The Secret History of the Pink Carnation

By: Lauren Willig

Narrated by: Kate Reading

Length: 13 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Deciding that true romantic heroes are a thing of the past, Eloise Kelly, an intelligent American who always manages to wear her Jimmy Choo suede boots on the day it rains, leaves Harvard's Widener Library bound for England to finish her dissertation on the dashing pair of spies the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian. What she discovers is something the finest historians have missed: a secret history that begins with a letter dated 1803. Eloise has found the secret history of the Pink Carnation�the most elusive spy of all time, the spy who single-handedly saved England from Napoleon's invasion.

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, a wildly imaginative and highly adventurous debut, opens with the story of a modern-day heroine but soon becomes a book within a book. Eloise Kelly settles in to read the secret history hoping to unmask the Pink Carnation's identity, but before she can make this discovery, she uncovers a passionate romance within the pages of the secret history that almost threw off the course of world events. How did the Pink Carnation save England? What became of the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian? And will Eloise Kelly find a hero of her own?

©2005 Lauren Willig (P)2005 Penguin Audiobooks and Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Lauren Willig balances her knowledge of English history with a veritable passion for English spies, turning out a deftly hilarious, sexy novel." (Eloisa James, author of Kiss Me, Annabel)

"In her swashbuckling debut...Willig reimagines France under Napoleon besieged by a whole bouquet of spying floral foes.... Bad news for the Bonapartes but barrels of good-natured fun for the rest of us." (Library Journal)

"A juicy mystery...Chick-lit never had it so good!" (Complete Woman)

There was so much potential...

Would you listen to The Secret History of the Pink Carnation again? Why?

No, I wouldn't. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy the book, but I had higher expectations for it than what the author delivered. I was really excited to jump into the world of the Pink Carnation, but surprisingly, it was the storyline of Eloise and Colin that I couldn't wait to hear more of.

The majority of the narration takes place during the Napoleonic Wars, and I was expecting a thrilling adventure story. Instead, this was a full-blown romance complete with several completely unnecessary and far too descriptive love scenes. The main characters, Amy and Richard, are stereotypical, flat characters and they aggravated me with their almost instantaneous attraction and growing obsession with each other. It takes over their entire narration, and any of the action and mystery that was developed disappears.

Eloise and Colin, however, were compelling. I really liked how they despised each other at first, and slowly they begin to begrudgingly accept one another. Their present-day relationship was much more realistic and exciting for me, and I couldn't wait for the story to move out of the memoirs and letters and back to the present day. Their storyline is the only reason that I would continue this series.

Entertaining, not award-winning

What did you like best about The Secret History of the Pink Carnation? What did you like least?

Cute story, but fails when compared to other historical fiction (like Phillipa Gregory's novels). There wasn't a plot twist that the listener couldn't see a mile away, but I didn't give it up. Entertaining, but not a great read - a solid ok in my opinion.

the secret History of the Pink carnation

I thought this book was very good I loved the suspence and romance together I didn't put my Ipod down untill the book was over it was that good

Excellent

Would you consider the audio edition of The Secret History of the Pink Carnation to be better than the print version?

I have not read the printed version, but the audio version was a joy to listen to and a great story

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Secret History of the Pink Carnation?

The scene in the library when the Purple Genchen found Amy under the desk.

Which character – as performed by Kate Reading – was your favorite?

It had to be Richard. Kate made him sound so mysterious.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, absolutely

Any additional comments?

I've already started the Black Carnation, and it's great too!

Serious, Funny or Seriously Funny

I don't know how the book was to be categorized. If it was meant to be funny, I would give it another star, but since I don't know, I can't. I found it hysterical and cheesy after listening to two other books by Lauren Willig. The other two books were, The Summer Country and The Ashford Affair. They were full of mystery, suspense and the romance was more flirtatious. These two books were a great listen. This book was predictable. The "love scenes" had my laughing like a 12-year old girl and I'm in my 50's. There were cores, shafts, multiple body parts getting hard and virginity popping. This was the author's first book and a first book in a series. I will probably skip the other books in the series for now and go on to her other works.

Entertaining

Enjoyable. This book was a comedy. I kept picturing as a play with characters coming and going.

One of my favorite series

I love historical fiction. This is a great story with a great narrator. A must read

very disappointing

Pink Carnation is just a small cut above your average dime-store romance book, all breathless females and swash-buckling heroes. I had to stop listening about 1/3 of the way through.

Great Fun For Historical Fiction

I've always loved historical fiction....bringing another time and place to light in context. This was no exception. Yes, perhaps overly detailed at times, but better that than not enough. The reader is wonderful and I was caught up in both time settings--from beginning to end. I look forward to the Black Tulip!

A Total Delight!

A wonderful mix of history, humor and brilliant repartee. This playful "sequel" to the Scarlet Pimpernel kept me listening and laughing for hours too soon over.