Review: The Scarlet Pimpernel

This year one of my goals is to read 12 classics – books over 100 years in age that have helped shape culture or history. So far I’ve read Frankenstein and Against Praxeas. The Scarlet Pimpernel one was one of the most highly recommended books when I polled Facebook for suggestions. It’s is considered the first book in the super hero genre where a secret identity is used to hide the hero from the sight of the villain. Zorro, The Shadow, Superman, and Batman all followed in the big footsteps left by Baroness Orczy.

The story takes place during the French Revolution when the French nobles are trying to flee for their lives from the citizens of France who are hellbent on beheading every last person who ruined their lives and country. France is on lock down, and the nobles are stuck in hiding trying to stay out of sight from the blood thirsty mobs.

The Scarlet Pimpernel works behind the scenes to help save innocents from the clutches of the guillotine and bring them safe to the English shores. The Scarlet Pimpernel’s identity is a mystery and you, dear reader, will spend most of the book trying to surmise who he or she is. You’ll continually revise your guess as the story unfolds hoping that it’s the one character you love most. This was proven to me when my wife recently read the book too and gave me constant updates on who she though it was and why. We both had our emotions toyed with throughout the story.

As we reflected on the story together we both found it a bit predictable, but we surmise that it is because the tropes of many modern day superhero stories trace back their origins to this story. So while predictable today, it must have been earth shattering then. It’s a fun little read that I highly recommend!

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Overall I give this book 5 stars. I’m looking forward to one day finishing this series.

Up Next: The Heart of Domestic Abuse: Gospel Solutions for Men Who Use Control and Violence in the Home by Chris Moles