The Scarlet Pimpernel By Baroness Orczy

I read this book a few months ago when my best friend from high school (Hi Katie!) mentioned she had read it and liked it. Before I get into my enthusiasm for this book, I want to to make a complaint: I do not like introductions to books that give away the story. I like to read introductions. I like to know what someone else thinks about the book. But I don't like the surprise of the story to be told before I ever get a chance to read the book. Its an "introduction" to the book, not a book report. So, if you like to read introductions, I suggest, at least for this book, read it after you've read the story.

The book is set in the French Revolution when aristocrats and royalty are being killed by the uprising group seeking political power. A group of English aristocrats, led by a man known only as the Scarlet Pimpernel, risk their own lives by rescuing French aritstocrats, and sneaking them across the channel to safety. There is a woman, a love story, fighting, death, sneaking around and all that good stuff, but I'll stop there, because I don't want to give away the ending.

Thumbs up. Very entertaining. Baroness Orczy wrote a number of sequel stories which I haven't read yet, but have them on my list of books to read. Kurt and I also watched an A&E miniseries of the Scarlet Pimpernel and they were fabulous. Starring Richard E. Grant in 1999, its a 3 disc series, available at netflix.