Reviews

Scarlet by Jen Geigle Johnson

sleepy_giraffe's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

tamfilley's review against another edition

4.0

A fun story with a twist on the Scarlet Pimpernel. Loved the history and the unexpected twists. An enjoyable read.

blogginboutbooks's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed this fun retelling of The Scarlet Pimpernel, this time with a woman as the famous fictional Pimpernel. The novel is full of action and derring-do as well as romance and humor. It moves quickly, keeping the reader turning pages to find out what is going to happen next. Yes, the plot gets far-fetched, and no, the characters aren't quite as developed as they should be, but still, SCARLET is an enjoyable romp that is entertaining and engrossing.

kdixon2's review

adventurous hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

saradavcamp's review against another edition

4.0

I thought this was a very interesting read. It's the Scarlet Pimpernell, except that the Pimpernell is a woman. It was intriguing, exciting, romantic and fun to read. I thought it was pretty clever to change the gender like she did. It changed a lot about the story, and yet so much was similar. The author did a good job overall.

melissasbookshelf's review against another edition

4.0

I love all things Scarlet Pimpernel! Have the movie, seen the musical, read the book. When I heard there was a female version, I had to read it. This book didn't disappoint! With nods to the classic series, the musical, and the movie as well as Tale of Two Cities, this book takes the French Revolution and adds an interesting twist to these best loved stories. Included in the story are a few historical quotes from actual people involved in the revolution. Scarlet is a flamboyant female version of the original Pimpernel and her handsome "prince" Mateo is the handsome French equivalent of Marguerite. I enjoyed this version so much and find it a definite read for those who are fans of the elusive Pimpernel.

ghumpherys's review against another edition

5.0

This was such a fun twist on the Scarlet Pimpernel story! I loved all the disguises and the rescues and the fun banter between Scarlet and Matteo. It's been a long time since I've read the original story so I probably didn't notice all the nods and similarities but I think this one definitely stands on its own. There were a lot of historical details woven in about the French Revolution and I appreciated the author's notes. My only complaint is that a couple of times the timeline was a little confusing - for example, in one chapter I thought a few weeks had passed for one of the characters but then in the next chapter it moved to another character's perspective and jumped back to the time at the beginning of the previous chapter, plus then moved ahead to a date that was only a few days later (when I thought weeks had passed). But overall, it was a wonderful story!
Note: I received a free ebook version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

nicolepeck's review

3.0

My rating is probably more accurately 3.5 stars, but I rounded down, unfortunately, on this one because I struggled to keep my interest in the book the whole time, especially for such a short book (around 250 pages). There were really great moments and then it would come to a screeching halt, in the action, the flow and continuity of the story, so I got confused at times on what was going on and the timeline of events, with the narrative bouncing back and forth between Scarlet's and Matteo's perspectives and not always seamlessly. I really was intrigued by the premise, a retelling of the classic Scarlet Pimpernel story (the movie of which I absolutely love and having read the first book by Baroness Orczy and enjoyed it), with the twist of the Pimpernel being a woman and I enjoyed the unique elements that added to the mystery surrounding the Pimpernel and Scarlet's interactions with the League, Matteo, etc. Again, though, I struggled with some gaps left in the story-telling as far as time line and sometimes even the flow of conversation and action. Despite my struggles, the descriptions were well done and I could picture the action, the hidden messages and weapons that Scarlet devised, her costumes, the setting, the balls, etc. There were a few footnotes throughout the book and some author's notes at the end of the book that reinforced to me how extensive the author was with her research. Looking at other reviews, I do seem to be in the minority. I will have to re-read this one down the road to see if it works better for me the second time around.

***I received a copy of this book from a blog tour in exchange for my honest review.***

sarahsbookstack's review against another edition

4.0

I have always loved The Scarlet Pimpernel as a story/play. I liked having it twisted on its head having a woman as the Pimpernel.

jamiegc's review against another edition

4.0

The Scarlet Pimpernel, but with the genders reversed.