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Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd (1999), Paperback, 304 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. Humor (Fiction.) HTML:If ever there was a time when I felt that 'watcher-of-the-skies-when-a-new-planet' stuff, it was when I read the first Flashman."� P.G. Wodehouse Fraser revives Flashman, a caddish bully from Tom Brown's Schooldays by Thomas Hughes, and relates Flashman�s adventures after he is expelled in drunken disgrace from Rugby school in the late 1830s. Flashy enlists in the Eleventh Light Dragoons and is promptly sent to India and Afghanistan, where despite his consistently cowardly behavior he always manages to come out on top. Flashman is an incorrigible anti-hero for the ages. This humorous adventure book will appeal to fans of historical fiction, military fiction, and British history as well as to fans of Clive Cussler, James Bond, and The Three Musketeers. Flashman is the first book of the famous �Flashman Papers� series.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member majkia
Accidental hero, self-admitted cad, coward, sexist, racist, and all-round asshat, Flashman stumbles into situations which kill better men and leave him looking like a shining example of the British Empire at her best.
A satire of Victorian ideals and prejudices, it is painfully funny and takes no
A satire of Victorian ideals and prejudices, it is painfully funny and takes no
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prisoners. Show Less
LibraryThing member iftyzaidi
When I first came across Flashman some twenty or so years ago, I turned up my nose at what seemed to be a silly 'boys own' tale of Victorian derring-do. Little did I know what I was missing. Reading some of the many tributes to Flashman's creator, George MacDonald Fraser after his recent death, I
Flashman is hilariously funny, wonderfully written, excitingly plotted and vividly characterized. And if one can't help wincing at his blatant racism, monstrous sexism and vicious violent streak, at least one can revel in the skewering of the hypocrisy of Victorian England. A romanticisation of Empire this is most assuredly not, even if it uses all the traditional tropes of the epoch.
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thought I would give this book a go. Now I'll be hunting out the other Flashman books as soon as I am able.Flashman is hilariously funny, wonderfully written, excitingly plotted and vividly characterized. And if one can't help wincing at his blatant racism, monstrous sexism and vicious violent streak, at least one can revel in the skewering of the hypocrisy of Victorian England. A romanticisation of Empire this is most assuredly not, even if it uses all the traditional tropes of the epoch.
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LibraryThing member varielle
This is a man who could single-handedly give Empire a bad name. Wildly politically incorrect, this is the first in the series of the adventures of Flashman, the naughty nemesis of Tom Brown's School Days. A cad's cad, he is the epitome of the worst qualities of wealth, class and military elitism.
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The historical accuracy of Flashman's observations in 1840s Afghanistan reveal that not much has changed even today. Perhaps if western leaders had read Flashman they might have had second thoughts about treading the same ground. Wickedly funny despite the deadly seriousness of the consequences, Flashy's advice would have been to run away as fast as you can. Show Less
LibraryThing member thorold
Frogged jackets, side-whiskers, droopy moustaches, trips to Afghanistan, 1969 - yes we're slap-bang in the Sergeant Pepper era here. Of course, neither Flashman nor his creator would approve of the comparison, but there is something very sixties about this sophisticated piece of historical fiction
As it was, it changed the rules for a rather staid genre practically overnight. From Edward Waverley to Horatio Hornblower, heroes of military historical fiction were almost invariably driven by duty, loyalty and morality. Flashman's only motivations are pleasure and self-preservation. He's a throwback to the anti-heroes of eighteenth-century novels, cunningly planted in an era when evangelical piety was becoming the new political correctness. Although Flashman clearly owes something to Lucky Jim and the rest of the angry young men, his closest predecessor in historical fiction is probably in Thackeray's spoof 18th century novel The luck of Barry Lyndon (which Kubrick borrowed as basis for a Flashmanesque film in 1975). Fraser adds authentic 1960s bawdiness (1969 was the year of Ken Russell's Women in Love, after all), and an attention to historical accuracy that would put even Scott to shame. His great trick, in this as in later books, was to mine the primary sources (contemporary memoirs, etc.) for nooks and crannies where Flashman could plausibly be fitted into the historical record, and show us great events in a new and discreditable light.
