Ok, that was a lot of fun to read. I could see it being a favorite if I had read it as a pre-teen. As-is, it was still a lot of fun and I may try a couple of the others next year.
I did see the "twist" coming ahead of time so wasn't surprised when Percy was revealed as the Scarlet Pimpernel. As others have said, that is the trope. It's ok to use a cliche when you are the one who made it popular. He's not a masked man but certainly must have influenced many of our comic books superheros.
And I agree with Bookworm_Girl, I'm glad we were able to figure it out ahead of Margourite since it does add to the drama. I didn't care much for either of their wishy-washy feelings for each other and how they all of a sudden
love the other so much. Her original motives for marrying him are suspect at the least. Maybe I'm just not built that way. Maybe it is just the time that this was set in.
Obviously B. Orczy was pro-nobility, but here is one take I saw that puts that in a somewhat mitigating light:
Quote:
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For all the cult of nobility that surrounds Orczy's novel, she puts a premium on humility. Any character that shows the slightest bit of arrogance or pretension is taught the lesson of humility by the end of the novel. In that, perhaps, Orczy is not so much vindicating nobility as much as instructing a new persona for the "brave, just noble" -- one who fights for the right causes, for humanity instead of riches.
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from here:
https://www.gradesaver.com/the-scarl...y-guide/themes