The Scarlet Pimpernel

This has to be one of my favorite books of all time. If you enjoy adventure stories with a dusting of romance, then this is the book for you. Warning, there is a very tiresome spot after the first chapter. The book starts off with a bang, then there is a dead spot, then it picks up again and becomes very enjoyable. Struggle past the dead spot. It's worth it.

The Scarlet Pimpernel is the story of a daring English nobelman and his followers who save French aristocrats from the guillotine during the French revolution. The French aristocrats are portrayed to be very sympathetic and let's face it, the French did run a little off their rails with chopping people's head off. I mean, just because you're the lace maker for Marie Antoinette doesn't mean you deserve to die. But, anyway, I was thinking of what could be the modern retelling of the story. We Americans finally get off our complacent butts and start dealing with corruption in the government and white collar crime. The Pimpernel pulls off some daring daylight raids to save the CEOs of Haliburton and Enron...

Compelling stuff. Let's start the revolution and see how it goes.

1908 edition