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The Scarlet Pimpernel (chronological order) #0.5
The First Sir Percy: an Adventure of the Laughing Cavalier
The story starts in 1624 in the Netherlands and concerns the Scarlet Pimpernel's ancestor, Diogenes, aka the first Sir Percy Blakeney. Diogenes and his friends Socrates and Pythagoras swear allegiance to the royalist cause. Their undivided loyalty results in many adventures - and more than one foe.
308 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1921
17 people are currently reading
719 people want to read
About the author
Emmuska Orczy
857 books1,088 followersFull name: Emma ("Emmuska") Magdolna Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála Orczy de Orczi was a Hungarian-British novelist, best remembered as the author of THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (1905). Baroness Orczy's sequels to the novel were less successful. She was also an artist, and her works were exhibited at the Royal Academy, London. Her first venture into fiction was with crime stories. Among her most popular characters was The Old Man in the Corner, who was featured in a series of twelve British movies from 1924, starring Rolf Leslie.
Baroness Emmuska Orczy was born in Tarnaörs, Hungary, as the only daughter of Baron Felix Orczy, a noted composer and conductor, and his wife Emma. Her father was a friend of such composers as Wagner, Liszt, and Gounod. Orczy moved with her parents from Budapest to Brussels and then to London, learning to speak English at the age of fifteen. She was educated in convent schools in Brussels and Paris. In London she studied at the West London School of Art. Orczy married in 1894 Montague Barstow, whom she had met while studying at the Heatherby School of Art. Together they started to produce book and magazine illustrations and published an edition of Hungarian folktales.
Orczy's first detective stories appeared in magazines. As a writer she became famous in 1903 with the stage version of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
Baroness Emmuska Orczy was born in Tarnaörs, Hungary, as the only daughter of Baron Felix Orczy, a noted composer and conductor, and his wife Emma. Her father was a friend of such composers as Wagner, Liszt, and Gounod. Orczy moved with her parents from Budapest to Brussels and then to London, learning to speak English at the age of fifteen. She was educated in convent schools in Brussels and Paris. In London she studied at the West London School of Art. Orczy married in 1894 Montague Barstow, whom she had met while studying at the Heatherby School of Art. Together they started to produce book and magazine illustrations and published an edition of Hungarian folktales.
Orczy's first detective stories appeared in magazines. As a writer she became famous in 1903 with the stage version of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
March 25, 2016
So...I read this as an online ebook in the days before I had high-speed internet. To read an ebook on dial-up is an exercise is patience, to say the least, and should give an idea of how enthralling it was. It's an action story, and the trials of the hero and heroine will be sure to wring your heart.
September 13, 2025
This is the sequel to The Laughing Cavalier and begins with a wedding, a scant three months after the other’s conclusion. The two books are almost as one, the transition is so smooth.
Be advised, that this review partially gives away things readers discover in The Laughing Cavalier so if you haven’t read that book and plan/hope to, you might not want to continue with this review.
As it would never do for a good story if the “Happily Ever After” just went on from the beginning, that is if the joy of the nuptials continued uninterrupted/unthreatened until the book’s conclusion, never fear, things fall apart immediately afterwards. The Dutch of the 1600s are involved in a war with Spain and figurative war drums beat before the wedding celebrations are even concluded.
The wicked Lord of Stoutenburg, Willem van Oldenbarnevelt, a Dutch noble, who revenged his father’s death by selling out his own people and fighting alongside the Spanish is the villain in both books. He is also in love with the beautiful ingenue, Gilda, the beloved of Sir Percy, originally Diogenes.
Stoutenburg, as he was called throughout both books was a real person and although much of this book is fiction, the general outline of the history, the battles and his part in them seem to match what I have been able to discover, though I didn’t go into any detailed historical research. The ups and downs of the three-way romance with Stoutenburg and Percy vying for the lovely Gilda, a no holds barred (at least on Stoutenburg’s part!) fight for the lady is set against the battle scenes happening in the background. There are several mysteries and a surprise twist at the end. We can see—if familiar with the Scarlet Pimpernel—from where the future hero of the French aristos draws his strength, smarts and sheer bravado. A chip off the old block, to use an antiquated but in this case, appropriate expression.
Enjoyable read. On to the The Scarlet Pimpernel, the first book written by the Baroness, but the third in chron0logical order.
Be advised, that this review partially gives away things readers discover in The Laughing Cavalier so if you haven’t read that book and plan/hope to, you might not want to continue with this review.
