Oi! Cornwell! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!

[erastes]

(bonus points to anyone who spots which comedian made that phrase famous) 

I've just finished reading "Sharpe's Triumph" which should, frankly, be called "Sharpe's Absence" because Sharpe actually isn't in the book very much. 

India .  It's hot. There are a lot of flies. Sharpe's pretending to be dead.

FLASHBACK!  Garrison is wiped out – except for (miraculously!!) Sharpe. 

Sharpe gets taken off somewhere for no particular reason. 

BATTLE !!! (Sharpe not participating.)

Britain wins!  Hurrah!

Sharpe finds Woman. * 

Sharpe shags Woman * 

Sharpe admits to be in love * (with Woman, sadly) 

Obidiah Hawkeswill is up to No Good.* 

BIG BATTLE!!!!  (Sharpe nowhere to be seen except 10 page from the end.)

HEROISM!!!!!!! 

Britain wins!  Hurrah!

Sharpe's a Nofficer!  Obidiah Hawkeswill lives…. 

But seriously, my main gripe about this book is the shocking backfilling that Cornwell seems to be doing as a sop to the fan girls and boys.  " Dear Mr Cornwell," (write a billion fans) "why does Sharpe in the TV series have a Yorkshire accent when he's a guttersnipe from Wapping?" 

Oh dear , thinks Cornwell… Better do something about that.  So he's given him a reason to have a Yorkshire accent. 

Ok. He's his character.  But I still think it's silly. 

*de rigeur for all Sharpe books.  

Oh - and - that "my fine is" meme that's going around? My fine was £1,190.80. *pride* Now THAT'S living La Vida Loca.... *skips off to try and get the full set*

Comments

[prurient-badger.livejournal.com]

That was the best recap of (potentially all) Sharpe ever. And I think you're definitely right about the backfilling. Sharpe's Triumph does feel a bit like a really good piece of fanfic.
*waits to be killed by rabid Cornwell fans*

[erastes.livejournal.com]

While I liked the earlier (written) books a lot, I wouldn't make this one a keeper, or even a re-reader. It was just a documentary, with Richard on the sidelines.

*most dissapointed*

[zoepaleologa.livejournal.com]

*lj get yer fucking act together, ta*

Harry Enfield, the Self-righteous brothers.

I remember when that was a standing joke in every office/pub conversation. Happy days.

[jodi-davis.livejournal.com]

Um, not only TV show backfill but series... I mean, supposedly he'd never been with any woman but a whore before he slept with The Needle.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Happy Days indeed. I'd almost forgotten about it until I threw Sharpe across the room!

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Oh Good point!! I love my flist!!

*laughing*

[naanbld.livejournal.com]

Ciao Erastes,
I read just one Sharpe's book by Cornwell and now I know that

Sharpe finds Woman. *
Sharpe shags Woman *
Sharpe admits to be in love * (with Woman, sadly)
Obidiah Hawkeswill is up to No Good.*

in all the following ones.

I was curious about the character, but not entirely satisfied by the book, so I bought all the tv serie made in china, very cheap! Not bad... (surely better than Elisa di Rivombrosa, an Italian fiction of about a year ago. Little bit more of bang bang and dust and battles.)

I think Mr Cornwell could be a great author, just by putting into his writing a little bit more of... how can I say it?... (mordente) biting? color? rhythm?
I like historical fiction, I like being tossed among the lines, feeling, smiling, weeping, jumping too now and then. Unfortunately, Sharpe was not at his best as hero (damned Obidiah instead was at his very best).

:-) Anna

Re: *laughing*

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I think it's probably best to read them in the order that they were written, (starting with Sharpe's Rifles). I loved Sharpe dearly in those early books.

I also love Sean in the part, although Sean is not my image of Richard. not in looks. In attitude, he does a great job.

I can't fault Cornwell for immersive fiction. He pulls you straight in and he's very readable, very knowledgable and he tells a good tale, it's just that I was - in the light of the books I'd read before - dissapointed with "Triumph" as it does, as is stated by a commenter above - read like fan fiction. It's like Half Blood Prince, which reads like fanfiction of the Potter series.

And yes, Hawkeswill is a GREAT bad guy!

Re: *laughing*

[naanbld.livejournal.com]

yes, what you say is true, any serie should be read in the right order. Unfortunately, publishers don't translate following the same rule.

The book was Sharpe's Tiger, at that time (few years ago) I didn't read in english, I read the italian version. I can't say it was a bad book, not at all, but it lacked something. Maybe reading it in english could be different, translation is a very good/bad thing.

I knew Cornwell when in Italy Mondadori published his five Excalibur books, and I liked them a lot.
I tried Stonehenge, but could not get over the first 50 pages. Then I stopped trying :-)

As for Potter... I think I'm the only one person in the world who didn't read it! :-x

Re: *laughing*

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

> As for Potter... I think I'm the only one person in the world who didn't read it! :-x

we are TWO!!! ciao, elsia