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Sharpe's
Waterloo |
| It is 1815.
Sharpe is serving on the personal staff of the inexperienced and incompetent Young
Frog,William, Prince of Orange, who has been given command of a large proportion of the
Allied force. More concerned with cutting a dash at a grand society ball in Brussels, the
Young Frog refuses to listen to Sharpe's scouting reports of an enormous army marching towards them with the lately returned Napoleon at its head. When the Battle of Waterloo commences, Sharpe has to stand by and watch military folly on a grand scale. But at the height of the conflict, just as victory seems impossible, he makes a momentous decision. With his usual skill, courage and determination he takes command and the most hard-fought and bloody battle of his career becomes Sharpe's own magnificent triumph. "A mighty battle conveyed with convincing clarity" MAIL ON SUNDAY
Reviews "Waterloo is such a famous name but before reading this book I knew virtually nothing about this terrible battle, which apparently claimed more lives in one day than any battle on the Western Front during WW1. Although this is fictionalised of course, the author appears to have gone to a great deal of trouble in his research, and I am not only considerably wiser as a result of having read this, but enormously entertained (the suspense almost killed me, even despite knowing who eventually won...). I loved it, and am now looking for other books about Waterloo to read. "
"The most straight forward of the Sharpe's series, and by far the longest and most intense battle narrative I have ever read. I can't speak to it's historical accuracy (it being almost 30 years since my last Military History course), but the action is so well described and so vivid that I absolutely could not put the book down once the final days battle began. Of course it is far fetched to expect one soldier to have been present at so many of the battle's key points, but as a literary device to describe a major battle it is a definite triumph. "
"If you want an accurate and beleivable description of the Hundred Days Campaign, you should probably look elsewhere. However, if you want to just turn off your brain, check reality at the door and just be entertained then this book should do the trick. It is standard Cornwell, full of visual and emotional drama, but a bit far fetched. Although I was entertained, I am troubled by some of Cornwell's claims and accusations about how the battle was conducted. Please do not mistake this book as history, and accept it for what it is, a good fictional novel. "
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Buy
the book online in... |
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Paperback - 384 pages (21
February, 1991) HarperCollins
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Paperback
- 378 pages (May 1991) US edition: great price, fast delivery |
Audio
Cassette (February 1992) Chivers Audio Books |
Buy the book online in...
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Paperback - 378 pages Reprint edition (June
1991) |
Hardcover Csst/unabr edition (February 1992)
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(USA)