As it would never do for a good story if the “Happily Ever After” just went on from the beginning, that is if the joy of the nuptials continued uninterrupted/unthreatened until the book’s conclusion, never fear, things fall apart immediately afterwards. The Dutch of the 1600s are involved in a war with Spain and figurative war drums beat before the wedding celebrations are even concluded.
The wicked Lord of Stoutenburg, Willem van Oldenbarnevelt, a Dutch noble, who revenged his father’s death by selling out his own people and fighting alongside the Spanish is the villain in both books. He is also in love with the beautiful ingenue, Gilda, the beloved of Sir Percy, originally Diogenes.
Stoutenburg, as he was called throughout both books was a real person and although much of this book is fiction, the general outline of the history, the battles and his part in them seem to match what I have been able to discover, though I didn’t go into any detailed historical research. The ups and downs of the three-way romance with Stoutenburg and Percy vying for the lovely Gilda, a no holds barred (at least on Stoutenburg’s part!) fight for the lady is set against the battle scenes happening in the background. There are several mysteries and a surprise twist at the end. We can see—if familiar with the Scarlet Pimpernel—from where the future hero of the French aristos draws his strength, smarts and sheer bravado. A chip off the old block, to use an antiquated but in this case, appropriate expression.
Enjoyable read. On to the The Scarlet Pimpernel, the first book written by the Baroness, but the third in chron0logical order.
September 29, 2024
Glad to know that abandoning one’s wife is an inherited condition.
March 1, 2010
I didn't know there were more Scarlet Pimpernel books! I grew up on the movie with Jane Seymour. This book is about his relative, (great grandfather maybe) with the same name and the same ability to hide his true abilities until it's too late for the villain.
It took me a few chapters to get into it, but once I did, it was some splendid times.
It took me a few chapters to get into it, but once I did, it was some splendid times.
November 6, 2025
I read this book for free at Blakeney Manor - so long ago that the website is gone :(
I loved this book, more than The Laughing Cavalier I think. If you've read this book all the way up to Chapter 9 and you're thinking about stopping, don't! It gets better, the characters kick booty.
I loved this book, more than The Laughing Cavalier I think. If you've read this book all the way up to Chapter 9 and you're thinking about stopping, don't! It gets better, the characters kick booty.
February 28, 2025
A story about Percy's ancestors who is basically Percy but in the Netherlands 150 years earlier. Still fun and swashbuckling, though. It's the 2nd prequel, and I haven't read the first prequel yet, so I was missing some context. Now to read the first prequel.
March 27, 2014
The First Sir Percy
By
Baroness Orczy
The First Sir Percy, the sequel to The Laughing Cavalier, by Baroness Orczy was first published in 1921. I should have read The Laughing Cavalier first as I found the first chapters of the sequel a little difficult to follow. However, this did not spoil my enjoyment of the novel.
The First Sir Percy is set in the Netherlands in March 1624 “a torn land divided between loyalty for Maurice of Nassau and the Spanish invaders.
“Fighting for the Maurice of Nassau is a man known to many as Diogenes, but whose real name is Sir Percy Blakeney. A gay devil may care cavalier and the first in a long line of famous Blakeneys.”
Loyal to the Maurice of Nassau, the Stadtholder, on the very evening of his marriage instead of taking his bride, Gilda, to England, Sir Percy must set off on a mission to thwart the Spanish Invasion. Yet he yearns to take his bride away: “Across the ocean to that stately home in England where in the spring the air was soft with the scent of violets and of fruit blossom, and where beside the river the reeds mumured a soft accompaniment to songs of passion and hymns of love.”
Thoughout this novel of the hero, good men and women and villains Sir Percy’s beautiful young bride remains loyal to him even in the most difficult circumstances.
I know little about the Netherlands at this period of history and even less about the Veluwe, at that time a land with a string of swamps with a ridge of hills covered with forests, heathland and woodland, in which part of The First Sir Percy is set.
There are many excellent descriptions in the novel, one of which is:-“Even now the wintry sun was sinking slowly down in the west in a haze of purple and rose, licking the towers of St. Maria and Joris with glistening tongues of fire, and tinting the snow-covered roofs and gables with a rosy hue. The sluggish waters of the Eem appeared like a liquid flame.”
The style of the novel written from the author’s viewpoint is old-fashioned but it did not deter me. All in all a satisfying read.
