Waterloo - Bernard Cromwell

[Siko]

Rare for me that I read something nowadays that I can't put down, but thought I'd share this.....it's bloody fantastic. I'm not really a Sharpe (same author obv) fan at all but saw it had some good reviews and I was interested in reading a new account of Waterloo for the forthcoming 200th anniversary.

It's basically an incredibly readable and mesmerising account of one of the most pivotal battles in history......full of accounts by those fighting it, but with enough strategic detail not to bore you, yet leave you cognisant of the big picture.

Anyway, cool story bro etc but it's a great read if you're half interested in history/Sharpe/Waterloo.

Edit: it's Cornwell not Cromwell, bloody autocorrect!

[jesusbuiltmycar]

Will add it to my reading list.

I have read Cornwell's "Warlord Chronicles" and they are fantastic - no one describes battle scenes quite as well as Cornwell.

[BryanC]

Finished it an hour ago. Phew!
Very descriptive and unbelievable bravery.
'....by Jove, I think i've lost my leg ( from a cannon-ball) '.
' .. by Jove sir, I think you have too'

Thanks to PH for the heads up on this book.

[Mutley]

Have read all the Sharpe novels, and Bernard Cornwell does his research into the main battle he is writing around well, Waterloo picks up nicely some of the minor points of the battle and shows how a close run thing it was.

Sharpes Waterloo is one of my favourites, by the time you've read it you've followed Sharpe and the Chosen Men across Spain, France and into Belgium. You feel for Harris, Harper and Hagman. But it is the attention to detail, the attitudes and relationships between all the characters that sells it for me. Cornwell is constantly on my read list

[DJRC]

Its funny but I only had 2 books on my Xmas list and rather unusually for me these days I wanted them as books for pressies instead of Kindle voucher, etc.

BC's Waterloo and Stuart Macbride's latest Logan McRae story.

I haven't even opened either one yet!

[popeyewhite]

BryanC said:

Finished it an hour ago. Phew!
Very descriptive and unbelievable bravery.
'....by Jove, I think i've lost my leg ( from a cannon-ball) '.
' .. by Jove sir, I think you have too'

Thanks to PH for the heads up on this book.

Sorry to be pedantic but the correct quote is:

[Uxbridge] "By God, Sir, I've lost my leg"

[Wellington] "By God, Sir, so you have"

[BryanC]

As Harvey Keitel says 'good enough' ( I won't argue about pedantics but you got the idea ).

That has since led me on to 'Sharpe's Escape' and just about to open the covers so I suppose I can look forward to exploring several volumes of BC fiction.

[ianrb]

Just finished reading this. It not only tells the overall story of the several battles which took place in and around Waterloo, but it also explains quite a bit of the technical detail of how troops maneuvered, and the strengths and weaknesses of infantry, cavalry and artillery; so you can understand not only what was done, but also why it was done. There are also extracts from various personal diaries and letters, so you get some insight into what individuals endured and thought. Odd thing was all the Duke of Wellington's quotes were voiced by Stephen Fry, well in my mind anyway. The story isn't simply told from a British perspective, you also see the Dutch, Prussian and French points of view.

I'll give it an A+.

[popeyewhite]

The battle scenes in the 1970 movie are some of the best in any film. Thousands of extras and relatively accurate depiction of the tactics involved. Good cast as well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterloo_(1970_film)