There's a more serious side to the books as well. This is also the era of Vietnam, Catch-22 and Slaughterhouse-Five. War is nasty, dangerous, and brings out the worst in all those affected by it: in Flashman's unsentimental gaze, the only sensible response to battle is flight. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool or a hypocrite. And it's perfectly clear to him that the only good reason for foreign travel is to collect loot. If the "lesser breeds without the law" happen to be well-armed and able to resist, we should leave them to run their own affairs, especially if they don't have anything worth nicking. It's probably this no-nonsense view of the world that makes Flashman as narrator a bearable companion over the long timescale of these books. His selfishness, bullying and womanising would soon get to be a bore, but he's always a wonderfully acute observer, disarmingly frank about his own human failings and merciless with the failings of his contemporaries.
If you haven't met him yet, it does make sense to start with this first book, which builds the link from the villain of Tom Brown's Schooldays to the "hero of Piper's Fort" and tells you things it's helpful to know before you come to the later books. But you should be aware that Fraser hasn't quite found Flashman's voice yet here - from the second book onwards there's a bit more depth to him, and a bit more complexity to the plots. The book advances in a fairly straightforward way through the chain of circumstances that land Flashman where he least wants to be (in the thick of the action), but there are plenty of little jokes and savage insights along the way.
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that also manages to be a bawdy, irreverent send-up of the pieties of Victorian imperialism. This couldn't have been written ten years earlier, when Britain was still getting over the humiliation of Suez, and it wouldn't have had anything like the same impact had it been written ten years later. As it was, it changed the rules for a rather staid genre practically overnight. From Edward Waverley to Horatio Hornblower, heroes of military historical fiction were almost invariably driven by duty, loyalty and morality. Flashman's only motivations are pleasure and self-preservation. He's a throwback to the anti-heroes of eighteenth-century novels, cunningly planted in an era when evangelical piety was becoming the new political correctness. Although Flashman clearly owes something to Lucky Jim and the rest of the angry young men, his closest predecessor in historical fiction is probably in Thackeray's spoof 18th century novel The luck of Barry Lyndon (which Kubrick borrowed as basis for a Flashmanesque film in 1975). Fraser adds authentic 1960s bawdiness (1969 was the year of Ken Russell's Women in Love, after all), and an attention to historical accuracy that would put even Scott to shame. His great trick, in this as in later books, was to mine the primary sources (contemporary memoirs, etc.) for nooks and crannies where Flashman could plausibly be fitted into the historical record, and show us great events in a new and discreditable light.
There's a more serious side to the books as well. This is also the era of Vietnam, Catch-22 and Slaughterhouse-Five. War is nasty, dangerous, and brings out the worst in all those affected by it: in Flashman's unsentimental gaze, the only sensible response to battle is flight. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool or a hypocrite. And it's perfectly clear to him that the only good reason for foreign travel is to collect loot. If the "lesser breeds without the law" happen to be well-armed and able to resist, we should leave them to run their own affairs, especially if they don't have anything worth nicking. It's probably this no-nonsense view of the world that makes Flashman as narrator a bearable companion over the long timescale of these books. His selfishness, bullying and womanising would soon get to be a bore, but he's always a wonderfully acute observer, disarmingly frank about his own human failings and merciless with the failings of his contemporaries.
If you haven't met him yet, it does make sense to start with this first book, which builds the link from the villain of Tom Brown's Schooldays to the "hero of Piper's Fort" and tells you things it's helpful to know before you come to the later books. But you should be aware that Fraser hasn't quite found Flashman's voice yet here - from the second book onwards there's a bit more depth to him, and a bit more complexity to the plots. The book advances in a fairly straightforward way through the chain of circumstances that land Flashman where he least wants to be (in the thick of the action), but there are plenty of little jokes and savage insights along the way.
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LibraryThing member Helenliz
I'm not sure what to make of this. As a story it has all the elements of a swashbuckler, with Flashman getting into all sorts of scrapes and coming through to find himself finding himself proclaimed a hero. The thing is, he really isn't, he's a coward, a liar and a thoroughly bad hat. Initially the
I could probably cope with him being a liar and cheat and a disgraceful individual, as the story is told with a certain amount of flair and a sort of brutal honesty. The thing I can't cope with is that he (or his author, I can't decide which) is a dreadful misogynist. The women who feature are all 2D cutouts, placed purely for Flashman to bed (or worse) or to belittle, or both. And the language is derogatory throughout. He refers to riding his women, he thinks nothing of raping one of them and dismissing it as a non-event, he describes being kept in a cell without even "an Afghan bint" to keep him company. I try very much not to judge a book from an earlier time by the standards of today, but i find it impossible to accept the treatment of the female characters in this book. It could be a rip-roaring tale told by an anti-hero, and that would see it sitting at 3 to 4 stars. But I find myself unable to not take offence at the depiction of women, and so this one gets an OK (at best) 2 stars and a decision to not bother tackling the rest of the series.
