The Scarlet Pimpernel

There are a round dozen recordings of The Scarlet Pimpernel available at Audible. Unabridged, abridged, a radio play featuring the great Leslie Howard and even a version in Italian. I chose the one by David Thorn for three reasons: it is unabridged, it is by far the cheapest and, to my ear anyway, it is the best performance. I’ll add a fourth: it isn’t in Italian.

These impeccable reasons overcame my uneasiness at the cover art: a sort of CGI nightmare of two humanoids in non-period costumes swooning woodenly toward each other (if that’s possible) in the sort of faux-medieval atmosphere familiar to dedicated gamers (or “Barbie Princess” video viewers). But the real problems started when I hit “play”.

First, my eager ears were saluted by a gaggle of kids chanting, “This is Audible Kids!” Really? This tale of intrigue and guillotines, set in the complex political atmosphere of Revolutionary, Republican France, riddled with references to Gluck and Burke and Fox, is a kid’s story? Granted, what the good baroness wrote is not great literature—in the pantheon I’d put her somewhere near Ian Fleming: a gifted spinner of tales, observer of people and writer of dialogue. Her book is one of the best examples of an iffy genre: popular historical fiction. I can’t recall another story I’ve seen spoofed more often. Still, this isn't kid’s stuff.

Next came the musical accompaniment at the beginning and end of every chapter. I suppose it’s meant to cast a spell of mystery and intrigue. What sounds like a synthesized guitar (or harp?) wanders up and down the scale hand-in-hand with a toy piano—or possibly a miniature xylophone? I didn’t know what it reminded me of. And then I got it: 70’s lounge music. I could see the shag-carpeted electric piano, the cocktails with little umbrellas. Next thing I expected was Bill Murray belting out, “Sta-a-a-a-a-r Wars, nothing but Sta-a-a-a-a-r Wars!” (Youtube it if you’re too young to remember.)

Then I discovered that the chapter divisions on my iPod didn’t sync up with the chapter divisions in the book. Instead, my menu showed eight “chapters”, each an hour-and-some-odd minutes long, each containing several actual chapters. In other words, lose your place and you’re lost.

And in between every chapter was wedged a generous slab or two of the lounge music. But I shouldn't complain. Those oases of synthesized smarminess served as the next best thing to chapter divisions, making the job of finding your place a little easier.

But the real problem, the thing that makes this recording a tragedy, is that there are words missing.

At first it wasn’t so bad. At the end of chapter 5, the last few words of the final sentence actually begin to fade away in order to make room for the dreadful muzak. But at least I could hear them.

Then, at the end of chapter six, the final sentence didn’t make sense at all. Looking up The Scarlet Pimpernel on the Guttenberg Project, I discovered that the sentence was missing its entire second half—words that reveal a detail I very much needed to hear if the story was to make any sense later on. The same thing happens at the end of chapter seven, the middle of chapters thirteen and fourteen and, I have no doubt elsewhere in places I didn’t notice. Admittedly, these later gaps are not nearly as crucial. Still, they’re flaws any competent producer would have caught.

I called this a tragedy but that’s too strong a word. This is simply a waste. Because David Thorn’s performance—his delineation of character, his pacing, his ability to keep several simultaneous voices (and the narration) distinct and vivid—is very good. It is a shame that his fine performance should be marred by such slipshod production. And it’s a shame that such a good yarn—a story that has come, like the Three Musketeers, to define our collective image of the period in which it is set—should be robbed of it’s full vigor.

I can give you no better proof of that vigor than by saying that, in spite of all the production flaws, I persevered because I was hopelessly hooked. It really is a glorious, swashbuckling rip-snorter of a story. Yes, at heart it is a bodice-ripper. The horns of Lady Blakeney’s various dilemmas are dwelt upon ad nauseum. One more reference to “a woman’s heart” and I probably would have given up. But there is good writing here and even shrewd insights.

For example, this description of an empty dining room is something of a tour de force:

“When Chauvelin reached the supper-room it was quite deserted. It had that woebegone, forsaken, tawdry appearance, which reminds one so much of a ball-dress, the morning after.

“Half-empty glasses littered the table, unfolded napkins lay about, the chairs—turned towards one another in groups of twos and threes—very close to one another—in the far corners of the room, which spoke of recent whispered flirtations, over cold game-pie and champagne; there were sets of three and four chairs, that recalled pleasant, animated discussions over the latest scandal; there were chairs straight up in a row that still looked starchy, critical, acid, like antiquated dowager; there were a few isolated, single chairs, close to the table, that spoke of gourmands intent on the most recherche dishes, and others overturned on the floor, that spoke volumes on the subject of my Lord Grenville's cellars.

