Eldorado by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

Reviewed by Sarah
Start Date: June 10, 2009
Finish Date: June 11, 2009
Star Rating: I guess we'll give it 9 stars, even though Armand Ruins Everything and Percy Fixes Everything... because I really liked it alot
"Movie" Rating: PG, for mild language (Only, I'm so demmed fatigued...) and Chauvlin being Really Mean

"There is but little danger for us, I fear me," said Sir Andrew lightly; "the revolutionary Government only wants to strike at a head, it cares nothing for the limbs. Perhaps it feels that without our leader we are enemies not worthy of persecution. If there are any dangers, so much the better," he added; "but I don't anticipate any, unless we succeed in freeing our chief; and having freed him, we fear nothing more."

"The same applies to me, Sir Andrew," rejoined Marguerite earnestly. "Now that they have captured Percy, those human fiends will care naught for me. If you succeed in freeing Percy I, like you, will have nothing more to fear, and if you fail--"

She paused and put her small, white hand on Sir Andrew's arm.

"Take me with you, Sir Andrew," she entreated; "do not condemn me to the awful torture of weary waiting, day after day, wondering, guessing, never daring to hope, lest hope deferred be more hard to bear than dreary hopelessness."

Then as Sir Andrew, very undecided, yet half inclined to yield, stood silent and irresolute, she pressed her point, gently but firmly insistent.

"I would not be in the way, Sir Andrew; I would know how to efface myself so as not to interfere with your plans. But, oh!" she added, while a quivering note of passion trembled in her voice, "can't you see that I must breathe the air that he breathes else I shall stifle or mayhap go mad?"





Ok, I'm still not sure WHY this book is called Eldorado. I guess if I actually cared to think about this I would know, but I'm lazy or slow or something. Somebody please enlighten me.

That said...


Dear Chauvlin,

I would really appreciate it if you did everybody a favor and jumped off a cliff or something. Or whatever you want really, be creative. But stop giving Sir Percy grief.

No, wait a minute. Wait a minute...

Actually, I take that back. You keep doing what you do, and let Sir Percy do what he does. This way, you'll continue to be Frustrated, Percy will continue to be Awesome, and I'll continue to be entertained. And we'll all be happy.

But really, don't you dare do that to Sir Percy again. Because that hurt.


Thanks,
Sarah



SPOILERS BEGIN HERE. PLEASE DON'T READ ON UNLESS YOU HAVE a) already read the book or b) don't intend to ever read the book or c)want to completely spoil your reading experience.


Why, Armand. Why?? Just trust Sir Percy. Thats ALL YOU HAVE TO DO. I do admit that she is awesome (the one scene where we really got to see her--yes, I agree, she is awesome) but that doesn't mean that Percy isn't even more awesome. He's got everything under control.

Thinking about this in comparison with the movie, its kind of interesting to see the differences. Some things I like better in the movie (for example, Margurite ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING) but other things I like better in the book (such as the way Jeanne tricks the people into not arresting Armand. The way she does it in the book is so much awesomer [aka funnier] than how it is in the movie.)


So this one was a bit longer than the others. The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Elusive Pimpernel were the other two on Librivox, and both of those were just under eight hours long, so they fit quite well within a work day. This one was over ten hours long, so I was only about 2/3 done with it when I had to stop. At that point Percy had been captured, fed very little, and hadn't been allowed to sleep for a week. I was so caught up in what was happening that I didn't realize that I had stayed at work half an hour past when I should have left.

This wasn't horrible, gorey torture, and of course Sir Percy is no weakling. But it hurt--I felt somewhat nauseous and an odd sort of feeling in my chest--not pain, but an unpleasant feeling of pity that sits like a rock behind your ribs and won't move or let you breathe quite how you want to.

Last night after work I went with Deidre to a folk dance thing. It was extremely fun and I'm glad I went, but at random times during the night I'd remember where I left Sir Percy, imprisoned, essentially being killed by degrees, and then that same feeling would come back again.

I know, I'm absolutely pathetic. Its actually not uncommon for me to get like this over books. I'm just glad it wasn't as bad as The Sunbird, as I'm sure my co-workers would have been REALLY weirded out if I was sitting at my computer, working away at art, letting out an intense moan periodically, "as if I were being repeatedly impaled" (in the words of Annilyn).


Its kind of funny, but from all the books in this series I have one image in my mind that kind of defines the book. For all the other books, the defining image is a positive one--Sir Percy, grinning sarcastically and climbing through a window, or Chauvlin with a crmpled bit of paper with a single verse of poetry written on it and signed with a five-petaled red flower. But the prominent image of this book for me is of Percy, pale, with dark bags under his eyes, fainted from exhaustion.