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bernard cornwell well written historical fiction battle of waterloo highly recommend military history sharpe series napoleonic wars duke of wellington well researched well done quatre bras european history nonfiction recommend this book richard sharpe easy to read come alive writing style easy to follow
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Ray
VINE VOICE
4.0 out of 5 stars A Well-told story, leading to understanding
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2015
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As to be expected from such a successful fiction author, Waterloo is an easy-to-read book whose narrative helps make sense of a very confusing battlefield. Cornwell does a great job of not only setting the strategic and operational stage, helping us understand Wellington, Blucher, and Napoleon, but also weaving in personal anecdotes of the soldiers who fought and died on the battlefield.

Waterloo, as can be imagined in a battle its size, was confusing. Many accounts contradict each other or, at least, can't agree on the timing and sequence of events. Cornwell addresses many of the key disconnects and lays out what he believed happened all while telling a story. When it's done you can begin to feel how the battle flowed, not in neat phases but as a series of often overlapping events played out over the battlefield. In this the storyteller comes to the fore because he's able to weave together a variety of multiple events, perspectives, and people in such a way that you see the whole and not the part. It's not just a story of the British or Prussian or French armies, or the common soldier, or the three great leaders. In the end it's a story about how that all came together. In this Cornwell was able to rely on the original work of historians - Cornwell's strength in this book is not original research, there's nothing new historically, but what makes his book worth reading is the way he painlessly tells the tale in a very understandable manner.

If I had one complaint, and it's a relatively small one, it's that he switches between the past and present tenses in his writing, sometimes within the same paragraph. I think he periodically switched to the present tense to try to increase the immediacy of what he was describing, but, for me, it tended to interrupt the moment; rather than staying caught up in the story, it reminded me I was reading a book.

If you're familiar with some of the post-war finger-pointing among the allies you'll understand, after reading the book, Cornwell's conclusion that, "The battle of Waterloo was an allied victory. That was how it was planned and that was how it turned out. Wellington would never have made his stand if he thought for one moment that the Prussians would not let him down. Blucher would never have marched if he thought Wellington would cut and run."

This is one of those books that I still recommend even if you're familiar with Waterloo. Cornwell's ability to tell a story really pulls together the historical elements in a way that allows understanding.
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WiseLobo
5.0 out of 5 stars Gives real insight into 1800's battles
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2018
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As a US History major I never studied the European wars in much detail. When doing work in Europe drove by the battlefield, but since I was late for a meeting just paused. A small area, sloping hills. Did not realize how much I missed until reading this book. Not only is it about the battle, but also how Napoleon returned from exile, the alliances in 1815. and the effects of this battle on the peace of Europe for many years.

The explanations of how the various units operated finally gave me a good understanding of the way war was found in the early 1800's and carried forward in our War Between the States. Squares, lines, Calvary charges, lancers, and type of artillery have new meaning to me after reading the book. Although knowing the final outcome, Cornwell is able to keep the suspense of how it happened. Such a large number of men and horses in a small area, close fighting, hand to hand, and personal accounts of death and wounding, and of loss and victory provide a sober view of the wars of the era.
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DantheMan
5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent Account for All
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2015
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As someone who does not know much of Wellington, Napoleon, or Europe in the 1800s, "Waterloo" was a complete introduction to me of one of the greatest battles of all time. And Bernard Cornwell's account is magnificent.

This book was enjoyable to read. It flowed well from beginning to end. Descriptions of the battle were detailed, colorful, and gory (it is war, what do you expect?). Cornwell captures the readers imagination. He also includes many quotations and first person accounts--giving a true sense of what it was like to be there. Brilliant paintings and maps fill the pages giving the reader much to visualize the battle as it is laid out before him (this was a hard copy). I find it difficult to visualize battle movements when solely based on textual descriptions, so the detailed and vibrant maps vastly contributed to my reading experience.

What I appreciate most of Cornwell may not even be his story telling prose--but how accessible his information is. The most clueless Waterloo amateur (like myself) will not be left in the dark long. Cornwell's writing will bring anyone up to speed on the basics of Napoleonic warfare: What is a column? What is a square? What is a line? And what are the advantages of each formation? Why would people march in massive columns in the open and willingly shoot each other? He describes what affect the musket, the cannon, and the horse had on 1800s tactics. He spends much paper discussing the leaders: Wellington, Napoleon, Blucher, Ney. Anyone can read this and very quickly understand the times, the tactics, and the battle itself.

I learned much of Napoleon and his arrogance which I believe came back to bite him. He believed that he was near invincible, attacking two armies that together almost doubled his own strength. He delegated much power to his Marshalls (why?!) who time and time again broke clear rules of engagement. Wellington in contrast was very much involved in the battle--his calm and steady countenance exuded confidence. His troops took heart in brilliant displays of courage and (spoiler alert) withstood to win the day. The Prussian General Blucher's persistence after getting whipped earlier also contributed to the eventual defeat of The Emperor. There is much strength in unity.

