The last of my trio of recuperation reads two weekends ago was Sharpe’s Havoc, set in the spring of 1809. I loved the calm before the storm of battle. Sharpe’s band of Rifles, about a score of men, are left on the wrong side of a river in Portugal as the British are retreating, and make their way to a rendezvous point off the beaten path. Through an improbable (but interesting) set of events, Sharpe and his troops are left alone on a large estate while French troops occupy the surrounding countryside and fight off the British and Portugese troops at other river crossings. In that incredible lull, Sharpe keeps his men busy reinforcing a hilltop as a haven in case of retreat. Of course, all their work is not in vain, and bravery is matched by foresight. And, later, revenge is well served when Sharpe pursues a traitor almost to the point of folly, in part to retrieve his prized telescope, a gift from Wellesley years ago in India. As always, parts of the tale verge on formulaic, but it’s a formula I enjoy like ice cream.
Time to ping the San Francisco Public Library for the next round.