The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Baroness Orczy

I felt about this book much as I did about Pride and Prejudice: I liked it, but I didn't love it. I won't carry it around inside me like I do other books. That's fine, but I went in with higher expectations, because I've had friends of mine adore the book and the play. I think part of it was that the other book I recently read about the Terror was so good, or at least spoke to me more.
The biggest problem was that the Scarlet Pimpernel himself was not that engaging, and his daring exploits were talked about rather than seen for most of the book. It did pick up near the end, though, and the last few chapters were quite good. If the whole book had been that engaging I would've liked it better.

There was one thing that I found very intriguing, though, and that was the fact that the story is more or less told from the vantage point of the heroine. It was refreshing to read a story with a human, fleshed-out, prominent woman character. I love old books that feature daring, interesting men, but the women in those stories are almost always bland and are either swoony or Evil. The woman in this story, while occasionally lovesick, is fully human. We get to see her thought processes, her weaknesses, and her ingenuity. It's really quite a treat. Other minor characters are treated similarly. Here's a passage describing how the local innkeeper wishes to shield his daughter from what he thinks are two guests indulging in an adulterous tryst:

[The innkeeper] was all too willing that Sally[, his daughter,] should go to
bed. He was beginning not to like these goings-on at all. Still, Lady Blakeney
would pay handsomely for the accomodation, and it certainly was no buisiness of his.

Sally arranged a simple dinner...then with a respectful curtsey, she
retired, wondering in her little mind why her ladyship looked so serious, when she was about to elope with her gallant.

There are also some amusing observations of human behavior, like the two young English gentleman who, like good Britons, tried to hide their emotions and just ended up looking "immeasurably sheepish".

In sum, it was a nice enough read, but probably not one that I will keep on my bookshelf.

Grade: B-