I Will Repay

By Baroness Orczy

It is Paris, 1793, the most seething time of the revolution. No one knew in the morning if his head would still be on his shoulders in the evening, or if it would be held up by citizen Samson the headsman, for the sans-culottes of Paris to see. However, the Scarlet Pimpernel, Sir Percy Blakeney, is still at large to rescue France’s aristocrats.

• Language: English
• Publisher: House of Stratus
• Release date: Oct 31, 2012
• ISBN: 9780755127290

Baroness Orczy

Baroness Emmuska Orczy was born in Hungary in 1865. She lived in Budapest, Brussels, Paris, Monte Carlo, and London, where she died in 1947. The author of many novels, she is best known for The Scarlet Pimpernel.

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Reviews for I Will Repay

[adonisguilfoyle · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' - this is really just a condensed version of The Scarlet Pimpernel; the Baroness believed in recycling! A worthy but lonely man, Deroulede, falls hopelessly in love with a flighty blonde whom he worships as an 'angel', and has his heart broken when she betrays him. Unfortunately, I Will Repay has neither the depth of character or the subtlety of TSP, and so the whole process is rather forced. Juliette, the object of his veneration, is by far better as sinner than saint, tortured by her mad father's oath and her very Catholic guilt, instead of merely standing around looking 'ethereal'. Some good speeches from Sir Percy to make up for the deja vu, however - pre-empting Deroulede's mad plot to rescue the Queen because of his understanding of 'the idiocy of mankind in general', plus a grand and sympathetic speech on what it is to love: 'when you understand your idol has feet of clay that you'll learn the real lesson of love'. (He also labels his wife's best friend, Suzanne de Tournay, and her mother as a 'stiff-necked pair of aristocrats as ever deserved the guillotine for their insane prejudices'!)Deroulede is an honourable man of the people, Juliette an aristo with issues; they both feature in the next sequel, 'The Elusive Pimpernel'. A cameo from Citizen Brogard of the Chat Gris also provides continuity with TSP. Much bluff and bluster from the League to escape Paris - there are only so many ways to dodge the guillotine! - and a lot of hearty 'la!'s, 'gadzooks' and 'demmed' from the Pimpernel - good fun.

[dbsovereign · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fun romp in France at a time when a lot of folks were getting their heads lopped off.

[theeditrix · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A tad silly and melodramatic, but still a fun read. The romance wasn't as compelling as that in the first book, and the hero isn't as swoon-worthy as Sir Percy. However, this is more evenly paced than its predecessor: whereas The Scarlet Pimpernel took 8 chapters or so to hit its stride, I Will Repay was fun and engrossing from the first page. As others have noted, the conclusion of the book and the romance perhaps wasn't as satisfying as it could have been.

[cyderry · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This second story in the Scarlet Pimpernel saga tells of Paul Déroulède, a non-aristocratic member of French society, who is unwillingly drawn into a duel with the young Vicomte de Marny which results in the Vicomte's death. The Duc de Marny forces his daughter Juliette to swear an oath of vengence for her brother's death. After Juliette meets Déroulède and they spend time together, they fall in love, but Juliette must decide if she will fulfill her oath. When Déroulède's treasonous actions are revealed, the Scarlet Pimpernel becomes involved.