Review of Scarlet Pimpernel

I just finished reading the Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy. This is a superb story, a mix of romance and thrilling adventure which took place in the turbulent times during the French Revolution. The main characters of Marguerite Blakeney, Sir Percy Blakeney and the villain of the piece Chauvelin are finely portrayed. The first two chapters describing the escapades of the dashing, courageous and mysterious figure of the scarlet pimpernel are gripping. The historical characters of Dukes and heroes of the French Revolution add authenticity to the tale. The actions of Marguerite who is torn between her brother and husband evoke sympathy. Even when the identity of the scarlet pimpernel is revealed the tension is sustained till the very end of the book.
The beginning of the story builds up curiosity in the reader about the identity of the scarlet pimpernel by description of his daring acts by the guard of the west gate - Bibot, a vociferous, braggart. The audacious way in which the scarlet pimpernel manages to hoodwink the guards is highly believable. The scene then shifts to London where the escaped refugees Lady de Tourney and her two children are escorted by the two english noblemen Lord Andrew and Antony. Here in a modest inn 'the Fisherman's rest' the French lady comes face to face with Lady Marguerite Blakeny, a person she least expected to meet here and a lady she abhorrs as she is the woman who she holds responsible for the beheading by guillotine of one of her close relatives - Marquis de St Cyr. My initial reaction to the character of Lady Marguerite was one of doubt, as she is portrayed in the light of a betrayer. Lady Marguerite is a character with many shades. She is spectacularly beautiful, a dazzling captivating and fashionable lady. She had managed to enamour France's intellectual men and is described as the cleverest woman in Europe. As the tale proceeds she is portrayed as a devoted sister enraged at the slight meted out to her brother. She is insensitive as she fails to fathom the secrets and real character of her husband. Sir Percy's character is a dual one. On the face of it he is portrayed as a handsome but too goodnatured, bluff, easygoing Englishman who hasn't the charisma to hold the affections of his charming and capricious French wife. As the story proceeds we come to learn that it was he who has cut off relations with Marguerite when he suspected her of treachery. He in fact loves her deeply but mistrusts her too much to reveal his true identity to her. The mental and physical space between them creates the tension in the plot which further builds up interest in the narrative. When the Frenchman Chauvelin puts Lady Marguerite between the devil and the deep sea ie to choose between saving the life of her beloved brother or that of the Scarlet Pimpernel, whose true identity she is as yet unaware of, we come to sympathise with her fully in the dilemma she is in. The rest of the book details the adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel and Lady Margurite as they manage to evade the clutches of the French soldiers by a mere whisker every time. The book is a tremendously interesting tale, a pageturner which even now in 2011 manages to surprise and enthrall us.