The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

Genre: Children's Classic
My Goodreads rating: 5 of 5 

I simply love The Scarlet Pimpernel. This was my first time reading the book, but I have been a long time lover of the movie version with Anthony Andrews, Jane Seymour, and Ian McKellen. I also very recently was able to see the musical version. It was put on by the local high school. They did a pretty good job with it.

 

The Scarlet Pimpernel is set during the French Revolution. The French Aristocracy are all being executed by Madame Guillotine, but one Englishman and his band of followers are sneaking aristocrats out of the country to safety. That man is only known as the Scarlet Pimpernel, and his real identity is a mystery. The Committee of Public Safety, represented by a character named Chauvelin, would love nothing more than to see the Scarlet Pimpernel put to death by Madame Guillotine. Chauvelin uses all his wit, resources, and even blackmail to try to catch the Pimpernel. Here is a quote from the book that I found pretty well descriptive of Chauvelin's character:

He paused a moment, like a cat which sees a mouse running heedlessly by, ready to spring, yet waiting with that feline sense of enjoyment of mischief about to be done. Then he said quietly--
'Your brother, St Just, is in peril.'

This interaction takes place between Chauvelin and Marguerite Blakeney, whose brother Armand St Just is being used as a bargaining piece. Armand's safety is promised in return for the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Marguerite is a Frenchwoman who married an English dandy, Sir Percy Blakeney, who is generally viewed as the richest fool in England. Though Marguerite swears she has no idea who the Pimpernel is let alone discovering his identity, Chauvelin believes with her popularity as the most fashionable in England, as well as her connections to the Prince of Wales that she can find the information he needs. Little does Marguerite know, the Scarlet Pimpernel may be closer to her than she thinks.

This is possibly the most recognizable quote in the book. I am so glad it was actually in the book, because it is in the movie, and absolutely the funniest thing when recited at a party by Percy Blakeney.

"We seek him here, we seek him there,
Those Frenchies seek him everywhere.
Is he in heaven? - Is he in hell?
That demmed, elusive Pimpernel."

Note that I didn't make a spelling error; that is really how they spell damned in the copy of the book I read.
I read this book as part of a Classics Challenge. It is the last book I am reading for the challenge. It won't be the last classic I read this year, however. So stay tuned for more Classic reviews.

Reader Questions: Are you a Pimpernel fan? If so which is your favorite adaption of the book: one of the multiple movie versions or the musical? Who is your favorite character. Without a doubt, my favorite character is Percy!

Looking for more information on the Scarlet Pimpernel? Check out the Scarlet Pimpernel website.

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

The Three Musketeers
by Alexandre Dumas
My Goodreads rating: 4 of 5Looking for adventure? This book is for you!

The Three Musketeers follows the adventures of a young Gascon named D'Artagnan who dreams of becoming a King's Musketeer. The road to this title is wrought with peril. D'Artagnan starts out rather headstrong and impetuous. Before he even makes it to Musketeer headquarters he finds himself in a duel with an infamous man dressed all in black. This mysterious man is later known to be one of the Cardinal's henchmen.

Not much later in the story, D'Artangnan gets himself into more trouble by contracting himself to three duels in one day: one with Athos, one with Porthos, and one with Aramis, or as they are known throughout the land, the three musketeers. This is our first introduction to this illustrious trio, but they very soon become a foursome as D'Artagnan joins them in a fight against the Cardinal's guards. From that moment on they are bonded together.

Many of the adventures in this book revolve around D'Artagnan's desire to help his mistress, Constance Bonacieux, who is somehow tangled up with the affairs of the Cardinal. Inadvertantly, the foursome serve the Queen, Anne of Austria, and the Duke of Buckingham. Through many of these trials, we come face to face with one of the Cardinal's most deadly mercenaries: Milady deWinter. She is pure venom with an angel's face. She easily attracts and ensnares men, and D'Artagnan is not altogether resistant to her charms. It is funny to me how D'Artagnan's journey is spurred on in pusuit of a woman's love.