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books sets this up as being a packet of remembrances written by an elderly ex military man. It also sets up a link between the author of the memoirs and Tom Brown's Schooldays, with this Flashman being the self same who features in that work. He finds himself expelled from Rugby, and turns to the Army. Not to serve his country, but to look good in the uniform and while riding a horse. Due to an unfortunate incident, he finds himself sent to Afghanistan just as trouble breaks out between the British (and their puppet king) and the local tribes. I could probably cope with him being a liar and cheat and a disgraceful individual, as the story is told with a certain amount of flair and a sort of brutal honesty. The thing I can't cope with is that he (or his author, I can't decide which) is a dreadful misogynist. The women who feature are all 2D cutouts, placed purely for Flashman to bed (or worse) or to belittle, or both. And the language is derogatory throughout. He refers to riding his women, he thinks nothing of raping one of them and dismissing it as a non-event, he describes being kept in a cell without even "an Afghan bint" to keep him company. I try very much not to judge a book from an earlier time by the standards of today, but i find it impossible to accept the treatment of the female characters in this book. It could be a rip-roaring tale told by an anti-hero, and that would see it sitting at 3 to 4 stars. But I find myself unable to not take offence at the depiction of women, and so this one gets an OK (at best) 2 stars and a decision to not bother tackling the rest of the series.
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LibraryThing member mbg0312
This is a sharp, brilliant, and painful satire of colonialist Britain. The depictions of casual brutality of the British towards the Indians and Afghans make it hard to read at times, but the story told from the point of view of an unapologetic British thug from the upper-class sends up all the
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supposed virtues of the British Empire - ennoblement of the "savages," military honor, and bravery. Show Less
LibraryThing member dougwood57
Harry Flashman, aka Flashy, is a coward and a cad, not to mention one horny devil. His sense of self-preservation is exceeded only by his most incredible luck. 'Flashman' begins the series of tales that relate Flashy's exploits. The book begins with Flashy being kicked out of school, cuckolding his
The tale is told from the long lost Flashman Papers written when Flashy is 80 years old. He is shamelessly honest about his youthful dishonesty, cowardice, treachery, and womanizing. Sometimes I would begin to think 'well, Flashy is really just giving voice to the same fears that every soldier feels in the face of imminent battle and likely death', but then he'll do something dreadfully base, contemptible, detestable, dirty, dishonorable, low, mean, sordid, vile, and wretched and then I remember just what a despicable character he has - funny, magnetic, and almost loveable, but despicable nonetheless!
Absolutely hilarious. Highest recommendation.
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own father, joining and being thrown out of the 11th Hussars, but ending up in India and then Afghanistan with British Army. The tale is told from the long lost Flashman Papers written when Flashy is 80 years old. He is shamelessly honest about his youthful dishonesty, cowardice, treachery, and womanizing. Sometimes I would begin to think 'well, Flashy is really just giving voice to the same fears that every soldier feels in the face of imminent battle and likely death', but then he'll do something dreadfully base, contemptible, detestable, dirty, dishonorable, low, mean, sordid, vile, and wretched and then I remember just what a despicable character he has - funny, magnetic, and almost loveable, but despicable nonetheless!
Absolutely hilarious. Highest recommendation.
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LibraryThing member ragwaine
Funny and witty, cool plot but I can do without the rape and the beating women. Was cool that he got tortured and his wife cheated on him.
LibraryThing member bookwoman247
The main character, Harry Flashman is a foolish, self-preserving, bigoted, womanizing coward. I didn't like him at all, yet couldn't help but laugh at the scrapes he would get into, and through no real effort of his own, get out of. I enjoyed the adventure, humor, and history. In its way, it was a
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fun read. I'm not sure if I'll read more in this series. Show Less
LibraryThing member Xleptodactylous
You cannot fault the writing. It is sublime and quick, funny and easy to read but not see easy it is only a quick-read (if you get me). But hell the character of Flashman is an utter arse. I don't care how well written it is, or how unlike the author is to the character (one would hope) but I am
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struggling to not use the C-word right now. I hope there is some resolve to him and that he does indeed repent for everything he had ever done, but nothing would make me read any more of it. Historical fiction is lovely, but the fiction part doesn't always have to follow the candour of the history part. Show Less
LibraryThing member BruderBane
“Flashman” the first novel in George MacDonal Fraser’s "Flashman" series is truly a mold breaker and has been an inspiration for some great and hilarious characters like Flasheart in the “Black Adder” series and Ciaphus Cain in Warhammer 40K. I thoroughly enjoyed the absolute villainess
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attitude of our antihero (if we can even call Flashman an antihero) and his circuitous junket (although being shackled and beaten nearly to death can’t be all fun) through some of the most harrying battles in 19th century British history. Herein Mr. Fraser is extraordinarily accurate in his portrayal of the people, places and circumstances of Flashman’s day. In addition, I was quite astounded by the touching finale between Flashman and his wife. This, although seemingly out of place, brought another dimension of pragmatism to the novel I wasn’t expecting. Hurrah, three cheers and all that to Flashman and Mr. Fraser. Show Less
LibraryThing member quondame
Well it does what it sets out to do in a sprightly manner, but not sprightly enough to make up for the determined ghastliness of its eponymous narrator. Spending time with the Flash is not time well spent.
