Book Review: Sharpe's Tiger by Bernard Cornwell

As the British army fights its way through India toward a diabolical trap, young private Richard Sharpe must battle both man and beast behind enemy lines. 


It's 1799, and Richard Sharpe is just an illiterate young private in His Majesty's service, part of an expedition sent to push the ruthless Tippoo of Mysore from his throne and drive his French allies out of India.

Posing as a deserter, Sharpe must penetrate into the Tippoo's city and make contact with a Scottish spy being held prisoner there. Success will mean winning his sergeant stripes; failure, being turned over to the Tippoo's brutal executioners -- or his man-eating tigers. Picking his way through an exotic and alien world, one slip will mean disaster as Sharpe learns that he must fight his old comrades in order to save his own neck. Along the way, he keeps an eye out for Mysore's beautiful prositutes, any stray loot he can get his hands on and the chance to learn his ABC's. But when the furious British assault on the city begins, Sharpe must fight with the fierceness and agility of a tiger himself to foil the Tippoo's well-set trap -- and to keep from being killed by his own side.

Synopsis courtesy of Chapters.indigo.ca

My Review

4 Stars

Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe's Tiger introduces the reader to literary hero Richard Sharpe, a young British solider whose many adventures are chronicled in Cornwell's popular Sharpe series.  While not published first, Sharpe's Tiger is, chronologically, the first novel in the series.   As such, the novel introduces Sharpe, tells of his early years in the British Army and lays the groundwork for some of the key events and relationships featured throughout the series.  

The novel is set at the turn of the 19th century in Mysore (India) during the British siege of Seringapatam.   The setting alternates between a British Army camp and Seringapatam.   Cornwell's descriptive prose transports the reader right into the heart of the British camp during the oppressive heat of an Indian summer, and one can practically feel the discomfort of the British soldiers in their heavy wool uniforms.   Despite being under siege, an air of optimism remains in Seringapatam, where the Tippoo is creating a weapon that will ensure his victory against any British assault. 

While the history presented in the book is quite interesting, Sharpe's Tiger is very much a character driven novel.  Indeed, it is the characters that make this book come alive for the reader.  While not without flaws, Richard Sharpe is a character readers can't help but be drawn to and cheer for.   The villain of the novel, British Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill, is a cruel and conniving man who will stop at nothing to bring Richard Sharpe down.   Key historical figures featured in the novel include the cold, but brilliant Colonel Arthur Wellesley, who will later earn lasting renown on the battlefields of Europe as the Duke of Wellington, and British General David Baird, who is portrayed as an affable man who respects those under his command.   While ruthless, the Tippoo of Mysore is characterized as a brave man who will do whatever it takes to save his city and territory from the British. 

Sharpe's Tiger is the first novel in the series I've had the pleasure to read and it won't be the last.  I'm very much looking forward to the next installment to find out what adventures Richard Sharpe will experience next. 

Note: This novel comes from my own personal collection.

Book Review: Virgin Widow by Anne O'Brien

Synopsis from Chapters.Indigo.ca:

A dazzling historical novel set during England's War of the Roses- the story of the courageous Anne Neville, future wife of Richard III, who comes of age in a time of chaos...

Anne Neville, daughter of the powerful Earl of Warwick, grows up during the War of the Roses, a time when kings and queens are made and destroyed in an on-going battle for the ultimate prize: the throne of England. As a child Anne falls in love with the ambitious, proud Richard of Gloucester, third son of the House of York. But when her father is branded a traitor, her family must flee to exile in France. As Anne matures into a beautiful, poised woman, skillfully navigating the treacherous royal court of Margaret of Anjou, she secretly longs for Richard, who has become a great man under his brother's rule. But as their families scheme for power, Anne must protect her heart from betrayals on both sides-and from the man she has always loved, and cannot bring herself to trust.

My Review:

3.5 Stars
  
Anne O'Brien's Virgin Widow tells the story of Anne Neville from her early years as the daughter of the powerful Earl of Warwick until the birth of her son with Richard, Duke of Gloucester. 

