He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad.
When Andre-Louis witnesses the death of a close friend in a grossly mismatched fencing duel, he swears to avenge the young man’s death. In tumultuous pre-evolutionary France, he gives voice to his deceased friend’s revolutionary sentiments. Over the following years, he alternately fans the fire of revolution and hones new skills as he hides from retribution. Whenever possible, he creates difficulty for his friend’s murderer. But what is his true motivation? And what will it take to stay the hand of vengeance?
Last night around nine o’clock I realized that I still had not finished reading this book. I finally reached the last page around midnight. Personally, I find the writing style of many classics to be tedious and, unlike The Scarlet Pimpernel, Scaramouche was no different. However, if you are a classic style enthusiast, you should have no problem. The story itself was excellent. It provides an interesting “other side of the story” when read alongside The Scarlet Pimpernel. Sir Percy and Andre-Louis actually have quite a few similarities. The ending of Scaramouche is hands down the best part. An foreshadowed possibility I had noticed ended up playing out, but not in the way I expected. In conclusion, I found this book to be a great title to add to your classic adventure reading list. Please note that there is some “thematic material” that is tastefully handled but not suitable for young readers.
Author: Raphael Sabatini
Audience: Teens–Adults
Genre: Classic Adventure
Pages: 367
Leah E. Good 