The Secret History of the Pink Carnation

By: Lauren Willig

Narrated by: Kate Reading

Deciding that true romantic heroes are a thing of the past, Eloise Kelly, an intelligent American who always manages to wear her Jimmy Choo suede boots on the day it rains, leaves Harvard's Widener Library bound for England to finish her dissertation on the dashing pair of spies the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian. What she discovers is something the finest historians have missed: a secret history that begins with a letter dated 1803. Eloise has found the secret history of the Pink Carnation�the most elusive spy of all time, the spy who single-handedly saved England from Napoleon's invasion.

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, a wildly imaginative and highly adventurous debut, opens with the story of a modern-day heroine but soon becomes a book within a book. Eloise Kelly settles in to read the secret history hoping to unmask the Pink Carnation's identity, but before she can make this discovery, she uncovers a passionate romance within the pages of the secret history that almost threw off the course of world events. How did the Pink Carnation save England? What became of the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian? And will Eloise Kelly find a hero of her own?

©2005 Lauren Willig (P)2005 Penguin Audiobooks and Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Lauren Willig balances her knowledge of English history with a veritable passion for English spies, turning out a deftly hilarious, sexy novel." (Eloisa James, author of Kiss Me, Annabel)

"In her swashbuckling debut...Willig reimagines France under Napoleon besieged by a whole bouquet of spying floral foes.... Bad news for the Bonapartes but barrels of good-natured fun for the rest of us." (Library Journal)

"A juicy mystery...Chick-lit never had it so good!" (Complete Woman)

Great entertainment

I personally found this book delightful. If you are expecting a great classic or historical accuracy, you might be disappointed but I only wanted to be entertained and this story certainly fulfilled its promised to do just that. The reader is one of my favorites and makes the characters come to life. It is so funny you will laugh out loud at some parts, cheer on the young lovers in others and has just enough suspense to keep it interesting. A lover of all things British, this was just up my alley. I was thrilled to find she had written a sequel to this which I enjoyed just as much.

This was so fun!

I laughed so much! It was a sweet love story, too. The history was interesting.
The narrator was hilarious! She did a fab job of painting the main character with a smart wit and strong will.

Best narrator and book combination I've listened to!

A little obsessed

I'm a little obsessed with this series right now, I am not always a fan of books switching between time periods, but this one really pulls it off. What's not to love about clever female protagonists and the reader does a great job of bringing the story to life.

PInk Carnation

I can't recommend this book to my friends, because it is a bit predictable and hokey. I rolled my eyes so many times and could predict what would happen without fail. Having said that I think it could have been great with more editing and the writer has great promise.

I should have listened sooner

I had this on my wish list for a long time and deleted it and then it came up in my recommendations after I finished another book and finally took the plunge. I believe it was the book description that had me feeling hesitant and now I know I shouldn’t have been. Historical fiction is my preferred genre and the idea of some of this book taking place in the present day just didn’t tickle my fancy so to speak. However the bulk of this book took place in 1803. The book offers mystery, romance, suspense and hidden identities. I would highly recommend this book to other historical fiction lovers and I certainly will be listening to the other books in this series.

Delightful performance!

This book was quite fun to listen to. The voices and language/writing were beautifully executed and captivating. I really enjoyed it and will continue with the series. If you like this historic period and a good romance, reach for this one!

Thoroughly entertaining

I really enjoyed this book. I'm not specifically a history buff, so I didn't notice the liberties the author took with her details. I work the graveyard shift and rely on audiobooks to keep me awake when I'm lacking sleep. I had no problem staying awake while being entertained by this book. In fact, I skipped most of my breaks because I didn't want to stop listening. As soon as I got home I bought the second in the series. Kate Reading is one of the BEST narrators I've heard and in all honesty, I chose this book originally because she narrates it. I was not disappointed. If you don't mind a little 'fluff' and an engaging love story (sure, not realistic at times, but I already have a real life, I don't need to listen to it too) then this book is for you.

Entertaining Start to a Good Series

There is a great deal of wit and humor in the book and in the entire series, although like all series, it eventually gets stale. I enjoyed the historical perspective and the hook of using a fictional foundation as historical fact to build more fiction upon it. I thought the switch between current day and past was handled very well, and by avoiding time travel, which seems to be the current popular way to achieve this result, there was little confusion and limited explanation was necessary. The characters were well developed, sympathetic and likeable. My only complaint on this front was I liked the current day characters a great deal and wished more time was spent on them. That comes in later installments however.

I thought the narrator did a very good job voicing both current day and historical figures.

I heartily recommend this book.

Easy Entertainment

It's fun, silly, and entertaining. Perfect book for a long flight. I'm not after the specifics of an historical period, I want entertainment. Amy is not a mindless young woman trying to find a man, but rather a clever one, hoping to solve a mystery. I enjoyed it and will listen to the second in the series.

Extremely Diverting

I really enjoyed this story. It was very entertaining and the situations that the main characters get into is very entertaining. I have to admit that there were some moments that were a bit predictable. In spite of this, there were places where I laughed out loud. The gem of this audiobook is the reader who switches voices and accents to bring these characters to life with perfection - American, English and French. I would have to say that Ms. Reading is definitely an asset here. This was an overall enjoyable listen.