I started out listening to this book on my iPod, but I had to finish by reading due to problems with retreiving the files from my computer. I have to say that I had a much better understanding of the end of the book than the beginning. I think while I'm listening my mind tends to focus on doing other things at the same time. Much of the time I listened while sewing, so that may have been a bit of a distraction. The nice thing about listening was that I had no problem pronouncing all the French names and words. So that was a major plus. The other nice thing was the narrator wasn't annoying to listen to. That always helps when listening to an audiobook. If you are looking to listen to the audio version of this book, then I would recommend it.

I read this book as part of a Classics Challenge. The challenge is almost over, but please feel free to visit the site and see what everyone else is reading. I'm sure once this challenge is over another one will quickly take it's place.

Othe books by this author: The Count of Monte Cristo; Twenty Years After (Three Musketeers Sequel); The Man in the Iron Mask (Three Musketeers Book 3)

Reader Question: Do you parlez vous francais, or do you find it difficult to pronounce French words or phrases?

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Genre: Children's Classic/Adventure

My Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars

Argh me mateys! Make ready the sails, and swab the poop deck. The Hispaniola is about to set sail in search of the infamous treasure on Treasure Island. Join Jim Hawkins, Long John Silver, Captain Smollett and the rest of the crew in a tale of high adventure, piracy, danger, and coming of age. Whether you be a landlubber or a seafaring lad or lass, this story is sure to fill your lust for buried treasure.

This story begins in Bristol, England, where young Jim Hawkins lives and works in his parent's inn, The Admiral Benbow. There they lodge a pirate named Billy Bones who is continually on the look out for the feared one-legged man. When some former shipmates have a run in with Billy Bones, he receives a fatal wound. Upon searching  Billy Bones' chest, Jim finds a treasure map, but ends up running for his life when the aforementioned pirates ransack the inn looking for it. Jim takes the map to some respected men in town, Dr. Livesey and Squire Trelawney. The three form a secret pact to find the treasure. Squire Trelawney funds the trip, and so doing finds a ship and crew. Despite their pact to keep their knowledge about the treasure a secret, it seems the whole crew knows what the quest is about. They soon set sail for Treasure Island, but Jim Hawkins discovers that most of the crew, led by the ship's cook, Long John Silver, are planning a mutiny so they can keep the treasure for themselves. Jim now realizes that an adventurous trip for treasure has just turned deadly. Will he make it off Treasure Island alive?

Who doesn't like a story about pirates? I really enjoyed this book, even though I got a little bit lost with the nautical terms. I found myself comparing Jim Hawkins to William Turner, and Long John Silver to Captain Jack Sparrow. What can I say? I am a Pirates of the Caribbean fan.

Something I liked about this book was even though the pirates were despicable people, they still had that admirable quality of charisma. Long John Silver was such an intriguing man. As a reader, I really had no idea what his next play was going to be. Jim mentions towards the end of the book that Silver kept switching sides according to who might come out on top. It kind of reminds me of a quote from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Jack Sparrow says,

"Me, I'm dishonest, and you can always trust a dishonest man to be dishonest. Honestly, it's the honest ones you want to watch out for, 'cause you can never predict if they're going to do something incredibly stupid."

I think that quote perfectly describes the characters in this book. Jim Hawkins is the honest man who throughout the story keeps doing incredibly stupid things. Long John Silver is obviously the dishonest man, but amazingly still manages to fool some or all of them at various points of the story.

I thought this was a great read as part of my Classics Challenge. I am glad I picked it up and want to recommend it to those who love adventure and pirate stories. Which leads to this question: Do you side with the Pirates or the Honest Men?

Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott

Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jo's Boys is the final story of the March family that began with Little Women. I don't know why it took me so long to read this book, but I renewed it three times, took it back to the library, checked it out again a few weeks later, and renewed it again before finally finishing. I am ashamed.

