I've re-read it for the third time, so here goes. Minor spoilers ahead.Sharpe, now a Major of his regiment, begins the novel scouring the Spanish-French frontier of Napoleon's retreating troops. But after many battles in Portugal and Spain he begins to feel trepidation about his one -and possibly last- battle, which turns out to be Toulouse. Cornwell does a credible job conveying the anxiety of an (older) soldier who fears that his luck at escaping the Grim Reaper could run out at any time. In Sharpe's case, he has more to live for. Newly married to Jane and wealthy due to the plunder he retrieved from the French baggage train in Vitoria, he begins to contemplate the biggest uncertainty of his career: what's a soldier to do once peace is finally declared? Would his glories on the battlefield mean anything in the drawing rooms and salons of his betters?What some novice readers may not be aware of is that Revenge could be seen as a direct sequel to Sharpe's Siege, since it addresses the fallout of Sharpe's feud in that novel with naval captain Bampfylde. It leads to a duel, which Sharpe wins. But that doesn't settle it as events unfold.Napoleon's spymaster Ducos has engineered an intricate plot that ensnares both Sharpe and Capt. Frederickson. He has his own reasons for tarnishing Sharpe's reputation -- not all of them out of loyalty to the Emperor or to France. (The lesson here: don't break Ducos' spectacles!) The pair must escape British custody and go to Normandy to find a man who could exonerate them.Once Napoleon abdicates, the war is officially over. With no more battles to fight for king and country, Sharpe, Harper and Frederickson are soldiers without an army. The bulk of the action at this point involves their efforts to prove their innocence. With Frederickson, it also involves his pursuit of a former Norman vicomtesse, Lucille Castineau -- sister of the man they need to prove their innocence. There's a twist to this plot line, but I won't spoil that here.Jane's character is expanded (she was rather two-dimensional in 'Regiment'), as we learn that she is socially ambitious, defying Sharpe's wish for a country home and using much of his fortune on high society living in London. No longer a naive damsel in distress, she finds a new willing ally in Lord Rossendale. It soon becomes clear that they would prefer Sharpe to be arrested and/or killed in France. Harper, sent to London to seek her assistance with Sharpe's predicament, is left to carry the unfortunate news back to Sharpe.We all know that Sharpe is the James Bond of Wellington's army. Nothing short of a cannonful of grapeshot fired at point blank range can defeat him, but Cornwell again tells an entertaining story. Even during a period of peace, he manages to put Sharpe in harm's way with political intrigue, betrayals and non-stop action as the rifleman's companions.A great read, but it wouldn't hurt to read Siege before this one. Not necessary to enjoy it on its own, but I'd recommend it just for the sake of context and recurring characters.
No. 19 in the Richard Sharpe series.[return][return]I simply don t know how Cornwell does it. He manages to turn out book after book in this series of consistently excellent quality, with taut writing, interesting characters, and page-turning plots. Sharpe s Revenge is no different.[return][return]Napoleon s defeat seems imminent, but, Sharpe has more personal concerns; the book opens with what turns out to be a hilarious duel (in its outcome) between Sharpe and Captain Bampfylde, the leader of the combined Army-Navy expedition that was the core of the plot to the previous book, Sharpe s Siege. [return][return]Meanwhile, Sharpe s French nemesis, Major Ducos, ever politically astute, ahs decided that the emperor can t win and so he absconds with Napoleon s personal treasure, cleverly laying a false trail of evidence that leads back to Sharpe. Sharpe, arrested for the crime, escapes to track down the real thieves and come to a personal reckoning with Ducos.[return][return]As usual, Cornwell captures the sense of the era. As he writes in the Historical Note, Wellington s army was the finest Britain has ever had; in 1814, after Napoleon s surrender, that army was dispersed to outposts around the world. Many of the soldiers had taken Spanish and Portuguese wives, but were unable to bring their families back with them to England, causing enormous suffering for the women and children who were left behind. Cornwell does a good job of seamlessly interweaving this bit of human interest into the story.[return][return]His greatest strengths, however, are in his battle descriptions, and in this book, we re treated to two; the battle of Toulouse and Sharpe s last encounter with Ducos.[return][return]Oh, yes, Sharpe s romantic life not the strong point of his character. There s an interesting and ironic development along those lines as well. This aspect of Sharpe s career has not been and is not now the highlight of the series but it s there and in this book, it s a nice twist.[return][return]Cornwell has no peer in this genre. Another truly outstanding book in the series.[return][return]Highly recommended.
What do You think about Sharpe's Revenge (2001)?
So Sharpe has ironically found the love of his life, Lucille, in Normandy of all places, made her pregnant, possibly ruined his friendship with Fredrickson, survived another dual, and nailed Pierre Ducos to save Sharpe's own reputation & career. Of course the usual creativity was required to get himself out of a hot situation. Shooting a pile of Gold out a cannon at his enemy and sending them into a pillaging mob gave him the time he needed to escape Naples with General Calve. Not a bad book
—Phil
Friendship, love, loyalty, betrayal, leadership, heroism, paralyzing fear, hatred, greed, unthinking self interest; it's all packed in 'Sharpe's Revenge'. Emphasis is placed on stories of friendship and betrayal, which is not unusual for Cornwell's writings; seems to me there is just a little more of those themes in "Revenge". An agreeable read as all the Richard Sharpe stories are, "Revenge" is also a of bit sweet sadness as I work my way through the series savoring these last few books. Some of the character's reluctance for the approaching end of their "chapter of life" rubs off on the reader for the end of the series.
—Rog
An atypical Sharpe outing, in which characterisation takes precedence over plotting. The resultant book is one with an extremely brief and thin plot, which barely gets a look in when there's so much going on elsewhere: the introduction of a pivotal French family in the supporting cast, an epic and seemingly climatic battle at Toulouse, the frenetic climax and the emphasis on romance.In short, SHARPE'S REVENGE marks an attempt by Cornwell to get to know his characters at a greater depth as he looks at what makes them tick and what drives them to do what they do. Sharpe, Harper and in particular Frederickson are all explored at length, which makes for engaging reading, while Sharpe's wife Jane gets a subplot all to herself and a new character, Lucille, brings freshness to the pages.Add in returning characters Nairn, Ducos, Bampfylde and Calvet, and you barely have time for any storytelling. Not that that's a problem; it just means that this novel flies by and seems to be over almost before it's begun. There's enough going on here, though, for the novel to have been twice the length it is.
—Graham
