Flashman: From the Flashman Papers, 1839-1842

Rating:
Summary: Terrific Action Writing
Review: "Flashman: From the Flashman Papers 1839 - 1842" is fun book, suitable for the beach or a long trip, with first rate action writing. My favorite section shows how Flashman, following his instinct for selfishness and self-preservation, became the sole English survivor, as well as the hero, at doomed Fort Piper in the assault on Jallalabad (pages 183-215 in the Plume edition). I was also moved by the descriptions of the poorly lead British army in its suicidal withdrawal from Kabul (161-183). One complaint: In this first "Flashman" book, Flashy's lechery begins as amusing, but eventually turns dark and disturbing.

Rating:
Summary: Unputdownable!
Review: 'Flashman' is the first in a series of historical novels by George MacDonald Fraser. Their main character, Harry Flashman, is, of course, the same infamous, bullying Flashman who tormented the hero of Thomas Hughes's classic novel, 'Tom Brown's School Days'. In a fun literary twist, Fraser takes a bit of inspiration from Hughes and creates one of the most memorable characters in modern fiction. Flashman is a lovable cad with just enough luck and charm to escape various incredible adventures. And we are the lucky readers who get to share his exploits.

The novels are set in 19th century England and famous Victorians (including the queen herself) make appearances. But it is the engaging and lively personality of Flashy himself that dominates all. 'Flashman' begins with our hero at school, in all his shifty and successful glory. Soon enough, he is sent home to an equally shifty father and then into the army (Lord Cardigan's 11th Light Dragoons, to be precise.) Flashy is happy enough with his fetching uniform and generous allowance, but an unwise marriage forces him off to war. His subsequent military exploits result in completely undeserved glory and the book ends with Flashy a genuine British hero, universally adored.

Flashman tells his story first-person, from the vantage point of a secure old age. This style, which most novelists can't pull off, is rewarding in Fraser's capable hands. He has created one of the most vital fictional characters I've ever read. This is an important and often overlooked achievement, particularly in current fiction.

And equally important, Fraser has written the second funniest book on my very crowded bookshelves. It ranks snugly beside 'A Confederacy of Dunces' as laugh out loud entertaining.

This leads to my highest praise for 'Flashman' - it is simply great storytelling. Most writing nowadays is either stupid or just bland enough to keep you turning pages until you finish the book and promptly forget it. And the 'serious' fiction written is equally bad. It isn't bland so much as stultifyingly boring. There are grand ideas and convoluted plots but not one believable character. And if you're bored with such books, they have enough glowing reviews to make you feel silly for not enjoying them and obligated to finish them. But why should reading be an obligation, or a chore? It should be a joy. Remember when you read Treasure Island for the first time, or Huckleberry Finn, or Persuasion? Remember that feeling of assurance as you fell into the arms of a master storyteller? That's the feeling I had with 'Flashman' and, trust me, it doesn't come along too often.

Do I mean that 'Flashman' is a classic novel in the same sense as the above-mentioned works? No. Why? Because it doesn't attempt to convey a higher message than the story itself. Yet its effect upon the reader is the same. You read 'Flashman' expecting a fun adventure story and that's what you get, done to perfection. Your trust in the author is rewarded.

Fraser was a successful journalist in his native Scotland when he wrote this first Flashman novel. Amazingly, it was turned down by various publishers (giving hope to struggling writers everywhere - if even Flashman was passed by, don't take your rejection to heart!) However, upon its publication, it was a critical and popular success. There are numerous sequels of varying quality. For my part, I consider this first volume and the fourth ('Flashman at the Charge') to be the best.

If you like good, old-fashioned adventure stories, in the tradition of Conan Doyle and Sabatini, but with far more lechery and cowardice, you'll love 'Flashman'. It's simply unputdownable.

Rating:
Summary: Unputdownable!
Review: 'Flashman' is the first in a series of historical novels by George MacDonald Fraser. Their main character, Harry Flashman, is, of course, the same infamous, bullying Flashman who tormented the hero of Thomas Hughes's classic novel, 'Tom Brown's School Days'. In a fun literary twist, Fraser takes a bit of inspiration from Hughes and creates one of the most memorable characters in modern fiction. Flashman is a lovable cad with just enough luck and charm to escape various incredible adventures. And we are the lucky readers who get to share his exploits.

