Scaramouche [CD-ROM]

Andre-Louis Moreau, parentage unknown, is brought as an infant to a small village in Brittany where his support and education is supplied by his "god-father" M. de Kercadiou, and everyone assumes Kercadiou to be Andre's father from the wrong side of the blanket. Andre grows up with church-bound Philippe, as well as Kercadiou's beauteous niece Aline. Aline is preparing to accept the suit for her hand in marriage to the much older Marquis de la Tour d'Azyr, but tragedy strikes when the Marquis insults Philippe who then challenges him to a duel. Angered, Andre vows to seek revenge against the evil Marquis, but he's soon in a pickle of his own when he incites a mob and he becomes a wanted man. Desperate and penniless, he soon latches his star onto a traveling group of play-actors (including the feisty Climine) and he hides himself behind the mask of the buffoon, Scaramouche.

Andre and his nemesis cross paths again when the Marquis seduces Climine with jewels and promises of riches. An angry Andre incites a riot at the theatre and once more he's on the run. This time he lands in Paris and finds work assisting fencing master M. des Amis with his students as the revolution against the monarchy continues to heat up and fencing skills are in high demand.

Taking over the school upon the death of the owner, Andre becomes well to do, his education as a lawyer suits him well and he's asked to join the new government - with the express purpose of inciting the former nobles into duels - including the now former Marquis. Just who parented Andre and what impact will it have on their lives now? Can Andre rescue Aline from Paris as madness descends and the Tuileries is attacked by a furious mob intent on destroying the aristocracy?

While I enjoyed the book a lot, I did find the first half to be rather slow, especially the bits where Andre is involved with the acting group - I think that comes off better in the Hollywood version. Things did pick up when he got to Paris, although the method of using supposed old letters of Andre's recounting the events of the Revolution was a bit more on the telling than showing side. It's a good book, just not a great one for me. 3.5/5 stars.

"He was born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad," so begins Scaramouche, Rafael Sabatini's 1921 novel set during the French Revolution. That single and unforgettable sentence propelled me back to my childhood and awoke in me nostalgia for the excitement and adventure I once held for books and movies.

Scaramouche is a tale of revenge, an astonishing tour de force - every single page seethes with incident, color, and detail. How could it no be? It is the story of a man born on the wrong side of the blanket, fugitive from the King's justice, star of traveling players, and the finest swordsman in all of France. A tale of revenge and revolution.

Scaramouche helped me rediscover everything I loved about the classic swashbucklers of the 40s starring Tyrone Power, Errol Flynn and Robert Donat. Sabatini also led me to other great tales of adventure by Alexandre Dumas, PC Wren, Emilio Salgari Henry Rider Haggard and Samuel Shellabarger. Scaramouche definitely has a special place in my heart ;)

Sabatini's 1923 swashbuckler epitomizes the turbulent years preceding the French Revolution--which of necessity imposes literatry restrictions on the plotting. Despite uneven pacing in spots, the story unfolds with dramatic excitement, intrigue and hidden identity. The protagonist is depicted as somewhat callous, but one wonders how much of his cool heartlessness is but a facade. This adventure read is a romantic piece of historical fiction, which also educates in that it encourages readers to reflect on the legitimate grievances of the French people in the face of the arrogance and authority of the monarchy and the nobility.

Young Andre-Louis Moreau, an illegitimate orphan raised by a kindly landowner in Brittany, is shocked at the swaggering indifference of the local Marquis, who deliberately provoked and murdered Andre's best friend in an unfair duel. Swearing personal vengance upon this hated representative of Privilege, Andre pleges to espouse the very views he formerly ridiculed. Refusing to have his friend's ideas silenced, he becomes atalented rabble-rowser. Once
discovering his amazing powers of oratory, Andre is forced into hiding from regional authorities by joining a troupe of traveling actors who specialize in Commedia del'Arte--based on the Italian style of improvization.

Quickly becoming embroiled in many passionate intrigues--both amorous and political--Andre is swept up as frenzied Paris rushes headlong into emotional fervor over the wisdom and efficacy of a Constitutional Monarchy. Alternately plying his trade as actor/author/manager or as a fencing master, the godson of Gavrillac ultimately is obliged to return to the seething political arena. Throughout his existence Andre is proudly motivated to become the nemesis of the cruel Marquis, which unfortunately causes great anguish among several hearts of the gentry from Brittany. This fascinating tale transports readers to the prelude of the French bloodbath two centuries earlier. En garde! You are just a swordspoint away from becoming hooked!