The Secret History of the Pink Carnation

By: Lauren Willig

Narrated by: Kate Reading

Nothing goes right for Eloise. The one day she wears her new suede boots, it rains cats and dogs. When the subway stops short, she’s always the one thrown into some stranger’s lap. Plus, she’s had more than her share of misfortune in the way of love. In fact, ever since she realized romantic heroes are a thing of the past, she’s decided it’s time for a fresh start.

Setting off for England, Eloise is determined to finish her dissertation on that dashing pair of spies, the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian. But what she discovers is something the finest historians have missed: the secret history of the Pink Carnation—the most elusive spy of all time. As she works to unmask this obscure spy, Eloise stumbles across answers to all kinds of questions. Like how did the Pink Carnation save England from Napoleon? What became of the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian? And will Eloise Kelly escape her bad luck and find a living, breathing hero all 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

"[A] breezy historical romance... The sparks fly." —Publishers Weekly

"[A] playful romp…effervescent prose... A sexy [and] determined-to-charm historical-romance debut." —Kirkus Reviews

Great entertainment

I personally found this book delightful. If you are expecting a great classic or historical accuracy, you might be disappointed but I only wanted to be entertained and this story certainly fulfilled its promised to do just that. The reader is one of my favorites and makes the characters come to life. It is so funny you will laugh out loud at some parts, cheer on the young lovers in others and has just enough suspense to keep it interesting. A lover of all things British, this was just up my alley. I was thrilled to find she had written a sequel to this which I enjoyed just as much.

This was so fun!

I laughed so much! It was a sweet love story, too. The history was interesting.
The narrator was hilarious! She did a fab job of painting the main character with a smart wit and strong will.

Best narrator and book combination I've listened to!

A little obsessed

I'm a little obsessed with this series right now, I am not always a fan of books switching between time periods, but this one really pulls it off. What's not to love about clever female protagonists and the reader does a great job of bringing the story to life.

PInk Carnation

I can't recommend this book to my friends, because it is a bit predictable and hokey. I rolled my eyes so many times and could predict what would happen without fail. Having said that I think it could have been great with more editing and the writer has great promise.

I should have listened sooner

I had this on my wish list for a long time and deleted it and then it came up in my recommendations after I finished another book and finally took the plunge. I believe it was the book description that had me feeling hesitant and now I know I shouldn’t have been. Historical fiction is my preferred genre and the idea of some of this book taking place in the present day just didn’t tickle my fancy so to speak. However the bulk of this book took place in 1803. The book offers mystery, romance, suspense and hidden identities. I would highly recommend this book to other historical fiction lovers and I certainly will be listening to the other books in this series.