Audiobook · read by volunteers
El Dorado
Baroness Emma Orczy (1865–1947)
Read by Karen Savage · 50 chapters · 10 h 56
About the book
Paris is trembling under the Revolution, and the Scarlet Pimpernel has vanished. Or so the world believes. In El Dorado, Baroness Orczy sends the dashing English hero back to France on a desperate mission to rescue a young prisoner of the Terror, the child the revolutionaries have locked away and who may yet become the key to the throne. His enemy Chauvelin is waiting, determined at last to catch the elusive Englishman. There are secret passwords, disguises that nearly fail, sudden reversals, tender moments and the cool humour that is the Pimpernel’s trademark. Published in 1913, this sequel to the classic adventure tale is a prime example of swashbuckling romance, and it provided much of the inspiration for later film treatments of the character. Karen Savage reads the fifty short chapters with spirit and pace, a complete delight for fans of historical adventure.
Introduction
Baroness Emma Orczy was born in 1865 and died in 1947. Of Hungarian origin, she moved to England in her teens and built a career as a novelist and playwright. Her fame rests largely on the Scarlet Pimpernel books, which made her one of the most popular authors of the early twentieth century.
El Dorado, sometimes known simply as Eldorado, is a sequel to the original Scarlet Pimpernel story. It was first published in 1913. Though it follows the earlier novel, it can be enjoyed on its own, and its plot has an urgent, self-contained shape. The book also served as the basis, in part, for many of the later screen versions of the original story, which says a good deal about its popularity.
The novel is set during the French Revolution, and, like the earlier book, it takes a strongly one-sided view of the revolutionaries, with the villains generally drawn from their ranks. Modern readers may see that the historical picture is simplified. The story’s appeal lies more in its energy, in the interplay between the Pimpernel and his pursuer, and in the sense of risk and romance that runs through every chapter.
This LibriVox version has a foreword and fifty chapters in all, which run to nearly eleven hours, and it is read by volunteer Karen Savage. It is an entertaining listen for anyone who enjoys historical adventure, and a natural companion for those who have already followed the first novel.
Public domain
Baroness Emma Orczy died in 1947: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text