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Sharpe's Fury: Richard Sharpe & the Battle of Barrosa, March 1811 (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #11) | 
 enlarge | Author: Bernard Cornwell
Publisher: HarperCollins
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
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Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 71810
Media: Paperback
Pages: 352
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.1 x 1
ISBN: 0060561564
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780060561567
ASIN: 0060561564
Publication Date: September 1, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Some wear on book from reading, spine creases, wear on binding and pages, we guarantee all purchases and ship all items via USPS mail.
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Product Description
The year is 1811. With the British army penned into a small part of Portugal, and all of Spain except for the coastal city of Cadiz fallen to the invader, the French appear to have won their war. Raised in the gutters of London and taught to fight, Captain Richard Sharpe is in the Spanish capital on a mission for the British ambassador. But when a British attack on an enemy-held bridge goes disastrously wrong, he finds himself trapped in a city under siege, a hotbed of treachery, false allies, and pernicious plots. And as dawn breaks on a March morning, Sharpe must be prepared to come to the aid of the charismatic Scotsman Sir Thomas Graham, the city's would-be liberator, whose small, outnumbered army has been abandoned by the Spanish and is now is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. Yet for Richard Sharpe, the impending battle against overwhelming odds is about more than destiny and duty; it is about revenge.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 21 more reviews...
 "Bejabbers, Boys, I Have the Cuckoo" September 20, 2006
Douglas S. Wood (Monona, WI)
21 out of 23 found this review helpful
As Cornwell explains in his always enlightening 'historical note' he visted the Barrossa battlefield while on a personal trip to Spain and thus Sharpe and Harper were sure to follow.
Sharpe's Fury tells the tale of a crucial turning point in the Penninsular War against Napoleon's armies - the 1811 Battle of Barrossa. Spain (or the Spain that was allied with Britain) was reduced to a foothold in Cadiz. The British won (with virtually no Spanish help) and a tide was turned. The battle also featured the first 'eagle' (or cuckoo) taken by the British (Sharpe's Eagle notwithstanding).
I've read nearly all the Sharpe books (as well several other Cornwell novels) and I found Sharpe's Fury to be every bit as good as any of the others (well, except maybe Sharpe's Fortress, a personal favorite). The book features an exciting retelling of a famous Napleonic battle with numerous real historical characters (Thomas Graham, Henry Wellesley, and Sgt. Patrick Masterson to name a few) and of course a beautiful and intelligent woman.
Highly recommended for fans of Sharpe, historical action novels or the Napleonic wars.
 It might be time to drop this series December 7, 2006
T. E. Vaughn (Chattanooga, Tennessee USA)
18 out of 23 found this review helpful
I have been a long time fan of Cornwell's Sharpe series and have been distressed by the decline in quality of both the plot lines and the writing. I had believed that his series departure, "The Gallows Thief" might have been the worst thing he had ever written, but this entry into Sharpe's history might win out. Sharpe has become an iconic figure of the Peninsular War and Cornwell's placing him in the Rifles was brilliant. The character has grown in the series with fleshing out of his past soldiering in India and revealed details of his life before the army.
This entry, however, seems as if it were phoned in. It seemed almost a pot boiler, with minimal effort applied. The plot, aside from the battle, was so-so, the final battle scene was excellent as is usual with Cornwell, period details were good, but almost everything else was tedious. This might have been better had it been 100 pages shorter! I sincerely hope that if this is an example of what we can expect with the series in future that Sharpe and Harper march no more. We already know what happened to Sharpe after the war and we know his beginnings. I don't think the character is served, nor the reader, by recounting each and every fight he was involved in -- particularly if it's not done any better than this account.
 Middling Sharpe, but still enjoyable. September 1, 2006
Charlotte Ford
11 out of 13 found this review helpful
For those who have read all of the previously-published Sharpe novels, this is one of the weakest. The beginning is a pleasant refresher for people who haven't read a Sharpe story in a few years, but probably repetitious for those who are reading the novels in chronological order for the first time.
The best part of the novel is the second section, in which Sharpe once again bails his "betters" out of problems of their own making and meets, inevitably, a beautiful and inappropriate woman.
The third section, the actual battle of Barrosa, is one of the least exciting of the many recounted in the series. Much of the description seems like filler.
Nevertheless, any Sharpe story is welcome. I just hope that Bernard Cornwell can think of some new adventures, perhaps set after Waterloo, to keep Sharpe and Harper marching somewhere new.
Not too bad, but we have heard the story before! January 26, 2007
Thomas D. Hehenberger (Boone, North Carolina)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
If you are a first time fan of the Sharpe series, I believe that you will enjoy this new addition to the much loved series. But as a long time fan, I felt somewhat disappointed in this book largely for 3 reasons:
1. We have read this story before with the revenge motiffs and this story did not add a whole lot to this legendary motivation of Richard Sharpe.
2. No particularly compelling bad-guy--this book needed Pierre Ducos or Sgt. Hakeswill very badly!
3. No compelling love interest for Sharpe--a little fling for Sharpe in the first half--but no woman encountered who was all that interesting!
Having said all that, the last quarter of the book which describes the battle of Barrosa is extremely fine and exciting which elevates this Sharpe novel a bit. There are however, much finer Sharpe novels out there and I heartily recomend them-but Sharpe's Fury rates a C+ or a B- at best with me!
Sharpe's Newest September 1, 2006
JRB Sharpe Fan (MD)
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
I have read everyone of the Sharpe series and love them. This recent is a good book, but for me the least exciting. It appears that our favorite author may be getting tired of this series. Too much historical overview and battle activity without mention of Sharpe. I hope thiis is not the last, but maybe there are no good battles left for Sharpe to fight.
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