Waterloo

By: Bernard Cornwell

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

With the emperor Napoleon at its head, an enormous French army is marching toward Brussels. The British and their allies are also converging on Brussels - in preparation for a grand society ball. And it is up to Richard Sharpe to convince the Prince of Orange, the inexperienced commander of Wellington's Dutch troops, to act before it is too late. But Sharpe's warning cannot stop the tide of battle, and the British suffer heavy losses on the road to Waterloo. Wellington has few reserves of men and ammunition, the Prussian army has not arrived, and the French advance wields tremendous firepower and determination. Victory seems impossible.

In this, the culmination of Richard Sharpe's long and arduous career, Bernard Cornwell brings to life all the horror and all the exhilaration of one of the greatest military triumphs of all time.

Don't miss the rest of Bernard Cornwell's literary masterpieces.

©1987 Rifleman Productions, Ltd (P)1996 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"A marvelous mixture of fact and fiction concerning individual bravery and audacity amidst the everyday drama and turmoil of war." (Los Angeles Herald Examiner)

The Sharpe series is unbeatable

I am a huge fan can't recommend them enough, they are fun and truly enjoyable a great period read foe ant military buff.

Wonderful

The narration by Mr Davidson makes history come alive. The writing and research are first class.

Sharpe is Back

I saw this title listed as an historical account without realizing the main character was fictional Sharpe from the British TV series we enjoyed decades ago. I’ll have to compare it to an historical summary later, but I did enjoy catching up with Sharpe and Harper.

More than a day in history

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I'd say this was an outstandingly narrated history of the Battle of Waterloo.
The only thing missing was the smell of gun powder and blood!

What other book might you compare Waterloo to and why?

Lonesome Dove; the best book I ever read.

Have you listened to any of Frederick Davidson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

First time, and he should work on his singing voice.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Brought close to life the reality of a battlefield in the 1800's.

Well done Sir!

Not over yet... But wow. After reading your non fiction and now this. Man... You can write!

Old Soldiers Never Die

I have loved this series for a long time and it's a little sad that this is the last book. But as Douglas McArthur said "old soldiers never die they just fade away" Richard Sharpe certainly deserves to sheath his sword and fade away into comfortable retirement. If I have missed any of the books in this series it was by sheer accident. If I was really, really rich I would collect them all in audio format to listen to when I am in a nursing home and beyond reading. :)

But Cornwell certainly ended the series with a great big bloody bang with this book. His battlefield descriptions were about as graphic as I have ever read. And his description of William of Orange's character made me go running to Wickipedia to see if this was the same William of Orange that was the scourge of Ireland and despised by Clan McDonald. He wasn't. That King William reigned in England with his wife Mary from 1689 to 1694. The William of Orange that Cornwell is writing about in this book was born in 1792 and was subsequently King of the Netherlands. He may or may not have been the jerk Cornwell protrays him as but after the hatchet job he did on Alfred the Great in his Saxon series I don't entirely trust him. What I do trust is his accuracy as far as events are concerned and anyway this is fiction so Cornwell can write whatever he pleases. But I can grumble about it. :)

Should of died I feel

A great hero doesn't buy the farm and live out his life in poverty, he goes down fighting. Well in my book he would. Sharpe doesn't even get scratched. The Duke of Wellington lost many a friend at Waterloo and a few too many good men, and I feel Sharpe should have been one of them. Would have been a fitting end to a life of adventure and an era of war and blood lust. But Sharpe seems to be in all the action places, and all the bad people get what they deserve. A little anticlimaxes in my book. Not 100% accurate to the battle but it is fiction, not a history book!

wonderful book. The finest example of historical

The finest example of historical fiction I can recall. Highly recommended. Also you may want to read Cornwall's account of the battle of Waterloo.

Thrilling but a bit big

Audio version narrated by Frederick Davidson.

The conclusion we've battled through 20 books to reach. Cornwell presents his well-researched novelized version of one of history's most important battles with Sharpe and his companions full in on the struggle. The Jane Sharpe storyline actually fit into this novel better than the previous. The scale of Waterloo is so massive that side drama was welcome point to break it up.

Once the battle starts, it's a lot to absorb. I think choosing an audio format here made the experience tougher. I didn't absorb the details as well as I would have had I physically reading it. Cornwell does a good job inserting dates and times, but listening to the actions and details at pace made it harder to keep track of where in the battle things were taking place.

On the edge of your seat

Wow.. Is there life after Sharpe. The entire series is as good as it gets!