Scaramouche
by Rafael Sabatini
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Book Summary Information
Author: Rafael SabatiniIntroduction: Gary Hoppenstand
Edition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-06-01
ISBN: 0451527976
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Signet Classics
Book Reviews of Scaramouche
Book Review: "...it is human nature, I suppose, to be futile and ridiculous."
Summary: 5 Stars
Though I am first a reader of romance novels/novelettes (bleeding hearts, unite!), I must admit feeling sometimes that I could be drowning in oversaturation with the lovey-dovey stuff (Ms Judith McNaught, forgive me for I have sinned... eh, but really, I've no choice, you've whimpered out of existence in the years past and thus consigned our passionate affair into a sad, orphan-like recourse to unsatisfactory hollow imitations of your writing panache. Boo.)
And so I tell myself on occasion that a spell of gear-switching is called for. A little bit of high-fantasy here and there. Perhaps a dash of horror and crime-slash-mystery in the interval. A smattering of action or perhaps even snot-inducing drama. And - eh, what the heck - throw in YA/children's lit while I'm at it.
"Scaramouche" though landed in my to-read-hopefully-before-I-die-of-old-age list simply because it's the handle that one of my best friends have online. The gal's a whiz with words so I naturally thought it was a cool-sounding moniker she came up with.
`Sca-ra-moosh' -- I mean, really, it sounds quirky, innit?
It was some time before I realized it was the title of a book (doh!) [and later still, that it's actually a character-type in French plays... *le-doh!*]
**Digressing way further: I know (now) it's a classic and I -know- that I should probably be familiar with the title... but I. Just. Was. Not. Okay? Okies.**
To be frank, I thought I would find myself mired in an Old World language/writing style. You know, the kind where words like `davenport', `chifforobe', or `charabanc' are brandied about in a sentence that has an unfamiliar syntax to it. Where it might take you just a second or so to digest what you've just read...
But no, Sabatini, despite the foreword describing his work as a novel of the French Revolution, presented an engaging, fast-paced story of a man who, with the combined forces of luck and his own audacious will, carved his own Fate (and yes, revenge) as a "lawyer, politician, swordsman, and buffoon - especially the latter."
Andre-Louis, of the sarcastic, self-deprecating, yet drily-haughty persona, is not your average "hero". The introduction hardly depicts him as the `brooding-swarthy-dark-and-dangerous-I'mma-smoulder-the-pants-off-you' type. And yet the author, a few pages in, would succeed in making you wish you're acquainted with such a fellow.
He can be aggravating with his habit of baiting you just for kicks, of making you stop and wonder if he's serious or in jest, and at times of even shocking you with his cynicism. He is a realist whose gift of oratory became the weapon of idealists, a man who prides in betraying no true emotions when most fervently affected, and yet whose jabs directed at himself reveal someone who is more emotionally-sensitive than most.
The sharp wit of Sabatini shines out thru this remarkable character; from the glib way of his conversation, the touché-factor in his debates, and the fervor in his beliefs. Plus, the flow of narration does not depend on protracted descriptions of scenery or scenarios; almost everything is dialogue-based or touching upon the actions of the characters, their motivations, and their inner musings.
All cleverly laid out in a user-friendly prose.
And, really, I need not fear that I was going to be inundated with the details of the French Revolution. Sure, the brewing unrest was central to that particular point in Andre's life - and Sabatini would make no bones of his beliefs on governance, political struggle, agency, and the socio-economic status (which, by the way, in its coherence were surprisingly easier to understand than the ones in my uni library) - but he also seemed almost too aware that escape is what is sought, and he delivers to his readers high-romance (albeit not terribly developed, but hey, I'm on a break!), brilliant escapades, showdowns, soap-opera twists, comedic discourse, and personalities that find their echo today: people who are either apathetic or passionate to a cause, those who are stubborn or fearful of change, or perhaps who look on at life with a faintly-sardonic expression, and even those who possess the double-edged flair for cruelty and kindness.
Hugely enjoyable, "Scaramouche" is a ready top-recommendation.
Summary of Scaramouche
Once he was André-Louis Moreau, a lawyer raised by nobility, unconcerned with the growing discontent among France?s lower class?until his best friend is mercilessly struck down by a member of the aristocracy.
Now, he is Scaramouche. Speaking out against the unjust French Government, he takes refuge with a nomadic band of acting improvisers where he assumes the role of Scaramouche The Clown?a comic figure with a very serious message...
Set during the French Revolution, this novel of swashbuckling romance is also a thought-provoking commentary on class, inequality, and the individual?s role in society?a story that has become Rafael Sabatini?s enduring legacy.
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