The Scarlet Pimpernel

British actor Simon Williams offers a first-rate reading of Baroness Orczy's historical novel, set in 1792 during the Reign of Terror in France, when every aristocrat was under the threat of the guillotine for being considered a traitor to the Republican cause. Williams characterizes voices with enthusiasm and artfully portrays the foppish Sir Percy Blakeney (who is actually the mysterious and elusive Scarlet Pimpernel, the leader of a band of daring Englishmen who smuggle French aristocrats into England). Williams has an easy-to-listen-to European accent and reads with a flowing, elegant style that keeps the story moving briskly. C.R.A. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


They seek him here, they seek him there, they seek him everywhere . . . Most of us have heard of the Scarlet Pimpernel, but how many have read the book in which the master of disguise first appeared? Well, don't read it--listen to it instead. Ralph Cosham delivers a fine performance of this entertaining classic about an Englishman who rescues French aristocrats from danger during the French Revolution. Cosham gets to play with a range of French and English accents, and does an excellent job of coloring voices with character. He even manages to make the somewhat overwrought writing flow so well that the extravagances go unnoticed. This is huge fun. A.C.S. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine