Scaramouche: A Romance of the French Revolution

Once he was André-Louis Moreau, a lawyer raised by nobility, unconcerned with the growing discontent among France’s lower class—until his friend was struck down by a member of the aristocracy. Now he is a rabble-rouser and revolutionary, running from the law but sworn to avenge the death of his friend. Taking refuge with a band of actors, he assumes the role of Scaramouche—a comic figure with a serious message—and hones his skill with the sword. Finally he returns to Paris, where the story builds to a conclusion as surprising as it is reasonable. Set during the French Revolution, this novel of swashbuckling romance is also a thought-provoking commentary on class, inequality, and the individual’s role in society—a story that has become Rafael Sabatini’s enduring legacy. Never will the reader forget the sardonic Scaramouche, who was "born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad."