13 h 55 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 13 h 55 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
In a Paris ruled by fear, a man who plays the fool dares to rescue a king’s imprisoned son.
The guillotine stands ready, and a rumour or a grudge can send anyone to prison. In El Dorado, Baroness Orczy brings Sir Percy Blakeney back to revolutionary France. Behind his fine clothes and feeble jokes, this English gentleman secretly leads the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel, rescuing people hunted by the Terror.
Now the mission centres on the Dauphin, the young son of the executed king, held in the Temple prison in Paris. Chauvelin is determined to unmask and destroy Percy. Meanwhile, Marguerite Blakeney knows her husband’s secret and fears for his safety. A child’s life hangs on the courage of a man few people truly know.
What you’ll discover
- A hero behind a mask Look past Percy’s fashionable foolishness to the daring rescuer he keeps hidden.
- A child at the centre Follow a rescue mission whose stakes reach beyond royalist hopes to a captive boy’s life.
- An enemy bent on revenge Meet Chauvelin, whose past failures sharpen his determination to bring the Pimpernel down.
- Love under constant strain Share Marguerite’s worry as her husband’s secret courage places his safety at risk.
- Paris in the Terror Enter a city where a whispered accusation can turn an ordinary life into danger.
Who will love it
For readers who love swashbuckling adventure, daring disguises and a hero who hides in plain sight, with loyal friends and a captive child to rescue.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Paris under the Terror sets the stage
- Sir Percy hides his courage behind a mask
- A child in prison becomes the great mission
- Chauvelin hunts the Pimpernel once more
Who’s who
- Sir Percy BlakeneyAn English gentleman who plays the idle fop while secretly leading the League of the Scarlet Pimpernel in rescuing the hunted.
- Marguerite BlakeneyPercy's loving and clever wife, who shares his secret and lives in constant worry for his safety.
- ChauvelinA cunning French agent who is determined to unmask and destroy the Scarlet Pimpernel.
- The DauphinThe young son of the executed king, held in the Temple prison in Paris and a symbol of royalist hope.
Formats and delivery
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 13 h 55 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 4 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Read and hear El Dorado in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
El Dorado
by Baronesa Orczy · 1913
Sir Percy Blakeney hides behind a fool's mask as he risks his life to rescue a child from the Temple prison.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
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In short
El Dorado is an adventure novel by Baroness Orczy, published in the early years of the twentieth century as a follow-up to her hit The Scarlet Pimpernel. It returns to the Reign of Terror in France, where the guillotine is at work and anyone with a noble name lives in fear.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Paris under the Terror sets the stage
The story takes place in the years of the French Revolution, when the new republic has turned on its own people. The guillotine stands ready in Paris, and a rumour or a grudge can be enough to send a man or woman to prison. Families of noble blood flee, hide or wait for the knock at the door.
Orczy treats this world as a place of fear, but also of loyal hearts. Ordinary people shelter the hunted at great risk to themselves. Behind the cruelty of the new rulers lie suspicion and hunger for power, and the book lets the reader feel how thin the line is between safety and the scaffold.
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What is El Dorado by Baroness Orczy about?
It is a Scarlet Pimpernel adventure set during the French Revolution. Sir Percy Blakeney tries to rescue the young Dauphin from prison in Paris, while his enemy Chauvelin works to catch him.
Do I need to read The Scarlet Pimpernel first?
It helps, since El Dorado continues the story of Percy, Marguerite and Chauvelin. Still, the book gives enough background that a new reader can follow the plot and enjoy the adventure.
Who is the Scarlet Pimpernel?
He is Sir Percy Blakeney, an English gentleman who pretends to be a foolish dandy. In secret he leads a band of friends who rescue people from the guillotine during the Reign of Terror.
The author
Baroness Orczy
1865–1947 · Hungarian-born British novelist
Baroness Orczy (1865–1947) was a Hungarian-born British novelist and playwright. Born Emma Orczy in Tarnaörs, Hungary, she moved to London in 1880. She wrote The Scarlet Pimpernel, published in 1905, and detective stories, including The Old Man in the Corner and Lady Molly of Scotland Yard. She died in London.
More by Baronesa Orczy
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