Sharpe's Escape: Richard Sharpe and the Bussaco Campaign, 1811 (The Sharpe Series) - Couverture souple

Cornwell, Bernard

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0007452934 ISBN 13 : 9780007452934

Editeur : Harper, 2012

Synopsis

Richard Sharpe, with enemies on every side, survives Marshall Massena,s attack and ends at the lines of Torres Vedras. Sharpe,s job as Captain of the Light Company is under threat and he has made a new enemy, a Portuguese criminal known as Ferragus. Discarded by his regiment, Sharpe wages a private war against Ferragus - a war fought through the burning, pillaged streets of Coimbra, Portugal,s ancient university city. Sharpe,s Escape begins on the great, gaunt ridge of Bussaco where a joint British and Portuguese army meets the overwhelming strength of Marshall Massena,s crack troops. It finishes at Torres Vedras where the French hopes of occupying Portugal quickly die. Soldier, hero, rogue - Sharpe is the man you always want on your side. Born in poverty, he joined the army to escape jail and climbed the ranks by sheer brutal courage. He knows no other family than the regiment of the 95th Rifles whose green jacket he proudly wears.

A propos du livre

Quatrième de couverture :

It is 1810, and in Napoleon's determination to conquer Portugal -- and push the British back to the sea -- he sends his largest army yet across the Spanish frontier. But between the Portuguese border and Napoleon's seemingly certain victory are twoobstacles -- a wasted land, stripped of food by Wellington's orders, and Captain Richard Sharpe.

But Sharpe is in trouble. The captain of the Light Company is threatened from inside and out: First by an incompetent British officer, who by virtue of family connections is temporarily given Sharpe's command. An even greater danger is posed by two corrupt Portuguese brothers -- Major Ferreira, a high-ranking officer in the army of Portugal, and his brother, nicknamed "Ferragus" (after a legen-dary Portuguese giant), who makes no claims to respectability, preferring instead to rule by crude physical strength and pure intimidation. Together the brothers have developed a devious plot to ingratiate themselves with the French invaders who are threatening to become Portugal's new rulers.

Sharpe's interference in the first stage of their plan earns the undying enmity of the brothers. Ferragus vows revenge and plots a merciless trap that seems certain to kill Sharpe and his intimates -- battle-tested ally Sergeant Harper, the Portuguese officer Jorge Vicente, and a prickly but lovely English governess. As the city of Coimbra is burned and pillaged, Sharpe and his companions plot a daring escape, ensuring that Ferragus will follow on toward Lisbon, into the jaws of a snare laid by Wellington -- the massive lines of Torres Vedras, a daring and ingenious last stand against the invaders. There, beneath the British guns, Sharpe is reunited with his shattered but grateful company, and meets his enemies in a thrilling and decisive fight.

Sharpe's Escape emphatically reaffirms Bernard Cornwell's status as "perhaps the greatest writer of historical adventure novels today" (Washington Post); its climactic battle scenes and evocative re-creation of history sweep the reader off the page and into the action and drama of nineteenth-century warfare.

Revue de presse :

“Prepare to have your buckles swashed.” (People)

“An altogether rousing tale of revenge and derring-do....Cornwell’s cinematically detailed battle pieces [are] literal tours de force.” (Michael Dirda in The Washington Post)

“Sharpe aficionados will rejoice....With fully fleshed-out characters and keen human insight, Cornwell just keeps getting better.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review))

“Highly recommended ... A worthy entry in the Sharpe series, this book will be eagerly anticipated by Cornwell’s many readers.” (Library Journal)

“Presents to the contemporary reader an important part of history that Americans know little about.” (Los Angeles Times)

“Perhaps the greatest writer of historical adventure novels today.” (Washington Post)

“Richard Sharpe has the most astounding knack for finding himself where the action is...and adding considerably to it.” (Wall Street Journal)

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Harper
• Date d'édition: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0007452934
• ISBN 13: 9780007452934
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 448