Summary
Summary of El Dorado
Key ideas
Key idea 1
A hidden hero returns to danger
Sir Percy Blakeney appears to be an idle English gentleman, more interested in fashion than danger. Behind that pose, he leads loyal friends who rescue people hunted during the Reign of Terror in France. While the guillotine threatens anyone with a noble name, his secret work offers a chance of escape.
This adventure brings him back into that dangerous world with a child's life at stake. Disguise, nerve and rescue are bound together from the start: Percy must hide who he is in order to help those who cannot protect themselves.
Key idea 2
Fear makes every rescue a risk
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Key idea 3
Percy's foolish pose conceals his courage
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Key idea 4
A captive child becomes the mission
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Key idea 5
Chauvelin turns loyalty into a trap
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Key idea 6
Courage can wear a light face
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The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
Read the rest freeWho it’s for
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 this book is
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.
The hero is again Sir Percy Blakeney, an English gentleman who hides his daring behind the pose of a idle, fashionable fool. In secret he leads a band of loyal friends who save the hunted from the Terror. This time the stakes are the highest of all, because the life of a child is in play. You get a tale of disguise, nerve and rescue, and we turn first to the world it is set in.
In this summary
- 1Paris under the Terror sets the stageFree
- 2Sir Percy hides his courage behind a mask
- 3A child in prison becomes the great mission
- 4Chauvelin hunts the Pimpernel once more
Key point 1 of 4
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.
Against this backdrop the author places a small and secret force of Englishmen. They cross the Channel again and again, in danger of their lives, to carry the innocent away. The setting gives each scene its pressure, since any mistake in a street, an inn or a prison gate may be the last.
That’s 1 of 4 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Check yourself
What does Percy's fashionable, foolish manner conceal?
Right. “In truth he is the Scarlet Pimpernel, the leader of the League, a small band of English gentlemen bound to him by loyalty.”Not quite. “In truth he is the Scarlet Pimpernel, the leader of the League, a small band of English gentlemen bound to him by loyalty.”
Who is the captive child at the centre of Percy's mission?
Right. “He is the son of the executed king, known in history as the Dauphin, and he is kept in the Temple prison in Paris.”Not quite. “He is the son of the executed king, known in history as the Dauphin, and he is kept in the Temple prison in Paris.”
How does Chauvelin try to bring Percy down?
Right. “Chauvelin watches, listens, sets traps and tries to turn the loyalty of others against the hero.”Not quite. “Chauvelin watches, listens, sets traps and tries to turn the loyalty of others against the hero.”
Questions about El Dorado
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.
Is El Dorado a true story?
No, it is a work of fiction, though it is set in the real years of the French Revolution and draws on the history of the imprisoned Dauphin. The hero and his League are invented.
Is El Dorado hard to read?
No. It is an adventure written in a lively style, with short scenes, clear heroes and villains, and plenty of suspense. The plot is easy to follow.