Although little is known about Anne Neville's life, using the tumultuous years of the Wars of the Roses as a backdrop, O'Brien is able to bring this little known figure to life.  She is portrayed as a strong and likeable young woman, one who has to endure an unhappy marriage to the Prince of Wales, son of Margaret of Anjou and Henry VI, as well as the disintegration and division of her family in the struggle between the Yorks and the Lancasters for the throne of England, before eventually finding happiness and contentment with Richard, Duke of Gloucester.
  
As a love story this novel is entirely satisfying.  Anne Neville and Richard, Duke of Gloucester, are well drawn and engaging.   In addition, their love story is developed in such a way as to be entirely plausible.   Unfortunately, I was not expecting a love story to be the principal focus of this novel when I picked it up.   The synopsis I read (different from the one included above) led me to believe this book would focus more on the political aspects of the era in which Anne Neville lived rather than the romantic (I believe the synopsis I've included as part of this review is a more accurate reflection of the novel).  The political is definitely discussed - it would be difficult to write a novel about the Neville's of this era without it - but it rarely takes centre stage and, as a result, this aspect of the novel didn't fulfil my expectations.   The author states in her author's note that the book is meant as a romance, but the note was placed at the end of the book so I didn't read it until I'd already finished the novel.   I wish I'd known this going into reading the novel, as I would have adjusted my expectations accordingly.
  
Despite the novel not being entirely what I expected it would be, I still enjoyed it overall.  I thought the story flowed well and moved quickly and, while I felt certain secondary characters were poorly fleshed out or too black and white, the main characters were quite well-developed.   With respect to events and peoples of the Wars of the Roses period, O'Brien stuck closely to known historical fact.  My only criticism of the novel relates to certain speculation taken by the author with respect to the nature of the relationship between Margaret of Anjou and her son, Prince Edward.   I felt the nature of the relationship postulated by the author was far too sensational - it has no basis in historical fact and detracted from the storyline rather than enhancing it.  In fact, this one bit of sensationalism is the reason this novel became a 3.5-star read for me rather than a 4-star one. 

I recommend this novel to readers interested in getting a general overview of the Wars of the Roses period or to those looking for a nice historical love story. 

Note: This novel comes from my own personal collection. 

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If Virgin Widow or the Wars of the Roses is of interest to you, you might also like:

The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman (synopsis from Chapters.indigo.ca): 

A glorious novel of the controversial Richard III---a monarch betrayed in life by his allies and betrayed in death by history.

In this beautifully rendered modern classic, Sharon Kay Penman redeems Richard III---vilified as the bitter, twisted, scheming hunchback who murdered his nephews, the princes in the Tower---from his maligned place in history with a dazzling combination of research and storytelling.

Born into the treacherous courts of fifteenth-century England, in the midst of what history has called The War of the Roses, Richard was raised in the shadow of his charismatic brother, King Edward IV. Loyal to his friends and passionately in love with the one woman who was denied him, Richard emerges as a gifted man far more sinned against than sinning.

This magnificent retelling of his life is fllled with all of the sights and sounds of battle, the customs and lore of the fifteenth century, the rigors of court politics, and the passions and prejudices of royalty.

The Queen of Last Hopes by Susan Higginbotham (synopsis from Chapters.indigo.ca):

A man other than my husband sits on England's throne today.  What would happen if this king suddenly went mad?  What would his queen do?  Would she make the same mistakes I did, or would she learn from mine?  

Margaret of Anjou, queen of England, cannot give up on her husband - even when he slips into insanity.  And as mother to the House of Lancaster's last hope, she cannot give up on her son - even when England turns against them. This gripping tale of a queen forced to stand strong in the face of overwhelming odds is at its heart a tender tale of love. Award-winning author Susan Higginbotham will once again ask readers to question everything they know about right and wrong, compassion and hope, duty to one's country and the desire of one's own heart.