If I was picky I would wish that Cornwell would have summarized key events a little more. Instead of simply describing the facts and giving quick real time analysis, I would have appreciated Cornwell to have stepped back from the battle to elaborate on the significance of each moment more frequently. Part of me is left wondering--actually how important was the holding of Hougemont or how important was the charge of the Royal Scott Greys in the overall picture of the battle? Cornwell does well to say that understanding Waterloo is near impossible as war (and this battle in particular) is chaos. There are many contradictory accounts over what happened and where it happened and when it happened. Even so, I feel that he could have summarized the key events more.

But that is a small thing in the big picture as all in all I found this book masterful. Before I read this I had no understanding of the people and events of Waterloo, and now I know more than most. That is why I read books! I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys learning history and events that have shaped our world. Enjoy.
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A. Mason
5.0 out of 5 stars A superbly readable & coherent account of the battle.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 7, 2018
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I ordered a copy of this book immediately after reading Cornwell's much earlier (1990) novel Sharpe's Waterloo, chiefly because the Historical Notes in that book had left me intrigued: the author claimed that much of the action of the novel was written for him by the events of history. I hadn't especially intended to read Waterloo immediately on it's arrival, but by chance found myself 'between books' just as it arrived... so straight in I ploughed.
It is an excellent account of the battle, and I found it striking how similar in many ways it seemed to the novel he had written 24 years earlier - exactly, therefore, as he had predicted. However, I did suspect that he was working largely from the same set of notes - not a complaint, but certainly an observation. Although as Wellington noted, and Cornwell quoted more that once, you might as well write the history of a ball as of the battle, the author nevertheless made a series of chronologically sensible chapters work as a coherent whole. A real sense of the battle was gained and where there were controversies of interpretation these were highlighted. It was equally clear that he was still enthused by the period - frequently slipping into the historic present when the story gripped him. [I could only wish that he might return to Sharpe and Harper with that enthusiasm in his novels...]
I certainly recommend this - a history book that reads with the fluency and enjoyment of a novel.
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A. J. Gauld
4.0 out of 5 stars Cornwall's non-fiction account reads much like his fictional one
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 3, 2018
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This account of the battles leading up to and including Waterloo is a non-fictional one drawing heavily from first hand contemporary accounts. Reading it immediately after the "Sharpe's Waterloo" novel the most striking thing is how closely the novel follows the actual battle. It becomes clear that both sides made fundamental errors that could easily have tipped the result the other way. Its also clear how much the story of Waterloo has to be considered as a sequence of events rather than just the day of the battle alone because the lead up shaped the outcome just as much as the decisions taken by Napoleon and Wellington.
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Media Scribe
5.0 out of 5 stars Bernard Cornwell: Waterloo
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 10, 2017
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This is a historical account of high quality that maintains the reader's interest throughout. For those interested in this monumental battle, here we have a very detailed account that includes many personal recollections of those who were there, but along with the glory there is much gore. The insights into the decision making of the army commanders is well explored together with detailed maps of military dispositions. There are many illustrations, a number of which are in full colour.
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Aulus Paulinus
5.0 out of 5 stars Reads like a novel
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 22, 2016
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Reads like a novel. I would have love for the original letter from Napoleon to Grouchy to have been printed in its original french as well as english, as its confusing nature may have been down to the ambiguous nature of French itself, and I would have loved to have been able to make a judgement for myself as to if this is the case. Grouchy's failure to about face and march to the sound of the guns, and Napoleon's subsequent defeat, may be all down to the vagaries of the French language contained in Napoleon's orders to him.
It also makes me appreciate just how good the film "Waterloo" realy is, except for the charge of British cavalry, the "Greys", which showed a bone dry plain one moment, and a moras seconds later.
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Mr. D. R. Goodman
5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on Waterloo
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 6, 2015
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When a master storyteller writes a book telling the story of a major historical battle, the result is a written historical masterpiece. Waterloo is just that. It is not the first book I have read on the battle, but it is easily the most compelling and the most readable. In other books, the lead-up has been worthy, but dry. Not so Bernard Cornwell's book. From the first it is written so lucidly and with such style that it grips the reader as if it was a fictional thriller. But this is no fictional thriller, it is a detailed account of who did what, where and to whom - and at what stage of the battle. And yet it never becomes dry, it moves along at such a pace that the book itself seems to be over before you want it to be - so you read it again. Not the sort of book I usually read at all, but I am so glad that I did. Like other books, it debunks the myth of the battle being won by the Prussians, while recognising and appreciating their very valuable contribution. But unlike other books on the subject, this one reads like a story, not a text-book, and it is much the better for that. Incredibly entertaining, while not avoiding the reality of what happened on the battlefield. Highly recommended.
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