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A review by usbsticky
Sharpe's Escape: The Bussaco Campaign, 1810 by Bernard Cornwell
5.0
There is a lot of action in this book. There are 3 parts. Spoilers ahead:
1) Battle of Bussaco - Sharpe participates in the battle but his lieutenant, Slingsby is given the acting command by his colonel (Lawford, who has become an antagonist to Sharpe) who needs to please his wife in England. The Light Company performs well but is almost destroyed by Slingsby and Sharpe gives him a tongue whipping. Wellington wins the battle but is forced to withdraw when the French turn his flank.
2) For not apologizing, Sharpe is demoted to quartermaster and sent to Coimbra to prepare billets for the regiment. Here he meets again his protagonists of the book: Portuguese Major Ferreira and his civilian brother Ferragus. They are both turncoats and trying to profit from the war by selling supplies to the French. Sharpe has already once destroyed some of their goods. This time the brothers lock him in a cellar and they only get out after the British have come and left the city.
3) They travel down the Tagus River to reach British lines. The British are now being the Lines of Torres Vedras. Colonel Lawford sends out Slingsby with the light company to piquet an outlying farmhouse. The French surround it. Sharp arrives in time and helps extract the piquet and saves the day.
Antagonists of the book: The two Portuguese brothers. Sharpe eventually kills Ferragus. I can't remember if Ferreira is also killed, maybe in the farmhouse by Harper.
Romantic interest: Miss Fry, the English governess of Ferreira who he saves from rape. Since she's alone in the world, he gives her all the gold that Ferragus has been carrying.
Overall a very good book with good battle of Bussaco scenes, description of Coimbra and the Lines of Torres Vedras. Covers a lot of history with good plot line.
1) Battle of Bussaco - Sharpe participates in the battle but his lieutenant, Slingsby is given the acting command by his colonel (Lawford, who has become an antagonist to Sharpe) who needs to please his wife in England. The Light Company performs well but is almost destroyed by Slingsby and Sharpe gives him a tongue whipping. Wellington wins the battle but is forced to withdraw when the French turn his flank.
2) For not apologizing, Sharpe is demoted to quartermaster and sent to Coimbra to prepare billets for the regiment. Here he meets again his protagonists of the book: Portuguese Major Ferreira and his civilian brother Ferragus. They are both turncoats and trying to profit from the war by selling supplies to the French. Sharpe has already once destroyed some of their goods. This time the brothers lock him in a cellar and they only get out after the British have come and left the city.
3) They travel down the Tagus River to reach British lines. The British are now being the Lines of Torres Vedras. Colonel Lawford sends out Slingsby with the light company to piquet an outlying farmhouse. The French surround it. Sharp arrives in time and helps extract the piquet and saves the day.
Antagonists of the book: The two Portuguese brothers. Sharpe eventually kills Ferragus. I can't remember if Ferreira is also killed, maybe in the farmhouse by Harper.
Romantic interest: Miss Fry, the English governess of Ferreira who he saves from rape. Since she's alone in the world, he gives her all the gold that Ferragus has been carrying.
Overall a very good book with good battle of Bussaco scenes, description of Coimbra and the Lines of Torres Vedras. Covers a lot of history with good plot line.