Rupert of Hentzau (Large Print Edition) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Anthony Hope (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 2008

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Anthony Hope (in full Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins) was born in London and educated at Marlborough and at Balliol College, Oxford. He became a lawyer, and dabbled in Liberal politics, but the immediate success of The Prisoner of Zenda, his fourth work, turned him entirely to writing. This work and its sequel, Rupert of Hentzau, both describe the perilous adventures of the Englishman Rudolph Rassendyll in the mythical kingdom of Ruritania. Anthony Hope successfully published many other novels and plays. He was knighted in 1918 and died in 1933. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 220 pages
• Publisher: BiblioLife; Large type edition edition (August 18, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0554216590
• ISBN-13: 978-0554216591
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading to conclude the Prisoner of Zenda saga., March 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rupert of Hentzau (Hardcover)

Anthony Hope continues his gripping saga of the Prisoner of Zenda in this adventureous sequel. Rupert of Hentzau is well written and keeps the reader in constant suspense. Hope follows his traditional writing style of unexpected twists in the end. The book builds the reader up full of emotion and then concludes by purging the reader of all emotions. Rupert of Hentzau is full of deuls, escapes, conspiracies, and love. At the start one might be inclined to pause and stop reading, but as the book continues this is no longer an option. This is truly a worthy sequel and only makes you respect Rudolf Rassendel more for his quick wit, ability to overcome obstacles and continous love for Queen Flavia. Our hero ends the book the same manner that he finished Prisoner of Zenda, as a gentleman worthy to be a king.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fitting Sequel to Prisoner of Zenda, April 16, 2001

By 

Stuart W. Mirsky "swm" (New York, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rupert of Hentzau (Hardcover)

Picking up some years after The Prisoner of Zenda leaves off, this one brings our hero back to Ruritania to set to rights a blunder which has arisen from the damage he inadvertently did the last time he sojourned in that mythical Balkan state. Then the dashing Englishman, and royal look-alike, Rudolf Rassyndyll, played the king to save a life and a kingdom.

But, in so doing, he also won the love of the king's future wife. Now a Queen, the lovely Flavia cannot forego one final good-bye to her beloved Rudolf but this, through the machinations of the nefarious Rupert of Hentzau, promises to be her downfall. To rescue the name and honor of the woman he loves, Rudolf Rassyndyll sneaks back to Ruritania with the help of the comrades of his earlier adventure.

But this tale, though full of intrigue and marvelously paced, suffers from the fact that the narrator this time (unlike what was seen in The Prisoner of Zenda) is not privy to all of the action and so must recount and reconstruct as he goes along. So there is an odd distance from the fun this time out and the dashing hero, Rudolf, is seen only from afar. He is, in fact, something of a shadow player here and only slightly more real to us than the almost ghostly villain, Rupert of Hentzau, after whom this book is named. This Rupert, himself, was the henchman of Black Michael, who drove the plot in "Zenda." Rupert fled at the end of that tale with Rudolf Rassyndyll and his colleague, Fritz Tarlenheim, in hot pursuit. Now the dashing and scheming Rupert returns to re-claim his property in Ruritania, which he means to do at the expense of the Queen who loves Rassyndyll. And so the plot is set in motion.

But Rassyndyll never comes fully to life this time around and the tale ends on a sad and tragic note. Rudolf is the noble hero par excellence, and no less noble are his many companions in the adventure. All are fine folk, torn by their sensitivities and loyalties. As a result there is something rather unreal about it all which detracts from the sense of satisfaction of the telling. But then it is a fairy tale of sorts, isn't it, one that is certainly well-paced and fun to read. Still, I wish Anthony Hope had fleshed his players out a bit more, especially the villains, as Rupert of Hentzau seems almost a non-entity this time out (he was so much more interesting in "Zenda") and Rudolf a mere shadow of what he was before. Tarlenheim, the narrator this go-round, seems rather more of a bumbler than a doer and Sapt far less capable than before. Flavia, herself, is certainly more foolish. In sum, while this was a fun read, I think they'd all have been better off if Hope had stopped after Rudolf rescued the king from Zenda.

5.0 out of 5 stars Smoothly narrated by professional theater and film actor Rufus Wright, January 13, 2011

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rupert of Hentzau (Naxos Classic Fiction) (Audio CD)

The sequel to "The Prisoner of Zenda", Rupert of Hentzau is the complete and unabridged audiobook adaptation of an epic novel of diplomacy, intrigue, sword battles, and tested allegiance. When the villainous Rupert of Hentzau intercepts a scandalous love letter written from the Queen of Ruritania to Rudolph Rassendyll, Rassendyll has no choice but to resume his impersonation of King Rudolph. Strife once again threatens to divide Ruritania, in this captivating saga smoothly narrated by professional theater and film actor Rufus Wright. 7 CDs, 8 hours 13 min.