Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Listened to: "Sharpe's Devil" by Bernard Cornwell

Listened to Sharpe's Devil by Bernard Cornwell, downloaded from Overdrive.

Sharpe travels to Chile to look for the missing Don Blas Vivar after his widow asks for his help and offers to pay him. Sharpe gets on wrong side of current Spanish Captain General in charge of Chile. Things happen. Sharpe gets in fight. Sharpe and Harper are deported. Sharpe and Harper's ship is attacked by Chilean rebels. Sharpe and Harper join the rebels. Sharpe, Harper and rebels defeat the Spanish government. Chilean admiral - a Scotsman - wants to rescue Bonaparte from St. Helene and start a United States of South America.

I forgot the neat historical settings and details Cornwell uses in every novel. He does such a solid job with character, action, and plot that I forget how well he uses the history. Of course, you have to listen to the afterword to clear up the fact from the fiction Cornwell creates.Sharpe is weary in this one. He has been farming in Normandy for years and had no interest in taking the job to hunt for Vivar until his wife decided they could use the money. There is none of the previous feelings of joy and elation he used to have in battle.

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