LibraryThing member MediaWrite
If you are any sort of reader at all, you must read the Flashman books. Harry Flashman is a coward and a bully; always watching out for number one, without very much feeling for anyone else (he says, but this turns out not to always be true, or we wouldn't like him at all). As a soldier in the
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Queen's service he makes his way through different momentous events in Victorian history--mainly colossal defeats of the British Colonial forces, such as the Charge of the Light Brigade. He tries to wheedle his way out of battles but ends up in the thick of the fighting. He never does anything heroic but through accident, lies, and mistaken identity he becomes a much-decorated hero throughout the course of the Flashman series. The series is ostensibly his memoirs discovered after his death. Fraser is such a fantastic storyteller and understand's Britain's history in the colonies so well that even though the books are packed full of historical facts they are fascinating to read simply as great, entertaining fiction. I know many history buffs love them; I'm not a history buff at all and I love them--and learned something while reading them. The Flashman books will entertain you no matter what you think of "history." Show Less
LibraryThing member Idiom
My all time favourite anti-hero. The bastard you love to hate (and hate yourself for loving!). And why? Because probably in the midst of Upper-Middle class Victorian prudery, sanctemonious righteousness and hypocrisy, he turns out to be the most honest cads of all time. Learn about nineteenth
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century history from a historian, and all with that naughty flashy slant. Such a shame he died before all of the stories were told. (oh and because he taught me what 'poonts' were!) Show Less
LibraryThing member jztemple
The recent death of George McDonald Fraser has brought a close (maybe permanent, maybe not?) to this delightful series of books. I have had the pleasure of following this series every since the release of the first book back in the sixties. The Flashman novels combine history (including substantial
The Flashman novels could be dismissed as sensationalized light reading , but Fraser cleverly tied his character into most of the major events of the last sixty years of the nineteenth century, a Victorian Zelig or Forrest Gump. Flashman casually mentions this minor detail or that simple observation, then Fraser in his assumed role as editor of the Flashman papers meticulously explains in the endnotes how these mentions by Flashman confirm the truth of his narrative, since only if Flashman was there could he have known about this fact or that. Fraser's endnotes also round out the historic details of the narrative, giving background and elaboration to the history-as-I-lived-it tales told by Flashman. It all works wonderfully, even if you somewhat suspect that some details are being outrageously fabricated.
I very strongly recommend these books to anyone who has an interest in history and is willing to keep an open mind towards the womanizing and the language (the n-word appears quite a bit, but completely in character for Flashman). I would suggest the best way to read them is in order of publication. This doesn't follow Flashman's own life chronology, but the books published later often make reference to previous editions of the "Flashman Papers" and so is more fun for the reader to follow.
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endnotes) with sex, action, adventure and the secret pleasure of enjoying the exploits of one of the most notoriously popular non-politically correct characters of 20th Century literature. Flashman is a womanizer, a coward, a scoundrel and a cheat, but in the novels, which are all narrated by Flashman himself, he is utterly honest with his readers. He is a man not proud of his faults, but certainly unabashed about them.The Flashman novels could be dismissed as sensationalized light reading , but Fraser cleverly tied his character into most of the major events of the last sixty years of the nineteenth century, a Victorian Zelig or Forrest Gump. Flashman casually mentions this minor detail or that simple observation, then Fraser in his assumed role as editor of the Flashman papers meticulously explains in the endnotes how these mentions by Flashman confirm the truth of his narrative, since only if Flashman was there could he have known about this fact or that. Fraser's endnotes also round out the historic details of the narrative, giving background and elaboration to the history-as-I-lived-it tales told by Flashman. It all works wonderfully, even if you somewhat suspect that some details are being outrageously fabricated.