By
Baroness Orczy
The First Sir Percy, the sequel to The Laughing Cavalier, by Baroness Orczy was first published in 1921. I should have read The Laughing Cavalier first as I found the first chapters of the sequel a little difficult to follow. However, this did not spoil my enjoyment of the novel.
The First Sir Percy is set in the Netherlands in March 1624 “a torn land divided between loyalty for Maurice of Nassau and the Spanish invaders.
“Fighting for the Maurice of Nassau is a man known to many as Diogenes, but whose real name is Sir Percy Blakeney. A gay devil may care cavalier and the first in a long line of famous Blakeneys.”
Loyal to the Maurice of Nassau, the Stadtholder, on the very evening of his marriage instead of taking his bride, Gilda, to England, Sir Percy must set off on a mission to thwart the Spanish Invasion. Yet he yearns to take his bride away: “Across the ocean to that stately home in England where in the spring the air was soft with the scent of violets and of fruit blossom, and where beside the river the reeds mumured a soft accompaniment to songs of passion and hymns of love.”
Thoughout this novel of the hero, good men and women and villains Sir Percy’s beautiful young bride remains loyal to him even in the most difficult circumstances.
I know little about the Netherlands at this period of history and even less about the Veluwe, at that time a land with a string of swamps with a ridge of hills covered with forests, heathland and woodland, in which part of The First Sir Percy is set.
There are many excellent descriptions in the novel, one of which is:-“Even now the wintry sun was sinking slowly down in the west in a haze of purple and rose, licking the towers of St. Maria and Joris with glistening tongues of fire, and tinting the snow-covered roofs and gables with a rosy hue. The sluggish waters of the Eem appeared like a liquid flame.”
The style of the novel written from the author’s viewpoint is old-fashioned but it did not deter me. All in all a satisfying read.
October 30, 2022
Diogenes returns for a second romp through Holland. His wedding night ruined with news of invasion, Diogenes rides off to deliver important messages to the troops. Along the way, he is chased, shot at, and eventually forced into an icy river, where the last we see of him is the water closing over his head. In town, Gilda's brother accuses Diogenes of being a traitor (to hide his own traitorous ambitions), and when Diogenes eventually returns, he faces the dangers of poisoned darts and furious father-in-laws.
There's more action in this one, spaced nicely across the entire story instead of just bookending chapters of dull drama. Between the wedding and the invasion, emotions run high, and it ends up being a decent story.
Nicholas is a bit annoying. I was hoping for more development, but he gets the Jaime Lannister treatment, except in flat monotone.
Diogenes, of course, is protected by his extremely powerful plot armor. Bullet? No problem. Injuries? Won't keep him down. Poisoned darts? Blindness? Somehow he miraculously survives it all. The lack of explanation regarding just HOW he survives is annoying, and anticipating his survival ruins some of the suspense in the otherwise-excellent, late-night scene between him, Nicholas, and Stoutenburg.
Mood, setting, and lighting are fantastic throughout. The soldiers camping out in the town, the noise and chaos of those scenes, to the harsh, icy wilderness outside of town- all of it is carried beautifully in Orczy's writing.
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4
I'm more likely to re-read this again than The Laughing Cavalier.
As an aside: I struggle with mild dyslexia, which is unhelped in this case by synesthesia. Stoutenburg and the Stadtholder have similar enough names/titles that I continually get them backwards, which made for very slow, difficult, and confusing reading at times. If any future authors read this review: please, for love of all that is good, please make character names and titles extremely unique! The first few letters determine the color of a word for many synesthetes, and the length of the word and other visual aspects (tall letters, short, sharp, rounded, etc) can help a word stand out. In this case, Stoutenburg and Stadtholder are both the same number of letters, same visual length, start with the same first 2 letters, and generally have nothing to distinguish them from each other. This is rather like having a broken hot-key in a video game: the game can be played, but it's slow, annoying, and difficult.
There's more action in this one, spaced nicely across the entire story instead of just bookending chapters of dull drama. Between the wedding and the invasion, emotions run high, and it ends up being a decent story.
Nicholas is a bit annoying. I was hoping for more development, but he gets the Jaime Lannister treatment, except in flat monotone.
Diogenes, of course, is protected by his extremely powerful plot armor. Bullet? No problem. Injuries? Won't keep him down. Poisoned darts? Blindness? Somehow he miraculously survives it all. The lack of explanation regarding just HOW he survives is annoying, and anticipating his survival ruins some of the suspense in the otherwise-excellent, late-night scene between him, Nicholas, and Stoutenburg.