The novels are set in 19th century England and famous Victorians (including the queen herself) make appearances. But it is the engaging and lively personality of Flashy himself that dominates all. 'Flashman' begins with our hero at school, in all his shifty and successful glory. Soon enough, he is sent home to an equally shifty father and then into the army (Lord Cardigan's 11th Light Dragoons, to be precise.) Flashy is happy enough with his fetching uniform and generous allowance, but an unwise marriage forces him off to war. His subsequent military exploits result in completely undeserved glory and the book ends with Flashy a genuine British hero, universally adored.

Flashman tells his story first-person, from the vantage point of a secure old age. This style, which most novelists can't pull off, is rewarding in Fraser's capable hands. He has created one of the most vital fictional characters I've ever read. This is an important and often overlooked achievement, particularly in current fiction.

And equally important, Fraser has written the second funniest book on my very crowded bookshelves. It ranks snugly beside 'A Confederacy of Dunces' as laugh out loud entertaining.

This leads to my highest praise for 'Flashman' - it is simply great storytelling. Most writing nowadays is either stupid or just bland enough to keep you turning pages until you finish the book and promptly forget it. And the 'serious' fiction written is equally bad. It isn't bland so much as stultifyingly boring. There are grand ideas and convoluted plots but not one believable character. And if you're bored with such books, they have enough glowing reviews to make you feel silly for not enjoying them and obligated to finish them. But why should reading be an obligation, or a chore? It should be a joy. Remember when you read Treasure Island for the first time, or Huckleberry Finn, or Persuasion? Remember that feeling of assurance as you fell into the arms of a master storyteller? That's the feeling I had with 'Flashman' and, trust me, it doesn't come along too often.

Do I mean that 'Flashman' is a classic novel in the same sense as the above-mentioned works? No. Why? Because it doesn't attempt to convey a higher message than the story itself. Yet its effect upon the reader is the same. You read 'Flashman' expecting a fun adventure story and that's what you get, done to perfection. Your trust in the author is rewarded.

Fraser was a successful journalist in his native Scotland when he wrote this first Flashman novel. Amazingly, it was turned down by various publishers (giving hope to struggling writers everywhere - if even Flashman was passed by, don't take your rejection to heart!) However, upon its publication, it was a critical and popular success. There are numerous sequels of varying quality. For my part, I consider this first volume and the fourth ('Flashman at the Charge') to be the best.

If you like good, old-fashioned adventure stories, in the tradition of Conan Doyle and Sabatini, but with far more lechery and cowardice, you'll love 'Flashman'. It's simply unputdownable.

Rating:
Summary: great historical fiction for the boys..
Review: A colleague described Flashman as "Forrest Gump on drugs", which isn't quite correct. Like Forrest Gump Flashman (..a fictional character) magically turns up at all the most memorable moments in history. However unlike Forrest, Mr. Flashman is cad and, surprisingly, a marginally likeable person (whereas Forrest Gump is completely sugar-coated).

This first Flashman novel quickly reviews Flashman's childhood and how he, quite fantastically, enters the military and dives into rather incredible battles in the outer reaches of the 19th century British Empire. What really shocks the reader is that while Flashman isn't real, all the horrors (and shame) of this British battles (in Afghanistan) were real. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

The author tells the story in a rather tongue-in-cheek fashion. Flashman is an immature rascal and skirt-chaser, with a tendency to get out of trouble through unbelievable luck. His travails are meant to be unbelievable, and all in good fun.

However after reading Flashman I noticed that there are no credible female characters in the entire novel. All the women are either conniving bimbos, or ugly and "not worth bothering". While maybe this can be partially forgiven in light of the leading character being a sexist brute, I believe most women would find this novel to be mildly offensive (at best). For all others, read and enjoy. I certainly look forward to reading the next in the Flashman series.

Rating:
Summary: Great Fun
Review: A friend of mine essentially forced me to read Flashman, after talking the series up for years and I am quite glad I picked the novel up. It truly is a "rollicking" read, always amusing, often hilarious. Flashman is a highly decorated British war hero who, in his eighties decided to set the record straight and reveal what a cad and coward he is. His exploits are extremely funny--without even trying, he manages to convince the whole country of his bravery in Afghanistan when it couldn't be farther from the truth. Enjoy this one.

