Customer Reviews

Scaramouche

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Scaramouche is not only Rafael Sabatini's crowning literary achievement, it is one of the most engaging, thought-provoking and exciting historical novels ever written.

Andre-Louis Moreau, (or Scaramouche, as he later becomes known), is a fascinatingly complex protagonist. Courageous, intelligent, quick-witted and intensely moral, Moreau is a character whose personal quest for revenge against the villainous Marquis de La Tour d'Azyr is a masterfully-woven story of swashbuckling action, romance and social conflict during the turbulent years of the French Revolution.

Well-born lawyer. Fugitive. Dramatic actor. Expert swordsman. Impassioned, mob-inciting orator. Revolutionary politician. Sabatini sets Moreau upon an intriguing path of fate, development and discovery, a fictionalized yet compelling account of a single man's ultimate test of human character as the world around him spirals into madness.

Sabatini has often been compared to Alexandre Dumas (author of the Three Musketeers, the Count of Monte Cristo) as a master of historical fiction. Though I believe Dumas to be the finest action-adventure writer of all time, and though some of Sabatini's other works (which I have not yet read) have been criticized as overly melodramatic, Sabatini has created in Scaramouche an historical action-adventure novel that transcends Dumas (and all modern action-adventure writers, for that matter) in that Moreau, his protagonist, is a thoroughly multi-dimensional character. Though Moreau is driven by his hatred and his quest for revenge, the spirit of his character is not defined by them, and the conflict of these passions with his ideals brings depth and substance to his exploits on the Theatre Feydau, the fencing halls of Paris, the floor of the National Assembly and his pursuit of the beautiful Aline de Kercadiou.

Duels. Intrigue. Romance. More duels. Moral and political introspection. Its all here. Enjoy!

When his best friend, a young clergyman, is killed in a mockery of a duel by an arrogant noble, just to quiet his eloquent expressions of democratic ideals, Andre-Louis Moreau vows revenge. From that point, through meteoric careers as a consummate actor and scenario writer, then as a fencing master, and finally a politician, the brilliant Moreau keeps thwarting the aims of the aristocratic Marquis de la Tour d'Azyr. However, the nobleman causes pain to Moreau as well, and the time must come when the two will meet to settle their enmity once and for all. You are not likely to guess how their confrontation finally turns out. Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, this swashbuckling novel is exciting throughout, and it presents one of the most dashing heroes in fiction, a man who can fight equally well with his mind, his mouth, his pen, and his sword, a man who stirs up events wherever he goes. I can't decide whether I like this novel or CAPTAIN BLOOD better, but these two books of Sabatini's are among the very best adventure novels.

Sabatini is ranked with the great adventure writers of all time, with Alexandre Dumas, Baroness Orczy, and Robert Louis Stevenson. With one of the best opening lines ever (right up there with "It was the best of times....") Scaramouche is his masterpiece.

Andre Louis vows revenge upon the wrongful death of a young clerical friend by the wicked Marquis de la Tour d'Azyr. Taking up his dead friend's cause, he is charged with treason when he incites a crowd to riot. He flees his home and his love, and joins a troup of old school actors. Needless to say, Andre Louis takes on the role of Scaramouche, the rogue, and this way continues to thwart his enemy. He later becomes a fencing master, and...I won't spoil the plot for you, but I have never read a book with such an effective climax. Andre Louis is one of the immortal heroes of all time.

Many of Sabatini's works are of high adventure, romance in a historical setting, and this book does not change that. Taking place in the times of French revolution, Mr sabatini uses the English language to depict a man or rare courage, singular skills matched against the wealth and self induced superiority of the french nobleman. Mr Sabatini's characters are still more nobel than the nobles, and more honest than the laws and judges. Captain Blood, The lion's Skin, and Scaramouch should be on the must read list for any reader of historical fiction, lovers of adventure, and romantasists.

Scaramouche-the name of a stock character in classical Italian comedy, a buffoon, a rascal. That André-Louis Moreau chooses this as his character when, fleeing the hangman's noose, he joins a traveling theatrical troupe, is but one of the many ironies in Sabatini's captivating novel, for André-Louis is anything but a buffoon, and only those of the Privileged class would have called him a rascal-or worse.

André-Louis is a complex protagonist, and he exudes irony throughout this novel in which neither suspense nor action ever lags. He adamantly refuses to see himself as a man of action, yet his speeches incite the restive crowds in both Rennes and Nantes, adding his powerful voice to the other catalysts of the French Revolution. He insists that he himself does not hold these dangerous republican views and is merely giving voice to his murdered friend, Vilmorin, yet he finds himself a republican member of the Assembly and instrumental in hastening the downfall of the Privileged class.

On a personal level, despite André-Louis' acute awareness of the madness of the world around him and his skillful artistry in manipulating that madness to achieve his ends, he is obstinately blind to the love that Aline holds for him, attributing her actions to a non-existent love for his nemesis, Monsieur de La Tour d'Azyr. Perhaps the ultimate irony, at least on such a private level, envelops the relationship between André-Louis and d'Azyr, but the revelation of that is saved for the final chapters of the novel, and I'll not destroy that suspense by revealing it here.

