Sharpe's Story: Amazon.ca: Bernard Cornwell: Books

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sharp's Beginnings, Aug 19 2010

By

Kenneth Jackson (Dundas, ON, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Sharpe's Story (Paperback)

I have read all of Bernard Cornwell's presentations of Richard Sharpe and friends (and enemies). Nearly all are "page turners". "Sharpe's Story" is, as I expected, a description of how the novels came to be. It resolved some of my questions such as, "Why didn't this lovely lady turn up in a subsequent novel?" Those questions were answered by the fact that Cornwell didn't write the novels in an historically consecutive way. The "lady" could not appear in a subsequent novel that had already been written.

But of much more interest was the addition of Cornwell's own biography. His own facts and experiences explain much of Sharpe's character. I was moved especially by the compassion that Cornwell was able to show to his harsh and fundamentalistic adoptive father. Now that I know Cornwell, I better understand the circumstances of Sharpe's birth, his friendship with Harper and his innate courage.

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Amazon.com: 4.0 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)

143 of 143 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Small (115 pp.)Treasure..., Jan 25 2008

By H. S. Wedekind "Mr. Weekend" - Published on Amazon.com

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This review is from: Sharpe's Story (Paperback)

"SHARPE'S EAGLE wasn't written in a hurry. I had never written a book before and really had no idea how to go about it. Of course, I knew I needed a hero, but I never once sat down and tried to delineate him in my mind; instead I let him develop as I wrote the book."
- Bernard Cornwell (SHARPE'S STORY)

In this small book, Mr. Cornwell tells about his starting with only an idea for one book, his emigration from Belfast, Ireland to America with little money, and his decision to follow the love of his life, Judy, to live and write in a small apartment in New Jersey. What he wanted to write was one novel about a British soldier in Wellington's Army similar to C. S. Forester's sailor, Horatio Hornblower, in Nelson's Navy during the time of the Napoleonic Wars.

In SHARPE'S STORY, Cornwell gives the reader explanations of how he came to choose the names of his characters, which ones he liked the most (Obadiah Hakeswill, if you can believe that!), the ones he named after acquaintances and their children, information about the books' settings in Spain and Portugal, and why he continued to write about Wellington's Peninsular Campaign against Napoleon winding up with 21 novels and three books of shortstories about Rifleman Richard Sharpe. We also learn some tidbits of info about the TV series starring Sean Bean as Sharpe and Daragh O'Malley as sidekick Sgt. Patrick Harper. Finally, the last short segment concerns Cornwell's unhappy childhood growing up one of five adopted children in a very religious home. In this piece, entitled "Cakes and Ale," Cornwell informs us he included the essay "because [it] explains some of the murkier wellsprings from which Sharpe emerged."

This little book is not recommended for those who are unfamiliar with the Sharpe series. We who are fans of these books will enjoy reading about how Sharpe came to be and where the other main characters, both good and bad, entered into the novels. We can only hope that more of Sharpe's adventures will be forthcoming from the pen of Bernard Cornwell.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A gift for a Sharpe series fan, Feb 25 2008

By M. Cunningham - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: Sharpe's Story (Paperback)

If a friend or family member is a Richard Sharpe fan of either/and books/films, this 100 page booklet is an ideal gift. Bernard Cornwell traces his history with Sharpe, "a rogue on our side", adding fascinating details on every page. Details, like hair color, villains, heroines, etc, will satisfy followers of this series, or pique the interest of new fans.

Plus, the author shares some insights into his own unusual life story, such his Peculiars family life and his search for his biological "tribe."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars then to now, Sep 6 2008

By Matusek, M.J. "Desert Rat" - Published on Amazon.com

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This review is from: Sharpe's Story (Paperback)

It's the story of how Sharpe came to be. It also shows how even the author came to see Sharpe and Sean Bean became one and the same. It was a quick enjoyable read.

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