The only positive part about being sick two weeks ago was lots of reading time. I visited the library, picked up a trio of novels on reserve, and sank into the couch or bed the rest of the weekend.
Sharpe’s Rifles moved faster as a book than a television movie. Set in Spain in 1809, the strong, attractive female Spanish patriot from the television program didn’t completely match the young English woman from the book, who is slightly more than a sideshow. Surprise. The author, Bernard Cornwell, even notes that “This is the first of the TV programmes – and all the books that follow, except Sharpe’s Devil, are available on video or DVD.” By this point, though, I’m just glad to have Sharpe back in the thick of battle, even as I wonder what happened to the two years between the previous book and this one. I picked up a real history of Wellington at the library at the same time as the three novels, so I’ll have to dig a bit into the 1807-1809 timeframe.