Sabatini's novel seamlessly interweaves fiction with history, and the window of history that he has chosen as his backdrop is a stirring one. The social injustices perpetrated by the French Privileged classes upon the commoners of the country have reached a climax. Violent revolution is at hand. If, Good Reader, you have not had the fortune to attend a live performance of Boubil and Schönberg's musical Les Misérables, go now and purchase the videocassette recording. While hardly equivalent to the stage production, the recording will still heighten your understanding of and empathy for the emotions of the "canaille," the rabble, as they become ever more violent in their opposition to the Privileged class that rules their society. Nor would it hurt to have a recording of the Revolutionary song Ça Ira and its successor, La Marseillaise, sounding their messages of revolt against societal wrongs as you read Scaramouche!

Sabatini's novel remains as intriguing and, yes, as stirring to the emotions of the reader as when it was newly published eighty-three years ago. Read it for its atmosphere of revolt against the wrongs perpetrated by the minority elite against the common majority. Read it for its cover-to-cover collection of delightful ironies. Read it to discover the complex character of the consummate actor André-Louis. Read it to learn the incredible and shocking secret of Madame de Plougastel. Read it to enjoy the hypocritical yet endearing godfather of André-Louis, Monsieur de Kercadiou. Read it because it is an entertaining and well-penned story. Now, uncork the Burgundy and let us toast this most delightful novel!

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!

Rife with nineteenth century melodrama and a plot riddled by coincidence, Rafael Sabatini's SCARAMOUCHE is a tale of passion and adventure on the eve of the French Revolution. Andre-Louis Moreau, a low born young man who has studied the law and enjoys the patronage of a local nobleman, M. de Kercadiou, falls afoul of yet another highborn gentleman when this other takes it upon himself to entice Andre-Louis' best friend into a duel he cannot win. Moreau's friend, Philippe de Vilmorin, is a hotheaded idealist preaching the overthrow of the established order and his highborn antagonist, the Marquis de La Tour d'Azyr, is a man who cannot abide that. Goading the hapless Philippe into a one-sided duel which must result in his death, the Marquis ultimately refuses to respond to the angry demand of Andre-Louis that he kill him, too, leaving the young man clutching the dead body of his friend and swearing to become the voice of revolution that Philippe would have been had he lived.

Aiming to make good his oath, Andre-Louis soon turns his talent for oratory into rabblerousing against the Marquis, and those of the King's officers who protect him, and is forced to become a fugitive as the established order turns against him. Fleeing the gendarmes with the aid of Aline, beautiful niece of M. de Kercadiou, Andre-Louis joins an acting troupe and begins the first significant transformation of his life. But it will not be his last as he finds his calling in playing the scandalous rogue "Scaramouche" in the series of plays he soon devises to win fame and fortune for his little troupe.

Yet trouble haunts the troupe as Andre-Louis discovers a passion for Mademoiselle Binet, the beautiful daughter of the troupe's leader, only to find his hopes thwarted when he again crosses paths with the deadly Marquis de La Tour d'Azyr. Angered at the decision of M. de Kercadiou's niece, Aline, to refuse to foreswear the attentions of the ubiquitous Marquis, who seeks to win her with his worldly wealth and gentlemanly charm, Scaramouche soon resurfaces as a political dissident once more, bringing to an end his love affair with the theater and the actress, La Binet, who first drew him to it.

But Andre-Louis still has another transformation before him and, fleeing to Paris, he secures a position with a fencing master and is soon well on his way to mastery of that still vital martial art. As the Revolution gains steam, Andre-Louis, who continues to see himself as the rogue, Scaramouche, finds himself sucked back into the maelstrom of disorder and violence that the conflict in France is fast becoming. When, at last, he learns of an opportunity to square accounts with the man who slaughtered his friend, tempted Kercadiou's niece, and derailed his own planned marriage with the lovely Binet girl, he is quick to act and is soon brought face to face with d'Azyr in the Assembly of the newly formed French constitutional monarchy.

But the constitutional monarchy cannot endure and little else is as it seems in the escapades of Scaramouche. If one surprise is amply telescoped there is yet another, waiting in the wings, which comes so suddenly but seems so natural that I was astonished I had not anticipated it. Of course, the tale is entirely derived of the magnificent coincidences, nineteenth century style, that keep the story boiling as M. Moreau, the Scaramouche, learns the secrets of his own history, one revelation at a time.

If you like good old fashioned historical action tales and have a tolerance for the archaic conventions that enriched Sabatini's writing in the period (he wrote in the early twentieth century though his style resounds with the accouterments of the nineteenth), then I'm betting you'll like this one. Here are a few others that might appeal to you:

Captain Blood (Penguin Classics)

The Sea-Hawk

Gentlemen of the Road: A Tale of Adventure

The King of Vinland's Saga (this one's mine, by the way.)

