Flashman (George MacDonald Fraser) 1969
Flashman is a bully, coward, and a cad. However, this first book in Fraser's Flashman series is great storytelling. Flashman joins the British army after getting kicked out of school. Good history of Britain's involvement in Afghanistan in 1839-1842. Fraser is a great storyteller of adventure; however, Flashman's treatment of women is offensive. This definitely takes away from some of the humor in the book, although Flashman usually gets his comeuppance in the end by the women he has wronged. Overall, I liked the book. A good appreciation of the series can be read in a review of a later book in the series by The Washington Post's Michael Dirda. Rating: B+
- posted by Brad @ 3/13/2005 12:33:00 AM