Rating:
Summary: Flashy Rules!
Review: A masterfully crafted, lovingly researched, bawdy, brawny adventure. READ THIS BOOK and all the other Flashman Papers

Rating:
Summary: Extremely entertaining historical fiction!
Review: As many of the other reviewers have pointed out, this is the recounting of the first of Harry Flashman's adventures, with this particular book ("memoir") set in Britain and Afghanistan in 1839-42. Flashman is a true rogue who routinely engages in thoroughly disreputable behavior (much like Jack Vance's character "Cugel" in the Dying Earth series), but you'll love him anyway. Fraser's prose is extremely well-crafted and the book is, at times, literally laugh-out-loud funny (my wife asked me what I was laughing about half a dozen times while I was reading Flashman). He has a knack for being in just the right place at the right time, and ends up playing at least a minor role in most of the important historical events of the mid-19th Century. Terrible things happen to him throughout the course of his adventures, though somehow, Flashman always manages to come out ahead in the end, even if he's slightly worse for the wear.

Fraser's history seems quite good (even elaborating on a few of the more obscure points with unobtrusive footnotes) and this is probably a good introduction for someone looking to find out a bit about British mid-19th Century involvement in Afghanistan. You don't have to be an historian to enjoy the book, however; it's extremely approachable for the layman.

Oh and don't bring any politically correct sensibilities with you when you read Flashman. Flash is most definitely *not* politically correct. Far from it. He's a man of his time (well, that's a bit of an understatement, Flashman is an avowed scoundrel and coward) and his actions and language may offend some readers, so you should be aware of that going into it.

I've only read a few other Flashman books so far, but I plan to continue on with them. While most seem fairly self-contained, I'd recommend starting the series with this one, as it gives you a very good feel for Flashman's character and sets the tone for the remainder of the series.

Rating:
Summary: Extremely entertaining historical fiction!
Review: As many of the other reviewers have pointed out, this is the recounting of the first of Harry Flashman's adventures, with this particular book ("memoir") set in Britain and Afghanistan in 1839-42. Flashman is a true rogue who routinely engages in thoroughly disreputable behavior (much like Jack Vance's character "Cugel" in the Dying Earth series), but you'll love him anyway. Fraser's prose is extremely well-crafted and the book is, at times, literally laugh-out-loud funny (my wife asked me what I was laughing about half a dozen times while I was reading Flashman). He has a knack for being in just the right place at the right time, and ends up playing at least a minor role in most of the important historical events of the mid-19th Century. Terrible things happen to him throughout the course of his adventures, though somehow, Flashman always manages to come out ahead in the end, even if he's slightly worse for the wear.

Fraser's history seems quite good (even elaborating on a few of the more obscure points with unobtrusive footnotes) and this is probably a good introduction for someone looking to find out a bit about British mid-19th Century involvement in Afghanistan. You don't have to be an historian to enjoy the book, however; it's extremely approachable for the layman.

Oh and don't bring any politically correct sensibilities with you when you read Flashman. Flash is most definitely *not* politically correct. Far from it. He's a man of his time (well, that's a bit of an understatement, Flashman is an avowed scoundrel and coward) and his actions and language may offend some readers, so you should be aware of that going into it.

I've only read a few other Flashman books so far, but I plan to continue on with them. While most seem fairly self-contained, I'd recommend starting the series with this one, as it gives you a very good feel for Flashman's character and sets the tone for the remainder of the series.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific Series
Review: Best to read them in order written -this being the first - rather than in chronological order of Flashman's accounts. You'll know what the cad's like by the time you get to '... at the Charge' and '... Great Game.' Note there are a number of Flashman web sites and at least one USENET group too.

Rating:
Summary: A GREAT READ!!!
Review: By a happy coincidence, I saw this book at a bookstore and the picture of the Indian girl caught my eye. So I bought it, and am delighted that I did. It is a great book. Historically accurate, funny, and a wild read. I have now read 6 books in this series, and am looking forward to reading the rest soon. Flashman the rogue, the rascal, bigotted coward, is the ideal anti-hero. And like all rascals assumes the worst about people, especially his pea-brained wife whom he suspects of sleeping around, even though there is no evidence of it. In Flashman's lady Mr Fraser gives extracts from Mrs. Flashman's diary, and while she comes across being a flirt, and brainless, there is no evidence of her sleeping around. Well perhaps in a new volume in this series Mr. Fraser will really clear up the issue once and for all. I higly recommend this book, and the other 6 that I have read.