you’ll like this one.
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Laura Robinson
5.0 out of 5 stars Great delivery and enjoyable book!
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2023
This book was packaged nicely in a cardboard book box, so it arrived in great shape—no creases, bends, or tears. That is very important to me. Oxford World Classics are great—They have notes, introductions, they are flexible without breaking the spine, and the pages are like silk.
As for the content, a very interested read; A bit of a page-turner. Very romantic, suspenseful, and adventurous. I think this book would be perfect for a modern movie re-make. Highly recommended! If you like adventures like Zorro or Robin Hood, you’ll like this one.
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2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Pocket Size
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2024
Verified Purchase
This is a beautiful edition! I’m not detail oriented so I missed the fact that it’s pocket sized. It’s about 6-7 inches tall. I love that it’s cloth bound and has a ribbon bookmark. The print is small. I believe I’ll keep it because it’s been hard to find a nice, collectors hardcover copy of this book. I’m just sad it’s not bigger!
Customer image
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Pocket Size
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2024
This is a beautiful edition! I’m not detail oriented so I missed the fact that it’s pocket sized. It’s about 6-7 inches tall. I love that it’s cloth bound and has a ribbon bookmark. The print is small. I believe I’ll keep it because it’s been hard to find a nice, collectors hardcover copy of this book. I’m just sad it’s not bigger!
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One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Aghe
3.0 out of 5 stars Avventura e storia
Reviewed in Italy on May 17, 2021
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Un testo che letto ancor oggi sprizza il fascino dell'avventura, una impareggiabile Primula Rossa sullo sfondo della Rivoluzione Francese... una scrittrice unica... la Baronessa Orczy. Da leggere l'intera saga, ma il più bello La grande Impresa della Primula Rossa
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Mike Lloyd
5.0 out of 5 stars What a clever story!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 11, 2020
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Written by Baroness Orczy and set during the Reign of Terror following the start of the French Revolution. The title is the nom de guerre of its hero and protagonist, a chivalrous Englishman who rescues aristocrats before they are sent to the guillotine. Sir Percy Blakeney leads a double life: apparently nothing more than a wealthy fop, but in reality a formidable swordsman and a quick-thinking escape artist. The band of gentlemen who assist him are the only ones who know of his secret identity. The above has been taken from Wiki but does nothing for the story which is a page turner. Although I first read it nearly 60 years ago it still captivated me and kept me up until the early hours. The character of Sir Percy Blakeney is brilliant. It is in effect a love story mixed cleverly with wit and danger, a classic of its time from nearly 100 yrs ago and still is.
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Mike Lloyd
5.0 out of 5 stars What a clever story!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 11, 2020
Written by Baroness Orczy and set during the Reign of Terror following the start of the French Revolution. The title is the nom de guerre of its hero and protagonist, a chivalrous Englishman who rescues aristocrats before they are sent to the guillotine. Sir Percy Blakeney leads a double life: apparently nothing more than a wealthy fop, but in reality a formidable swordsman and a quick-thinking escape artist. The band of gentlemen who assist him are the only ones who know of his secret identity. The above has been taken from Wiki but does nothing for the story which is a page turner. Although I first read it nearly 60 years ago it still captivated me and kept me up until the early hours. The character of Sir Percy Blakeney is brilliant. It is in effect a love story mixed cleverly with wit and danger, a classic of its time from nearly 100 yrs ago and still is.
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Heloisa Frederico
5.0 out of 5 stars Sempre divertido.
Reviewed in Brazil on July 8, 2015
Verified Purchase
Adorei reler o Pimpinela. Muito fácil no formato e tipologia O único problema foi de revisão, alguns erros de grafia. Mas, foram poucos. Merece as cinco estrelas.
One person found this helpful
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NA
5.0 out of 5 stars I had always loved it from the first moment I read it
Reviewed in India on February 19, 2016
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The Scarlet Pimpernel was a non-detail that I had read in my tenth standard and right now I can't remember if it was an abridged version or not. But I had been searching for the book (having lost my non-detail a long time ago) for a while and to my surprise I found a Kindle edition of it.

I had always loved it from the first moment I read it. The amazing Sir Percy, the lovely Marguerite, the cunning villain Chauvelin. I have to admit though my favorite out of the lot is Sir Andrew. I'm so glad to have this book back and I will keep reading it for some time
13 people found this helpful
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tmr
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic. Witty.
Reviewed in Canada on June 6, 2014
Verified Purchase
You will love this tale of a witty rescuer who saves many of the French aristocracy from the guillotine. It is fun. The main character is clever, faces danger with humor, and proves himself a true hero, despite being misunderstood by many. The ending is satisfying--as far as the main character is concerned. As for the main female character, the only disappointment in this book is that at the biggest moment of need, she fails to use her brains to solve the problem and take action; this was a let-down from a clever, capable lady. Enjoy!
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