Mood, setting, and lighting are fantastic throughout. The soldiers camping out in the town, the noise and chaos of those scenes, to the harsh, icy wilderness outside of town- all of it is carried beautifully in Orczy's writing.
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4
I'm more likely to re-read this again than The Laughing Cavalier.
As an aside: I struggle with mild dyslexia, which is unhelped in this case by synesthesia. Stoutenburg and the Stadtholder have similar enough names/titles that I continually get them backwards, which made for very slow, difficult, and confusing reading at times. If any future authors read this review: please, for love of all that is good, please make character names and titles extremely unique! The first few letters determine the color of a word for many synesthetes, and the length of the word and other visual aspects (tall letters, short, sharp, rounded, etc) can help a word stand out. In this case, Stoutenburg and Stadtholder are both the same number of letters, same visual length, start with the same first 2 letters, and generally have nothing to distinguish them from each other. This is rather like having a broken hot-key in a video game: the game can be played, but it's slow, annoying, and difficult.
May 20, 2017
Though this was another interesting story, a few things have left me kind of confused. Mostly, is this the Sir Percy from the Scarlet Pimpernel, or is it a predecessor of his? Maybe if I re-read The Scarlet Pimpernel it will help clear things up?
Update: I did a little digging around online that helped clear things up. This book IS about an ancestor (father or grandfather, I couldn't find that) of the Sir Percy Blakeney from The Scarlet Pimpernel. (I wish she'd used a different name, that would've made things MUCH clearer.) Apparently, I should've read The Laughing Cavalier first, which would've made the first few chapters a bit clearer and faster to get engrossed in. (I'd originally put the books on my list from -I guess- a published order, then when I went to mark it as "currently reading", I found out that it was the second book in chronological order. But since it had taken me so long to get it from my Interlibrary Loan, I didn't want to send it back unread.) At least now I've got them listed in the right order! :)
Update: I did a little digging around online that helped clear things up. This book IS about an ancestor (father or grandfather, I couldn't find that) of the Sir Percy Blakeney from The Scarlet Pimpernel. (I wish she'd used a different name, that would've made things MUCH clearer.) Apparently, I should've read The Laughing Cavalier first, which would've made the first few chapters a bit clearer and faster to get engrossed in. (I'd originally put the books on my list from -I guess- a published order, then when I went to mark it as "currently reading", I found out that it was the second book in chronological order. But since it had taken me so long to get it from my Interlibrary Loan, I didn't want to send it back unread.) At least now I've got them listed in the right order! :)
April 24, 2019
An enjoyable read from the Baroness, with a marginally higher ratio of historical detail to melodrama than her books set in the French Revolution. I wondered from some of the names and details if Dorothy Dunnett had been inspired by this novel when writing Niccolò Rising. There are a few details that are not wrapped up in the conclusion; for instance, it's strongly implied that one character is administering poison to another, but never confirmed, while at another time a poison does not work as expected and there is no explanation as to why or how. I was surprised by how much I liked the book given that it contained neither Percy nor Marguerite, but the premise is basically that Percy's ancestor Percy was awfully like him, so he isn't truly absent.
April 7, 2022
Have you seen the movie "The Scarlet Pimpernel?" Did you read the book? The book is even better than the movie!
This book tells of a different Sir Percy, more than 100 years earlier. Baroness Orczy tells another fun story full of sword fight and cunning. This time the lady is ever true to her new husband, with book starting just before the wedding and finishing shortly after.
It took some time for me to get used into the language of a book this old and I had to look up locations. So let me get you started. The book is set in the Netherlands at a time when Spain was trying to keep hold of the land there.
Thanks to the University of Nebraska, Omaha for sending the book via interlibrary loan and to Cobb County library for requesting it.
This book tells of a different Sir Percy, more than 100 years earlier. Baroness Orczy tells another fun story full of sword fight and cunning. This time the lady is ever true to her new husband, with book starting just before the wedding and finishing shortly after.
It took some time for me to get used into the language of a book this old and I had to look up locations. So let me get you started. The book is set in the Netherlands at a time when Spain was trying to keep hold of the land there.
Thanks to the University of Nebraska, Omaha for sending the book via interlibrary loan and to Cobb County library for requesting it.