I did enjoy the book. It was fun to see how all the orginal students from Plumfield School ended up. This book also had some very apparent themes. A big one was women's rights. In her time, Louisa May Alcott was a big supporter of women's right to vote, and was the first woman in her county to register to vote. One can tell from her writing that she viewed women as capable as men and supported the idea that women become educated and do something meaningful with their lives. In our day that is the standard, but in her day it was pretty forward thinking. There are many parts throughout this book that exemplefies this thought. There is one part in particular where Nan, a girl aspiring to become a doctor, is trying to get the boys onto her side for woman's suffrage. One boy replies,

"I should be the most ungrateful fellow alive if I did not love, honor, and serve women with all my heart and might, for to them I owe everything I am or ever shall be."

I thought that quote very touching.

Another theme in the book is redemption. The book (and trilogy) as a whole is very Christian in nature. This book dealt a lot with coming of age, and learning through trials how to be a better person. There were stories of three boys in particular that each went through different struggles, but eventually redeemed themselves to become better men. Each of them stated that their education and times at Plumfield was their saving grace.

I believe a third theme was the importance of a good education, especially for females. I think that is pretty apparent, since the main setting of the book is the Laurence College (previously Plumfield school).

If you have read Little Women, I would fully encourage you to finish the trilogy and read Little Men and Jo's Boys. I daresay you won't be disappointed. I wanted to share the last line of Jo's Boys, because it does a nice job of ending the trilogy.

"And now, having endeavored to suit every one by many weddings, few deaths, and as much prosperity as the eternal fitness of things will permit, let the music stop, the lights die out, and the curtain fall forever on the March family."

I read this book as part of a Classic's Challenge.

Shakespeare - To Read or Not to Read

Recently my hubby and I have been playing a fun game at a friend's house called Shakespeare The Bard Game. It is really fun, but also time consuming. Fun features of the game include trivia questions about Shakespeare and his plays, and performance cards that have excerpts from the plays to perform for the group. While this game doesn't require a vast knowledge of Shakespeare to win, it sure has peaked my interest in reading more of Shakespeare's works.

Now I have a teeny tiny confession to make. I took two Shakespeare courses as part of my Bachelor's degree, and I totally bluffed my way through them. I don't exactly remember every play we were required to read, but I recall more than one that I didn't finish. Oops, my only excuse is I had the complex of not wanting to read something I was being forced to read. Has that happened to anyone else, and if so what books?

Here is a list of Shakespeare plays I've read starting with my favorites:

1. Twelfth Night, or What You Will (comedy) My absolute favorite, and love the movie version. Favorite character: Viola
2. Much Ado About Nothing (comedy) I love this one, and love the movie version. Favorite character: Benedick
3. King Lear (tragedy) Favorite character: Cordelia
4. A Midsummer Night's Dream (comedy) Favorite character: Bottom
5. Romeo and Juliet (tragedy) Favorite character: Juliet
   
6. MacBeth (tragedy) Favorite character: Lady MacBeth
7. The Merchant of Venice (comedy) I can't remember much of this one, which leads me to believe I never finished it. Oops.
8. Othello (tragedy) I never finished this one, but watched the movie version.
9. Hamlet (tragedy) I didn't finish this either, but want to watch the Mel Gibson movie version.
10. The Tempest (romance) I may have read snippets from this one.

So I guess I can only say I've read 6. It's time to brush up on my Shakespeare. What is your favorite Shakespeare play? For a reading challenge go to the Biblioshakespeare blog.

Harry Potter Reading Challenge

Hi everyone. I am so excited to tell you that I just joined a Harry Potter Reading Challenge! It starts August 1, 2009 and ends July 31, 2010. How do you like that? A whole year to read Potter! Not only that there are prizes involved. Just head on over to Galleysmith for the details and to sign up on Mr. Linky. I'll have a button up soon too, so you can always click the link on that.

