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livpaige93's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Antisemitism
norabelle's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Moderate: Antisemitism and Classism
anapthine's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Antisemitism
wickedplutoswickedreading's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
swashbuckling indeed, with interesting main characters, disguises, humor and a bit of sexual tension that honestly surprised me.
three things detracted from ultimate enjoyment:
1) the sudden antisemitism right near the end
2) the overly obvious stance of promonarchy from the author, to the point of being frankly, an aristocratic kiss-ass
and 3) the fact that Marguerite, while being very witty, was kinda dumb despite being toted as "the cleverest woman in all europe"
Still....will I read the other books? hell yeah
three things detracted from ultimate enjoyment:
1) the sudden antisemitism right near the end
2) the overly obvious stance of promonarchy from the author, to the point of being frankly, an aristocratic kiss-ass
and 3) the fact that Marguerite, while being very witty, was kinda dumb despite being toted as "the cleverest woman in all europe"
Still....will I read the other books? hell yeah
Moderate: Antisemitism
Minor: Violence
jessrock's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The Scarlet Pimpernel is apparently the origin of the "hero with a secret identity" trope. I really enjoyed the story in spite of plenty of weaknesses and issues, including: the relationship between Marguerite and her husband was baffling; the Scarlet Pimpernel in spite of being written as a Robin Hood type of hero isn't stealing from the rich to give to the poor but actually stealing the rich to get them away from the poor (ferrying aristocrats out of France during the Reign of Terror); the author, a baroness, is very wink-wink in the way she writes about classes; and there's a LOT of antisemitism in the latter half of the book.
Graphic: Antisemitism
evitak's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I'm not too fond of pro-rich people narratives to be honest, so I approached this with low hopes to begin with. It was something of a pleasant surprise on that aspect I suppose, since it did attempt to empathize with both sides and only directly condemn the extremities, through Marguerite and her brother. The author tends to overuse specific words and phrases to an occasionally noticeable extent. Some parts towards the end have aged quite poorly, even if they may not reflect the author's opinions.
Minor: Antisemitism
csifbi23's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Antisemitism, Murder, Violence, Blood, and Police brutality
cm93's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Moderate: Antisemitism
utopiaandmelancholy's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I wish I could have read this book without knowing the twist! There was surprisingly less swashbuckling in this than I expected from popular culture surrounding the story, but what I got instead was a good story told from a female perspective which allowed for the twists and turns to be unfolded, rather than experienced directly. The characters felt very vivid (along with the lovely engravings in this edition) and I liked the story so much I've immersed myself in its myriad adaptations since - all of which I enjoyed - which I hope is a sufficient testament to Orczy's story and writing.
Graphic: Antisemitism
Moderate: Death and Violence
Minor: Misogyny and Classism
sarahflies's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Antisemitism