November 4, 2022
As a Dutch person, it was so cool to see an old book set in my country. I liked how, for example, the Ijsselmeer was called the Zuiderzee back then. I also learned a new word: plepshurk. I will be using it.
The story itself did drag a bit every now and then, and I probably should have read The Laughing Cavalier first (whoops) but even so, I enjoyed it.
The story itself did drag a bit every now and then, and I probably should have read The Laughing Cavalier first (whoops) but even so, I enjoyed it.
May 23, 2020
It was nice to get to see the characters from The Laughing Cavalier again, especially since the ending of that novel was quite abrupt and didn't give the reader the satisfaction of seeing Diogenes and Gilda happily married. To me, that truly was the highlight of this book: to see them interact a bit more after the events of the kidnapping and plot in The Laughing Cavalier.
Unfortunately there wasn't very much downtime for the couple in this book, as they were essentially painfully separated for most of it. The pacing and focus of the book intensified my frustration: the middle section really drags, with Gilda stuck in her occupied town, agonising in the clutches of the still ever-so-evil Stoutenburg for chapter after chapter, re-hashing the same thoughts and stuck with the same dilemma. I feel like that section could have been shortened and edited and the plot would have flowed just as well if not better. I liked that Gilda continued to show her stoic, strong side in this adventure, but I did feel like there was more hand-wringing and swooning than in the previous one.
There were fewer plot twists than in The Laughing Cavalier; in this book Orczy relies heavily on hiding certain events from the reader until the very end to create suspense. It works to a certain extent, but I had mostly guessed what those events would be, so it was less successful than it could have been.
My issues with characterisation were confirmed and amplified in this book: Stoutenburg is even more grotesque, we are veering in farcical territory here. And Nicolaes made some very disappointing decisions which I feel should have been explained and justified a bit better: such treason would have taken some degree of decision-making and moral struggle which Orczy simplifies a great deal. This weakens both the character and plot, and comes across as very convenient.
In brief: I enjoyed this sequel, but preferred the first novel in the series!
Unfortunately there wasn't very much downtime for the couple in this book, as they were essentially painfully separated for most of it. The pacing and focus of the book intensified my frustration: the middle section really drags, with Gilda stuck in her occupied town, agonising in the clutches of the still ever-so-evil Stoutenburg for chapter after chapter, re-hashing the same thoughts and stuck with the same dilemma. I feel like that section could have been shortened and edited and the plot would have flowed just as well if not better. I liked that Gilda continued to show her stoic, strong side in this adventure, but I did feel like there was more hand-wringing and swooning than in the previous one.
There were fewer plot twists than in The Laughing Cavalier; in this book Orczy relies heavily on hiding certain events from the reader until the very end to create suspense. It works to a certain extent, but I had mostly guessed what those events would be, so it was less successful than it could have been.
My issues with characterisation were confirmed and amplified in this book: Stoutenburg is even more grotesque, we are veering in farcical territory here. And Nicolaes made some very disappointing decisions which I feel should have been explained and justified a bit better: such treason would have taken some degree of decision-making and moral struggle which Orczy simplifies a great deal. This weakens both the character and plot, and comes across as very convenient.
In brief: I enjoyed this sequel, but preferred the first novel in the series!
November 12, 2023
Excellent sequel to the Laughing Cavalier
Good book, entertaining, well written - not sure what to write ~ I recommend it? I do.
I am very happy that I found the Scarlet Pimpernel series. I usually read one of the books in this series.and then, read something else and come back to this series - however, these two books I read sequentially as this book flowed nicely from its sequel.
Good book, entertaining, well written - not sure what to write ~ I recommend it? I do.
I am very happy that I found the Scarlet Pimpernel series. I usually read one of the books in this series.and then, read something else and come back to this series - however, these two books I read sequentially as this book flowed nicely from its sequel.
August 8, 2018
I haven finished a historical friction this fast for some time ,this novel is well written any reader should obtain an copy as soon as possible ,if that reader has enjoyed any of this writer other novels.
October 11, 2019
This was a great story by one of my favorite authors. It seems that it is a sequel to "The Laughing Cavalier" but I read it first so I will now have to read "The Laughing Cavalier" as a prequel to the present book.
June 3, 2023
These books are good, simple, fun reads. If you are looking for a deep story line and a complex plot, you will likely be disappointed. That said, if you are looking for a quick fun read where the good guys triumph and the villains get what's coming to them, this is probably for you.
