johnny dangerously. reviewed Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman
Review of 'Scarlet' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
I think it's basically impossible for me to read books about the French Revolution in a biased, uncritical way, so please take the following with a grain of salt.
This is a troubled novel, and I think most of that trouble has to do with an essential friction between what it wants to be and what it has. I admit I'm not well-versed on the Scarlet Pimpernel, largely because its politics are reprehensible to me (pity the poor aristocrats!), but it's very much a product of its time. I can't be angry at it, it's historical. However, this book isn't historical. Written at a contemporary height of general awareness when it comes to capitalism and privilege, I blithely assumed this book's reinterpretation of the Scarlet Pimpernel would take that into account.
I was mistaken, which is the point where I put down the book.
Aside from my personal biases about …
I think it's basically impossible for me to read books about the French Revolution in a biased, uncritical way, so please take the following with a grain of salt.
This is a troubled novel, and I think most of that trouble has to do with an essential friction between what it wants to be and what it has. I admit I'm not well-versed on the Scarlet Pimpernel, largely because its politics are reprehensible to me (pity the poor aristocrats!), but it's very much a product of its time. I can't be angry at it, it's historical. However, this book isn't historical. Written at a contemporary height of general awareness when it comes to capitalism and privilege, I blithely assumed this book's reinterpretation of the Scarlet Pimpernel would take that into account.
I was mistaken, which is the point where I put down the book.
Aside from my personal biases about the politics of the French Revolution, the book's just not written or paced very well. Excessively YA in it's prose, it also constantly tries to reassure the reader that our heroine is in the moral right at a time that is highly morally grey. While some of the ways the main character tries to square this circle are interesting, they loose steam with each successive recommitment to upholding the status quo. Ultimately disappointing for me, I think it'd be enjoyable for people who don't have a giant chip on their shoulders with regards to this time period. But I can only write a review from my perspective.
