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ISBN:	0140294295 (ISBN13: 9780140294293)
Edition Language:	English
Series:	Sharpe #6, Richard Sharpe #9
Characters:	Richard Sharpe, Patrick Harper, Michael Hogan, Daniel Hagman, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Setting:	Galicia,1809(Spain)

Sharpe's Rifles (Sharpe #6)

Bernard Cornwell

Paperback | Pages: 304 pages

Rating: 4.24 | 14222 Users | 374 Reviews

Ilustration Supposing Books Sharpe's Rifles (Sharpe #6)

Sharpe knew himself to be a tough man, but he had always thought of himself as a reasonable one, yet now, in the mirror of William’s nervousness, he saw himself as something far worse: a bullying man who would use the small authority of his rank to frighten men…

In February 1809 the British army under Sir John Moore is routed by Napoleon’s forces and is in retreat to the port of La Coruna in North-west Spain’s Galicia region, hoping to escape in Dunkirk-fashion back to England. Lieutenant Richard Sharpe and the men of the 95th Rifles under his command become separated from the bulk of the troops, and are trapped at a river crossing, saved by Spanish Cazadores, led by the charismatic aristocrat Don Blas Vivar.

Sharpe wants to head south to the border with Portugal to join the British garrison at Lisbon, a decision at odds with his men who distrust an officer risen from the ranks, and he is equally despised by officers of allied armies and the enemy alike. Vivar enlists them to first head west to accompany his men carrying a strongbox which, the Riflemen believe, contains gold and jewels to prevent it falling into the hands of the enemy. Progress is slow and arduous, avoiding the roads, and they encounter a gutted village where they see at first hand the savagery of the French against the peasants.

They journeyed through the night, climbing ever higher and always into the teeth of a wind that brought the chill from the snow which lay in the gullies of the upper slopes. Past midnight, from a wooded spur, Sharpe saw the far off gleam of the western sea. Much closer, and beneath him in the dark tangle of the lowlands, a smear of camp fires betrayed where men were bivouacked. ‘The French,’ Vivar said softly.

Vivar, a passionately religious man, rails against Sharpe (an agnostic), but then they are side-tracked by an English couple and their niece, dour Methodist missionaries, there to convert the Spanish away from Papism, with little success.

The French are persistent and Sharpe realises that they are after the coveted strongbox they have been duped to protect. Finally, in a high country fortress disused for centuries, Vivar reveals its contents and their destination as the city of Santiago (St James – the patron saint of Spain) de Compostello (field of stars), which he is to use as a rallying point, invoking the spirit of St James to help the Spanish rid the country of the French, as he had nine centuries earlier against the Moors. Naturally, some Spaniards disagree, seeing the French as “enlightened and progressive”.

This is a novel on many levels, binding history with fiction. At its centre, a brilliant soldier and tactician, leadership thrust upon him yet with barely the skills to lead, who needs to gain the respect of his men. The reader follows his progress, from self-doubt to victory in battle (and there are several of those). Secondly, there is the attention to detail, of weaponry and uniform - the Riflesmen’s tattered rags and boot soles wound with twine, contrasting with the finery of the enemy. We learn what they eat (bare rations supplemented from what they glean from the land or are given by villagers). Then there are the smells of warfare: blood, vomit, horses chaffed and ridden almost to death and taking the brunt of the attack (not recommended for animal lovers). Finally there is the location itself, Santiago de Compostello, the destination of pilgrim tracks from across Europe for 1200 years, now UNESCO-listed and visited by millions.

Verdict: a read to be savoured, not rushed.

Mention Containing Books Sharpe's Rifles (Sharpe #6)

Title	:	Sharpe's Rifles (Sharpe #6)
Author	:	Bernard Cornwell
Book Format	:	Paperback
Book Edition	:	Anniversary Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 304 pages
Published	:	February 1st 2001 by Penguin Books (first published 1988)
Categories	:	Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. War. Adventure. Military Fiction

Rating Containing Books Sharpe's Rifles (Sharpe #6)

Ratings: 4.24 From 14222 Users | 374 Reviews

Article Containing Books Sharpe's Rifles (Sharpe #6)

So, this is the sixth Sharpe book I've read so far, and quite a brief span of time. I do this from time to time. I'll pick up a series and read until the fatigue sets in. Discworld is the most recent example. The trouble with this approach is that it results in needing to take a breather and as the author's style and tropes become so familiar, it breeds a sort of complacent dislike for the material. Not because it isn't good, but because the turns of phrase can be repeated, or in Pratchett's

Sharpe knew himself to be a tough man, but he had always thought of himself as a reasonable one, yet now, in the mirror of Williams nervousness, he saw himself as something far worse: a bullying man who would use the small authority of his rank to frighten menIn February 1809 the British army under Sir John Moore is routed by Napoleons forces and is in retreat to the port of La Coruna in North-west Spains Galicia region, hoping to escape in Dunkirk-fashion back to England. Lieutenant Richard

The story that starts Sharpe's campaign on the mainland peninsula, although of course by this time he's fought in India, gained a commission for saving Wellington's life, and also helped out at Trafalgar. During that time he's become fabulously wealthy and then reduced to pauper again. Here he learns his craft as an officer, how to lead his company of riflemen who first want to kill him, and then grow to follow him. It's the start of the friendship between Sharpe and Harper. Sharpe gets a few

Adore the new covers (even if they don't match the rest of my Sharpe books) and found Sharpe's Rifles to be the same enjoyable Sharpe tale I've come to love. I couldn't put it down, but did feel that Sharpe was quite a bit more surly and churlish in this novel, but with the similar brashness as before. Never quite trusted the love interest either, but I've come to learn that where Sharpe and women are concerned, it rarely ends well. Harper is already fantastic and my favourite part of the book

Sharpe. He's brought up from the ranks. Here's where he forms his posse. Also, attends a battle in Santiago de Compostela.Damage: Severe beating by one of his own menLadies Banged: 1, minister's niece who ends up snubbing him (if you know the series, this is no spoiler)Proper Officer Yet?: No.

Sharpe's Rifles starts in 1809 with the Peninsular War in Spain already raging. For those who aren't familiar, the Peninsular War was one of the big conflicts of the Napoleonic Wars, with basically Britain, Spain, and Portugal duking it out with the French on the Iberian Peninsula. When we join our hero, the Spanish armies are destroyed and the British are already outnumbered and on the retreat from the French hordes. Due to some typical snobbish officer dumbassery, Sharpe and a small group of

Ah okay, I get it. I kind of messed this up. When I was browsing a used book store in Riverside, California for a return flight read (that was my first mistake, travelling cross country with ONE book), I picked up a copy of Sharpe's Rifles that helpfully had a #1 pasted to the spine and the inside sheet placed it as the first book in the Sharpe series. Listen, I have a love affair with Uhtred in Cornwell's Saxon Stories series. So I was fairly confident he could get me through a return flight.