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)

Series is strong, this romance is weak

Loved the way this story was told in this modern researcher discovering/flashing back to the time of Napoleonic Wars. Overall I adored this series, loved the phrasing the author used and loved the narrator. That said, the couple featured in this first book was one that triggered more eye rolls than sighs. I just wanted to shake the headstrong girl. Fortunately, other characters who are emerging become stronger in the next books.

So wonderful!!

I loved the story! It was engaging and funny and so much fun to listen to. I didn’t want to stop listening!! I’m so excited there are more.

Not as good as second instalment

I listened to Willg's second book in this series, and it was so much better. This is like something I would have read in my 20's or early 30's. As I am now 73, this kind of romance is just not my thing. This book is short on adventure and long on frustrated lovers. Very disappointing!

It’s a romance novel

After listening to Band it Women and loving it, I wanted more from Lauren Willig. This book is less based in fact. Though historical. It is a comedic romance novel. As such, it is pretty good, but not what I was looking for.

Should have been called the Rose Carnation

This is a silly but entertaining fluff of a story set in Napoleonic France. It irked me that the word "Pink" in the title was not used as the name of a color at the time the story takes place. Instead, that color was called "light red" or "rose" and the word "pink" meant a small (pink) relative of the carnation. A small thing to notice, but it nagged at me throughout the book.

Marvelous

This was my first book from Lauren Willig. The story of Amy and Richard has immediately dragged me into the spell and sweetened my way to work.

fun and engaging...

Where does The Secret History of the Pink Carnation rank among all the audiobooks you???ve listened to so far?

This book is in my top 25 of audiobooks. The writing style and performance are fun and the subject is great.

What other book might you compare The Secret History of the Pink Carnation to and why?

I am a huge fan of The Scarlet Pimpernel and Tale of Two Cities and other books of the era. Also the imaginings of Laurie R. King and her series on Mary Russel and Sherlock Holmes. This book fits in nicely to my library of great likes.

Have you listened to any of Kate Reading???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have yet to read or listen to more of Kate's books. I look forward to continuing my adventure into her imagination.

If you could rename The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, what would you call it?

maybe something more like The Secret Adventures of he Pink Carnation...it was way more fun than the real title gives credit.

Any additional comments?

Fun quirky lady spies and all the joys of dropping off the proper things for the adventure and possibility to do something for a cause.

A likeable book with a bit of an identity crisis

I agree with the folks that say this book could have been more than a frothy period romance. It wasn't grand and sweeping enough to be more than that, yet the characters' passions were a little too overwrought, and the pace too sluggish, to make it truly "frothy".
I found the modern-day heroine likeable and sort of Bridget-Jones-ish. The modern male-female repartee was rather childish for people their reputed ages and education levels, and the historic male-female dialog seemed too modern, but perhaps because it was imagined. I don't mean to whine though, for I did enjoy the book and was disappointed by its abrupt ending. Perhaps a sequel is in development--I'd read it!

LOVE IT

Kate Reading is beyond terrific as always. Can't wait to continue the story! loved Amy and Richard.

Formula Romance with a 2 story lines

If you are looking for a clever romance on the level of "The Scarlet Pimpernel", this book is not for you. This is definitely a formula romance novel using the Scarlet Pimpernel name to set the stage. It was cute, but not original. The beginning was promising with the researcher, but goes one dimensional from there. No suspense or real conflict between the two main characters. The reader needs to work on male voices as she just can't pull it off. A male voice is more than just lower than a female voice, especially when that low voice is out of the range of what the female reader can do. I quit listening 30 minutes from the end as I got too bored. I was looking for something a little more literary. I might try again when I want something uncomplicated to listen to. If you are looking for formula romance (and sometimes I am) this book will do quite nicely.