Also, I am still accepting submissions for my Harry Potter 6 Haiku Challenge. Come on people, if you read books, you are creative enough to write a haiku. Let's see some haiku!!

My Entry for HP6 Challenge

Mean hairy pincers
With exception of venom -
Farewell Aragog

Photo Link

HP6 Entry #1

Not to spoil it, but

Dumbledore dies.
Bad bad Snape.

Submitted by Kitty Fischer

Photo Link

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Haiku Challenge

I thought I would do a Haiku Challenge in honor of the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Movie that comes out today. I have been anxiously awaiting this movie along with many others. So I suggest, for those who want to participate, go see the movie, and write a haiku inspired from the movie (or book if you want). I will write one too. I have my tickets to see the movie tomorrow night. Yay!

The haiku format I use is 1st line 5 syllables, 2nd line 7 syllables, and 3rd line 5 syllables. Other than that I don't usually stick to any particular haiku guidelines. Just have fun with it people. Oh yeah, and send your submissions to haikuamy@gmail.com and I will just post them as they come. Remember, this isn't a contest, I don't have any prizes; it's just for fun so have fun y'all!

Classics Update

Just an update on my Classics Challenge.

I have now finished Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. The review is up over at The Joy of Reading book blog.

I have started Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I am on page 143 of 403 pages (Barnes and Noble books New York). I have until May 5th to finish this book, as it is due back a the library. I better get reading.

Oh shoot, unfortunately no haiku this time. I am needed elsewhere at the moment. Thanks for playing, thanks for staying. I don't know what that really means, but it rhymed.

P.S. Go watch the movie, 17 Again with Zac Efron and Matthew Perry. It is flippin' hilarious.

Classics Challenge 2009

I found this Classics Challenge, which is great, because I had already challenged myself to read more classics this year. The challenge starts April 1, 2009 and ends October 31, 2009

So here is a tentative list of classics I will be reading.

1. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
2. Little Men - Louisa May Alcott
3. Jo's Boys - Louisa May Alcott
4. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
5. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
6. Agnes Grey - Anne Bronte
7. The Scarlet Pimpernel - Emmuska Orczy

Like I said, this is just a tentative list. It might change depending on my mood. You just never know. If anyone would like to join the Classic Reading Challenge, there is a button on the right sidebar. Now, time for a haiku!

Fitzwiliam Darcy,
You are the man of my dreams-
Rich, handsome, devilish.

Twilight Movie Haiku Challenge

In anticipation for the upcoming release of the Twilight Movie I wanted to host a Twilight Movie Haiku Challenge. I was going to call it a contest, but hey let's face it, I don't have a prize for the winner. So I'm going to call it a challenge and there will be a winner - that person will win all the bragging rights.

Here are the rules.

1. It must be a Haiku written in the 5-7-5 syllable format.
2. It must be in theme with Twilight, but I will allow anything from the saga.
   
3. You may include artwork, but it has to be your own (no copyright infringement or anything). You also agree to have your artwork displayed on this blog. Also, please keep it a small image, nothing bigger than 201 x 240 pixels.
4. You have until March 16th to e-mail me your entries.
5. On March 17th I will post my favorites, and they will be open to voting.

The winner (or winners in case of a tie) will be announced on March 21st.
Please e-mail entries to twilighthaiku@gmail.com

Reading and Blogging for Darfur

There is a big announcement over on the Maw Books blog. Natasha is doing a campaign for Darfur, and wants the word to spread. There is genocide happening in Darfur right now. She is reading and blogging all through the month of September and wants people to get involved. You can sponsor her in her efforts and also add a button and post on your blog about her project. Head on over to her blog and see what you can do. I am going to be doing what I can do to help in this effort. It really is for a good cause.

Check out her campaign-- Reading and Blogging for Darfur

Or you can click on the button on my sidebar. Thanks!!!