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A review by helwyse
The Laughing Cavalier by Baroness Orczy
4.0
I am embarking on a read of all of the Scarlet Pimpernel novels and short stories. Not having looked at the blurb too closely, I expected this one to be set during the French Revolution like The Scarlet Pimpernel, and was pleasantly surprised to instead be transported to 17th Century Holland, the Golden Age of the Netherlands complete with tulip mania, windmills, cross country ice-skating, painters and political tensions and plots against the Stadholder. It's a fascinating historical period and I really enjoyed being immersed in it. Having some knowledge of Dutch history and geography, this was so satisfying to read (I could picture and locate everything!), Orczy really nailed it.
This book is all about the Scarlet Pimpernel's ancestor, who is half-British half-Dutch, and a really strong character. Loud and brash and showy, this Laughing Cavalier would be very one-dimensional if it weren't for the fact that he hides a tragic past and shows plenty of tenderness and moral fortitude when confronted with the way Gilda, the other main character and love interest, is treated by the other men in the story. I loved that both main characters are based on paintings by Frans Hals and spent some time looking them up (I had to make a guess at which one Gilda could be, which was great fun). Gilda was also a surprisingly good character, not a doormat at all despite the circumstances. I appreciated that Orczy has her make her own choices (withing the boundaries of societal norms and the very precarious situations she finds herself in). She is courageous, strong and calm, and always true to herself. Most of the other characters, unfortunately, were very flat. The antagonists in particular are either pure evil in the case of Stoutenburg, or just slimey and easily influenced in the case of Nicolaes Beresteyn.
The plot roars along at a great pace; it really is an adventure novel. I could not put it down. There are enough twists and developments to keep you guessing as to how it will reach some kind of satisfactory resolution, and the pacing is carefully managed.
The only thing that bothered me was the anti-semitism related to the portrayal of the Jewish banker and his lifestyle - not unexpected given the timeframe in which this was written, but a shame and a stain on the book nonetheless.
This book is all about the Scarlet Pimpernel's ancestor, who is half-British half-Dutch, and a really strong character. Loud and brash and showy, this Laughing Cavalier would be very one-dimensional if it weren't for the fact that he hides a tragic past and shows plenty of tenderness and moral fortitude when confronted with the way Gilda, the other main character and love interest, is treated by the other men in the story. I loved that both main characters are based on paintings by Frans Hals and spent some time looking them up (I had to make a guess at which one Gilda could be, which was great fun). Gilda was also a surprisingly good character, not a doormat at all despite the circumstances. I appreciated that Orczy has her make her own choices (withing the boundaries of societal norms and the very precarious situations she finds herself in). She is courageous, strong and calm, and always true to herself. Most of the other characters, unfortunately, were very flat. The antagonists in particular are either pure evil in the case of Stoutenburg, or just slimey and easily influenced in the case of Nicolaes Beresteyn.
The plot roars along at a great pace; it really is an adventure novel. I could not put it down. There are enough twists and developments to keep you guessing as to how it will reach some kind of satisfactory resolution, and the pacing is carefully managed.
The only thing that bothered me was the anti-semitism related to the portrayal of the Jewish banker and his lifestyle - not unexpected given the timeframe in which this was written, but a shame and a stain on the book nonetheless.