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elanya at 12:49am on 03/12/2004
elanya at 12:49am on 03/12/2004I know that there are some of you out there who are really just kicking yourselves to know if Sharp's Trafalgar is really
Sharp’s Trafalgar is not properly a naval novel. Its protagonist, Richard Sharp, was out of place at that famous battle. With this book, Cornwall has managed to have his hero participate in nearly every major battle and campaign from the Napoleonic era. The author’s fondness for relating the events of this period through the adventures of his fictional soldier made the Trafalgar battle too tempting a setting to resist.
The primary adventure of this tale lies in the string of coincidences that led Sharp into the good graces, and then the ship, of Captain Joel Chase of HMS Pucelle. In their initial meeting, Chase refers to Sharp as a Deus Ex Machina(p11), and often the chains of events which further the plot are just as arbitrary plot devices. With Chase’s goodwill secured, Sharp embarks in an East India Company ship under the roguish Captain Peculiar Cromwell. He manages to befriend the entire crew, save for the haughty aristocratic politician, Lord William Hale, and his weasely secretary, Malachi Braithwaite. The lord’s wife, the initially cold, disdainful, and exquisitely beautiful Lady Grace, also falls prey to Sharp’s rugged charms, and the two begin a torrid love affair that does not remain as secret as either hoped.
Cromwell conspires with a Hanoverian general, Anthony Pohlman, and a French spy, Michel Valliard. They sell out the Calliope to a French warship, stealing Sharp’s booty of Indian jewels in the process. The Calliope is eventually recaptured by Chase. Sharp, Braithwaite, and the Hales are transported aboard the Pucelle, where the shenanigans continue, and Sharp murders Braithwaite in order to protect Grace from blackmail. Chase takes off in pursuit of the Revenant to prevent Valliard from reaching France with important documents. This hunt eventually leads the ship to meet up with the rest of the British fleet, recently deployed, just in time for Sharp to dine with Nelson before Trafalgar. The tension during the battle is paralleled by the tension between Lord and Lady Hale, as the former reveals that he knew of his wife’s indiscretion, and threatens to kill her. Chase locks himself in close combat with the Revenant, allowing Sharp to board and seek revenge against those who betrayed him. In the end, Sharp and the Pucelle are victorious, and it is William Hale who has been murdered. Nelson may be dead, but Richard Sharp has his heath, his jewels, and the love of a beautiful rich woman.
The book is peppered with facts about maritime life and warfare. Many aspects of shipboard life are related, especially available entertainments such as music, dancing, gambling, and whores. Cornwell pays attention to details of the ships themselves as well as their workings. The prolonged violence of a sea battle is graphically described, with due attention to weaponry and tactics. Chase is depicted as valiant, daring, and brave, pacing the quarterdeck boldly during the fight in spite of his fears. He is loved and respected by all his crew. The crew themselves are very affable and competent. No one ever needs disciplining.
The navy Sharp encounters is simplified and, to some extent, sanitized. It is the backdrop for the story, which in turn is the convoluted premise for conducting Sharp to Trafalgar. Cornwell provides a fun, if predictable, journey, blending fact and fiction in a way which encourages the reader to overlook the implausibility of the plot in favor of enjoying some good light reading.
Sharp’s Trafalgar is not properly a naval novel. Its protagonist, Richard Sharp, was out of place at that famous battle. With this book, Cornwall has managed to have his hero participate in nearly every major battle and campaign from the Napoleonic era. The author’s fondness for relating the events of this period through the adventures of his fictional soldier made the Trafalgar battle too tempting a setting to resist.
The primary adventure of this tale lies in the string of coincidences that led Sharp into the good graces, and then the ship, of Captain Joel Chase of HMS Pucelle. In their initial meeting, Chase refers to Sharp as a Deus Ex Machina(p11), and often the chains of events which further the plot are just as arbitrary plot devices. With Chase’s goodwill secured, Sharp embarks in an East India Company ship under the roguish Captain Peculiar Cromwell. He manages to befriend the entire crew, save for the haughty aristocratic politician, Lord William Hale, and his weasely secretary, Malachi Braithwaite. The lord’s wife, the initially cold, disdainful, and exquisitely beautiful Lady Grace, also falls prey to Sharp’s rugged charms, and the two begin a torrid love affair that does not remain as secret as either hoped.
Cromwell conspires with a Hanoverian general, Anthony Pohlman, and a French spy, Michel Valliard. They sell out the Calliope to a French warship, stealing Sharp’s booty of Indian jewels in the process. The Calliope is eventually recaptured by Chase. Sharp, Braithwaite, and the Hales are transported aboard the Pucelle, where the shenanigans continue, and Sharp murders Braithwaite in order to protect Grace from blackmail. Chase takes off in pursuit of the Revenant to prevent Valliard from reaching France with important documents. This hunt eventually leads the ship to meet up with the rest of the British fleet, recently deployed, just in time for Sharp to dine with Nelson before Trafalgar. The tension during the battle is paralleled by the tension between Lord and Lady Hale, as the former reveals that he knew of his wife’s indiscretion, and threatens to kill her. Chase locks himself in close combat with the Revenant, allowing Sharp to board and seek revenge against those who betrayed him. In the end, Sharp and the Pucelle are victorious, and it is William Hale who has been murdered. Nelson may be dead, but Richard Sharp has his heath, his jewels, and the love of a beautiful rich woman.
The book is peppered with facts about maritime life and warfare. Many aspects of shipboard life are related, especially available entertainments such as music, dancing, gambling, and whores. Cornwell pays attention to details of the ships themselves as well as their workings. The prolonged violence of a sea battle is graphically described, with due attention to weaponry and tactics. Chase is depicted as valiant, daring, and brave, pacing the quarterdeck boldly during the fight in spite of his fears. He is loved and respected by all his crew. The crew themselves are very affable and competent. No one ever needs disciplining.
The navy Sharp encounters is simplified and, to some extent, sanitized. It is the backdrop for the story, which in turn is the convoluted premise for conducting Sharp to Trafalgar. Cornwell provides a fun, if predictable, journey, blending fact and fiction in a way which encourages the reader to overlook the implausibility of the plot in favor of enjoying some good light reading.
done!