January 18, 2020
Not my favorite of the pimpernell series. I skipped around quite alot and the beginning was very slow.
February 5, 2020
After reading "The Scarlet Pimpernel" several years ago, I knew this was an author I liked. This book was a bit less thrilling, but it was still a really enjoyable read.
June 14, 2020
Adorable adventures
This is the sequel to The Laughing Cavalier and what a rousing, romantic adventure. Gilda and Diogenes are incomparable. What a story!!! Loved it. Classic.
This is the sequel to The Laughing Cavalier and what a rousing, romantic adventure. Gilda and Diogenes are incomparable. What a story!!! Loved it. Classic.
November 7, 2020
This one wasn't as good as the Laughing Cavalier. I would have preferred to follow Diogenes' path rather than staying with the Beresteyns through most of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2020
It was a little slower at the beginning and dragged a bit. My beloved Percys always gets me though.
January 9, 2021
One of my favorites in the series.
August 11, 2023
I like the plot of this story more than the first book of the Scarlet Pimpernel series, and the suspense through out the whole book of WHAT HAPPENED TO DIOGENES?! made it hard to stop reading.
March 22, 2010
I liked this book as much as I liked "The Scarlet Pimpernel". I wish that I had read "The Laughing Cavalier" first though. "The First Sir Percy" is about The Scarlet Pimpernels father or grandfather. It was really good, but I'd recommend reading "The Laughing Cavalier" first. I haven't read it, but it does come before "The First Sir Percy". I am attempting to read all of these books in chronological order (not in the order they were published). I found a couple of lists online that help to know the order. The only problem I am having is that some of these books are out of print and I cannot get them all from the library. I am thinking about purchasing them from Amazon for the kindle. (There is an app for an Iphone/Ipod touch that you can use if you do not have a kindle). Emmuska Orczy is really good at capturing and keeping my interest, at least after a little bit of history at the beginning of her books. I'll let you know about the others that I read.
April 25, 2013
Okay, it's official. I'm a HUGE Baroness Orczy fan. I want to read every adventure book she's ever written and then turn around and read them again.
This is a perfect continuation of The Laughing Cavalier. It picks up right where it left off...or 3 months later, but still a seamless transition.
I love the way she writes scenes with characters making them seem one way and then later in the book she reveals what they were really doing. So you never know if the character is really that stupid or drunk or if he's just pretending. You hope he's pretending, but you can't be sure.
I couldn't read this book fast enough. I kept having to read ahead to calm my nerves so that I could slow myself down and enjoy every single sentence like it was the creamiest piece of chocolate in the box.
This is a perfect continuation of The Laughing Cavalier. It picks up right where it left off...or 3 months later, but still a seamless transition.
I love the way she writes scenes with characters making them seem one way and then later in the book she reveals what they were really doing. So you never know if the character is really that stupid or drunk or if he's just pretending. You hope he's pretending, but you can't be sure.
I couldn't read this book fast enough. I kept having to read ahead to calm my nerves so that I could slow myself down and enjoy every single sentence like it was the creamiest piece of chocolate in the box.
June 18, 2014
The writing in The First Sir Percy was much tighter than in The Laughing Cavalier, yet I didn't enjoy it quite as much. This is probably due to the fact that Diogenes and Gilda spent much less screen time together. Nevertheless it earned its solid four star rating and left me hungry for more. Bring on the Scarlet Pimpernel!
Oh, and just as a quick note, I recently learned that Emmuska Orczy did not learn English until she was fifteen, with it being the fourth language she learnt. To have only learnt English at this age, and yet to write with such success I think is a great achievement for her.
Oh, and just as a quick note, I recently learned that Emmuska Orczy did not learn English until she was fifteen, with it being the fourth language she learnt. To have only learnt English at this age, and yet to write with such success I think is a great achievement for her.
May 31, 2017
The First Sir Percy is Baroness Emmuska Orczy's second adventure tale revolving around the enigmatic ancestor of the legendary Scarlet Pimpernel. I loved this book. It kept me guessing until the very end, which, believe me is hard to do! I greatly recommend it for anyone who enjoys classic spy novels and mystery.
June 2, 2023
It was Diogenes and Gilda's wedding day when disaster struck. War returned to Holland, and the Spanish invaded the country. Diogenes was blinded, and Gilda was captured by criminal traitors, one of whom was her own brother. Everything seemed hopeless, and I was anxious to find out how they got out of this dangerous situation.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews