Read: The Scarlet Pimpernel

Dear Readers,

I just finished The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy, and it was such a fascinating read. I loved it!

It was so good and easy to read. It’s hard to pinpoint just one thing that made it superb. Besides having such a compelling and incredible premise for a story, it was divided into short chapters that were easy to follow.

Thinking just about her writing style, I found that she would skimp on details that I would probably dwell on when I’m writing, but... you know what? It didn’t need these details. I was hanging out for the Scarlet Pimpernel to turn up, I didn’t need to know exactly how wrapped up she was against the cold sea wind or whether her (presumably) heeled shoes were hurting her feet as she crept along behind the cart, as I would imagine.

I kind of realised from this reading of her work. Perhaps I tend to overexplain. I think the most important thing when writing is to go with the flow. Another way to look at it is: Can you actually imagine the scene instead of getting bogged down with every little detail that someone might question you on? I suppose, you have to go with the flow of the story, and this comes back to whether or not you can imagine the scene unfolding in your head.

Don’t let it be 2D, lift it off into 3D. Like a scene in a movie. Would you enjoy watching it in a movie? If you can imagine the scene, then I take that as a sign that it's a compelling scene that other people will be able to visualise and connect with. I did actually hear this from an interview on Film Courage, but I can’t remember which one. I’ll get back to you on that one!

But the premise of Baroness Orczy’s story is the costumed hero by the name Scarlet Pimpernel, who is saving French Aristocrats from the new Republic of France during the French Revolution and their favourite instrument, the guillotine. This brave, costumed hero is someone whose disguises and brains has outwitted the best of the Committee of Public Safety time and time again. Raising an enemy who harbours vehement hatred for him, named Chauvelin.

This is kind of like an original superhero story, and it hooks you. You want to find out who the Scarlet Pimpernel is. You want him to beat the bad guys, rescue the damsel, and save the day. It is just a superb premise. I really admire her for it.

Just a note on Baroness Orczy. The introduction at the beginning of the book is all I’m going off, but she sounds like she might’ve been ahead of her time. She has written a fair number of novels. Scarlet Pimpernel being the pinnacle of her writing career, by the sounds of it. Even being produced as a play before being novelised. She is a real inspiration for me, and I really like her style. I would love to imitate her in her writing style and interesting story premise. I am going to make it a goal to read her other works. They sound really incredible. She even wrote a detective series. And I love mysteries!

But you know what else? I loved the way she exquisitely hid her main character all the way up until the second-to-last chapter. It was awe-inspiring. I was hanging out for the tall, handsome, blue-eyed fashion freak of nature to turn up with a fencing sword and duel it out. Imagine my surprise at the ending! I won’t spoil it for you. But you should read it. It was fantastic.

The story had a very omnipresent narrator, flying from France to England, giving insights into every character in the room. Finally, the perspective seemed to favour Lady Blakeney. I really like it! I think, Orczy probably found it the easiest to identify with Lady Blakeney rather than any other character. There is a series of sequels to this novel. So, I don’t know how the perspective may shift. But with this one, she chose a relatively well-off woman, originally from a different country, but presently living in England. This was very similar to Orczy’s background. So, she chose a familiar character to tell the majority of the story from. Of course, that is what they say, right? Write what you know.

So, overall, I think I can learn a lot from Baroness Orczy. And I intend to learn as much as I can from her and her Scarlet Pimpernel. Especially, hiding the ace up her sleeve until the very end for readers to find and cherish. I do recommend it, if you’re looking for a good, engaging read. It does have some, I believe, Old English in it. Just brace yourself for some weird English words for some parts of the world. But other than that, I think it's superb. Let me know what you think!

The next novel I’ve set my sights on is The Professor by Charlotte Bronte. I’ve never heard of it before. So, I have no reservations or expectations. I hope it's a good one.

Til next time!