SWM

Rafael Sabatini was born of Italy in 1875 of a British mother and Italian father and settled in England in his late teens. English was his sixth language but it was also the one in which he wrote dozens of novels, some of which (such as Captain Blood and The Sea Hawk) are acclaimed classics and were translated into equally successful films. This Regnery Publishing edition of Scaramouche again presents the story of Andre-Louis Moreau, set in the time of the French Revolution and showcases all the Sabatini hallmarks of high adventure in a swashbuckling narrative that has stimulated the imaginations of generation of readers and movie goers. Highly recommended.

This is an exciting historical novel set at the time of the French Revolution. It is a fast, fun read, but has more serious and meaningful elements too.

Motivated by seeing the even better film as a youth I tried reading this then, but was defeated by the purplish prose. A few weeks ago I caught the film again on TV and, re-inspired, gave the book another shot.

This time I could hardly put it down. I was surprised by many of Sabatini's turns of a phrase, his care for detail, and the crisp, compact dialogue. His description of the first appearance of the Count, the villain of the piece but also a man with some very real admirable qualities, is breathtaking, revealing what a wonderful job Mel Ferrar did with the part.

There's an excellent review of the film on Amazon stressing the importance of its play within the play facet. This applies also to the book, though not so directly as the theatre troupe's role pretty much disappears midway through.

What's there not to like? To criticize it as not being the heaviest of works is to miss the point, but it has more depth than could be expected. But on more than one occasion, particularly as the novel progresses, the author points out the point instead of letting his excellent tale weaving doing it for him, thus adding a slight didactic warp.

4 stars because, hey, although its terrific fun, well written, and with some unexpected depth, it's no War and Peace or even Of Human Bondage. But it puts the books I've read by Clancy and Grisham to shame in every respect. Guess I'll try one of Dumas' novels now. I also couldn't get through them as a youth.

This is my first Sabatini novel (just finished it last night), but it won't be my last - I found Scaramouche excellent.

Scaramouche is set during the years leading up to and including the French Revolution, and follows the exploits of one Andre Louis Moreau, a lawyer, a bastard, and a Frenchman with close connections to the ruling class. Moreau begins the story without an inkling of support for the Republican cause, but this changes early in the novel when Moreau's best friend, an outspoken Republican with a "dangerous gift of eloquence", is wrongly and permanently silenced. With that event, Sabatini not only changed the course of Moreau's life forever, he also had me hooked less than 30 pages into Scaramouche - an impressive accomplishment given my attention span, or lack thereof.

Moreau, or Scaramouche as he's eventually known, is a complex and unique character. Moreau's motives are often contradictory and hard to understand yet, at least to me, remain believable. He devotes his life to a cause he (at least initially) doesn't believe in. He seems to have little care for those around him, and is even called heartless by his friends and peers numerous times, yet he possesses loyalty worthy of admiration. An admitted hypocrite, he despises the emotion of hatred whilst himself dedicating a good portion of his life to vengeance. I found this unique character memorable and also worth liking and rooting for.

If there is one negative worth pointing out, it's that Scaramouche (the novel, not the character) is, at times, highly predictable. In particular, there is a revelation relating to Moreau's linage revealed at the end of the story that I saw coming from a mile away - and I'm pretty dense, there's generally a lot I don't see coming from a mile away that many other readers would. The story also is peppered with a number of fairly unlikely coincidences - but I think it's reasonable to consider these not coincidence, but Providence, or fate, and their prevalence is common to other works that I'd consider within the same category as Scaramouche, including everything I've ever read by Dumas or Hugo.

However, aside from what I'd consider a good to very good story, any negatives I can point out are, in my opinion, more than offset by Sabatini's excellent writing. This is clearly a matter of opinion, but I like his writing style better than just about anything I've read in the recent past, and I've read works by some pretty well regarded authors in the recent past. And in my opinion it's much more than a good vocabulary, the entire 350 pages are dotted with more great one-liners than I could possibly count or keep track of (beginning with the opening line of the novel, but this is far from the only memorable line). I was laughing out loud multiple times while reading this, moved to laughter by the overweight Pantaloon's "ponderous yet curiously noiseless gait" and, crap, countless other lines that make me wish I'd read with a highlighter nearby so I could quote more than one of them in this review and elsewhere - I never do that (read w/ a highlighter next to me) but do wish I had in this case and will when I read future works by Sabatini. The comical nature of the book is also bolstered by Moreau's cynical, dry humor that I find appealing.

As for my highest praise for this piece, I can offer two examples. The first is that I will read more works by Sabatini (in fact I just received a copy of Captain Blood today). The second is, if asked by a random friend to recommend a single book I've read over, say, the last six months as an easy, entertaining (yet nonetheless thought provoking) read, my answer would come easily and immediately: Scaramouche.