Sharpe's Story

By Bernard Cornwell

Sharpe's Story is Bernard Cornwell's own account of the Sharpe series; how it began and how it has evolved over nearly thirty years. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0972222030
• ISBN13: 9780972222037
• Release Date: November 2007
• Publisher: The Sharpe Appreciation Society
• Length: 121 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.3" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

Background for one of the Epic Heros in Literature

Sharpe is a hero in the Grandest of traditions. It is great to get the back-story to the series and the author' personal observations. A worthwhile read for any fan of Sharpe

"Must read" Sharpe book

If you are a "Sharpie", then this book is a "Must read"! Not only do you get background on much of the Sharpe series, but also a very insightful look into the author's history & philosophy. A quick, invaluable read for those who can't get enough of Sharpe.

sharpe's story

An essential book for sharpe fanatics. Few suprises for me so one's interpretations of the novels is supported.

A gift for a Sharpe series fan

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."

A Small (115 pp.)Treasure...

"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.