“It was a ghostlike replica, in fact, of that fashionable gathering upstairs; a ghost that haunts every house where balls and good suppers are given; a picture drawn with white chalk on grey cardboard, dull and colourless, now that the bright silk dresses and gorgeously embroidered coats were no longer there to fill in the foreground, and now that the candles flickered sleepily in their sockets.”

Not bad. Not bad at all.

Then there are keen observations that get at the heart of the paradoxes of the French Revolution and, indeed, of all modern totalitarianism:

“On seeing the strangers…[the innkeeper] paused in the middle of the room… looked at them, with even more withering contempt than he had bestowed upon his former guests, and muttered, "Sacrrree soutane!"

“[One of the newcomers] had taken a quick step forward towards Brogard. He was dressed in the soutane, broad-brimmed hat and buckled shoes habitual to the French cure, but as he stood opposite the innkeeper, he threw open his soutane for a moment, displaying the tri-colour scarf of officialism, which sight immediately had the effect of transforming Brogard's attitude of contempt, into one of cringing obsequiousness.”

In other words, the political saviors have quickly become even more terrifying (and hateful) than even the Church that had supposedly been oppressing everyone so ruthlessly up until then.

Long story short: this is a good book and a very good performance, hampered by lamentable production. Which is probably why it was the cheapest.

I got this book with my Audible coupon that was recently given to me by Audible. I remember we read this book in high school way back in the early 50’s along with Sherlock Holmes stories. This is a book about the French Revolution. It also illustrates that you cannot judge a person by their appearance. Lord Percy Blakeney is a fancy dresser often starting current fads and plays the general flakey fancy party boy who married a famous French actress Marguerite St. Just. It turns out that Lord Percy is the Scarlet Pimpernel who rescues French aristocrats from the guillotine. Percy is a master of disguises and he and is merry ban give the French agent Chauvelin the slip as they continue to escape from his clutches. The book has lots of humor, action, and romance written in the style of the 19th century. Over all it is an interesting story placed in the middle of the French revolution. The book was written by Hungarian Baroness Orczy who lived in England. David Thorn did a good job narrating the story.

It's not the best but it's pretty good.

Actually, I compared it with Jane Eyre and Pride & Prejudice. The book is clearly written by a woman, and told from her perspective. It's based on the relationship between a man and a woman, and how her needs move her to get over their mutual pride.

His French accent was so thick that at times I had a lot of difficulty understanding what they were saying.

Yes and no: I had to walk away a lot and upon return found the author was still waffling on about something completely superfluous.

I had watched the movie when I was a kid and although I don't remember the particulars, I did take away the memory of it being a swash-buckling moving, rife with swordplay etc. I was really disappointed to find that although there was a lot of build up, there was absolutely no climax. There was no confrontation, no sword play, no deaths (other than the reference to gory guillotine executions).

I was also surprised to learn it is considered Children's Fiction. I wouldn't have expected it to be any more so than Pride and Prejudice or Jane Eyre.

No. The reader was great but the music was a little annoying to me.

I enjoyed the well-done French and English accents.

I really enjoyed listening to this book even though I have read it twice and seen a couple of movie versions.

This is a constant winner. I have been reading this story since childhood, possibly over a hundred readings. You wont find a better audible reading than Thorn, he is fantastic.

The performance is so very well done.
I enjoyed the performer's accents. This is a fun story to enjoy with your family.

When I look for an audio book the hardest thing is finding a good narrator. Obviously I want to listen to this specific book, and so I generally don't research it much. I do however listen to all the audio samples, and get extremely frustrated when I can't find the one I think is the best. I can normally figure out which ones are the worst. This one I thought was one of the better ones. However 20 minutes into the book I became very confused. Who were all these different characters? They all sound exactly the same! So not wanting to quit the book quite yet, I looked up a character list and promptly spoiled the book for myself by learning who the Scarlet Pimpernel was. Don't make the same mistake I made. Get the narration by Michael Page. He was my second try, and was incredible! All the voices were distinct, and well accented. Plus his voice was pleasant to listen to during descriptions.

Overall: Don't get this version of the book. Get the one by Michael Page.

It was very well done. The French accents were a little difficult to understand, but other than that perfect.

Great performance of a overly fussy story. Too much detail , not enough action. Too much fleshing out of background images. Let's get on with the show !

This story is about the Scarlet Pimpernel the organization that worked to sneak rich aristocratic's out of the country. The story is great for kids to teach them to consider their actions before they take them. The story goes over how the actions taken by one person and how it endangers their loved ones. The story ends with them finally repairing the damage they caused. A great story for all ages.