Sharpe's Company
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'What makes these books such a successful formula is the blend of action, well-researched historical setting, colourful characterization and a juicy sub-plot' The Times 'Brilliant! Sharpe is a great creation' Daily Mirror
Product Description
Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Badajoz, January to April 1812 The Complete Sharpe Collection with a new introduction by the author It was a hard winter. For Richard Sharpe it was the worst he could remember. He had lost his command to a wealthy man -- a man with money to buy the promotion Sharpe coveted. And from England came his oldest enemy -- the ruthless, indestructible Hakeswill -- utterly intent on ruining Sharpe. But Sharpe is determined to change his luck. And the surest way is to lead the bloody attack on the impregnable fortress town of Badajoz, a road to almost certain death -- or unimagined glory!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sharpe (aided by Wellington) captures the "Keys of Spain.",
By A Customer
This review is from: Sharpe's Company: Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Badajoz, January to April 1812 (Paperback)
I have stayed in and explored both Cuidad Rodrigo and Badajoz - altough technically/historically, in the wrong order. I had read "Sharpe's Company" before visiting these fine places, and once again I must say that Bernard Cornwell and his friend Richard Sharpe provided me with a first class insight into the events which culminated in Wellington's capture of these vital fortress towns. What comes across best is the sheer size and apparent impossibility of the task - standing outside the walls, your money would always be on the defenders. Back to the novel though. Leaving aside the historical accuracy of "Company," borne of Mr. Cornwell's meticulate research, what the reader cannot fail to appreciate is the absolute terror of siege warfare in the Napoleonic age. Here we learn about two of Wellington's most important successes of the Peninsular War, both coming in 1812. Followed in the Summer by his brilliant victory at Salamanca, that year was truly the turning point of Napoleon's fortunes in Europe. (Things didn't go particularly well in the East either). The sub-plot finds our old friend Sgt.Obadiah Hakeswill returning to make Sharpe's life a misery. This time he avoids death in the bloody breaches at Badajoz by feigning death, and once inside the walls he finds and attempts to rape Sharpe's wife, killing one of our hero's friends in the process. Sharpe arrives in the nick of time, but Hakeswill escapes, and although we know he will meet his maker eventually, I personally feel that this would have been the opportune moment for Sharpe's ultimate revenge. "Battle," "Company," and "Sword" are, for me at least, the most entertaining and historicaly enlightning of the series. Coming, as they do, consecutively in chronological order, they make for the ultimate Sharpe trilogy, and I would recommend the Sharpe/Peninsula enthusiast to take time out to read all three one after the other. Clive Witcomb. Birmingham, England. January 2000.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sheer class!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Sharpe's Company: Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Badajoz, January to April 1812 (Paperback)
I have only read five Sharpe books but I have to say by far this book is the best I have read, it will be very hard to top this story. It is based on the dramatic events of Badajoz, the seemingly impregnable fort in Spain held by the French. Sharpe has problems of his own, let alone facing the fort he has lost command of his South Essex light company to a rich man, a daughter and wife to-be to protect, and his old enemy, the twiching, maddened and seemingly indestructable Sgt. Hakeswill to deal with. The book is a master piece and I challenge anyone who has read the book to say it isn't.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hakeswill: the Return of a Terrifying Villain,
By
This review is from: Sharpe's Company: Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Badajoz, January to April 1812 (Paperback)
The third novel in the Sharpe series, and one of the best - pacey and well plotted, with, as ever, the couinterpoint of Cornwell's deep historical knowledge and enthusiasm.
Beginning with Sharpe's demotion, the reader enjoys the journey to see how he will win his captaincy back again: and it is the siege of Badajoz, one of the bloodiest events in the Napoleonic Wars, that gives him the chance to do so. Cornwell has also created a notable villain in the person of Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill, who makes his return in this novel: a truly larger-than-life character who is an excellent foil to Sharpe and Harper. And for many it is the historical accuracy in this fiction that will be most impressive. Whilst Sharpe is clearly a created character, the context in which he moves is close to historical truth: and this more than anything gives the narrative drive and force.
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