Scaramouche

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

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!

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.

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.