I very strongly recommend these books to anyone who has an interest in history and is willing to keep an open mind towards the womanizing and the language (the n-word appears quite a bit, but completely in character for Flashman). I would suggest the best way to read them is in order of publication. This doesn't follow Flashman's own life chronology, but the books published later often make reference to previous editions of the "Flashman Papers" and so is more fun for the reader to follow.
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LibraryThing member Donogh
Despite the adulation many reviewers have for this book I avoided it for years, thinking it either a hammy romance or a tiresome historical novel. Having read the author's own memoirs (Quartered Safe out Here) i resolved to read it, being impressed with his skillful writing and wonderful
Gladly my original expectations were overturned in a ... um, flash.
Fraser's voice is pitch-perfect, and he sets the anti-hero on the romantic mid-19th century world with cynical abandon. Flashman is a cad, and early on in the book we cheer to see him caught out by a future in-law (my pealing laughter at his comeuppance did startle my fellow commuters!).
When later on we clasp our hands to our heads hoping that this very same cad escapes from the terrible fate which surely awaits him it is Fraser's writing which makes our volte-face possible.
Flashman's role in the First Afghan War is writ large. We do not believe Flashman's part in it to be because he is especially competent or deserving, but that he is simply (if astoundingly) lucky, and we are only slightly embarassed (no less than he is) by the plaudits and honours he receives at journey's end.
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self-deprecating sense of humour.Gladly my original expectations were overturned in a ... um, flash.
Fraser's voice is pitch-perfect, and he sets the anti-hero on the romantic mid-19th century world with cynical abandon. Flashman is a cad, and early on in the book we cheer to see him caught out by a future in-law (my pealing laughter at his comeuppance did startle my fellow commuters!).
When later on we clasp our hands to our heads hoping that this very same cad escapes from the terrible fate which surely awaits him it is Fraser's writing which makes our volte-face possible.
Flashman's role in the First Afghan War is writ large. We do not believe Flashman's part in it to be because he is especially competent or deserving, but that he is simply (if astoundingly) lucky, and we are only slightly embarassed (no less than he is) by the plaudits and honours he receives at journey's end.
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LibraryThing member MrsPlum
Discovering Flashman has been my highlight for 2010.
Fraser’s skills as a novelist and historian is such that he created a character who remains ultimately likeable, despite his treatment of women. Indeed, there have been many such men in life – why not in art? Admittedly, had I leapt into
Best of all, Flashy’s account of his service in Afghanistan and the grim retreat from Kabul is fabulous, gripping writing.
Fraser’s skills as a novelist and historian is such that he created a character who remains ultimately likeable, despite his treatment of women. Indeed, there have been many such men in life – why not in art? Admittedly, had I leapt into
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Flashman chronologically, with this book first, I might not have been so enamoured, as we view him at his abusive worst in this most youthful of his adventures. Best of all, Flashy’s account of his service in Afghanistan and the grim retreat from Kabul is fabulous, gripping writing.
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LibraryThing member santhony
Harry Flashman, bon vivant wastrel and ne’er do well, is the protagonist in this satire of mid-19th century English society and colonialism. Published over 40 years ago, the story is as raucous and entertaining as the day it went to print.
In this, the original Flashman novel, we are introduced to
From a comfortable home office posting with the Dragoons, Flashman is relegated to the colony of India after a brief, disastrous stint in Scotland. Destined for a miserable position with the company troops of the East India Company, Flashman uses his charm and wiles to attach himself to a high ranking British officer, only to discover he is bound for Kabul, Afghanistan. What follows is one of the most humiliating chapters in British military history, and Flashman is in the center of the debacle.
Never before have I encountered such a likeable cad. At every juncture, Flashman seeks fame, pleasure and riches at the least risk to him, and is not above larceny to acquire them. Most refreshing is his candor and self recognition, expressing scorn and disbelief at those willing to risk life and fortune for noble or selfless causes. A rollicking good read.
In this, the original Flashman novel, we are introduced to
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the primary school bully who is bounced from Rugby School at age 17 for drunkenness (among numerous other faults) and subsequently enlists in the 11th Light Dragoons. From this point, hilarity ensues as we follow the exploits of what can only be described as one of the most character deficient cads ever in print.From a comfortable home office posting with the Dragoons, Flashman is relegated to the colony of India after a brief, disastrous stint in Scotland. Destined for a miserable position with the company troops of the East India Company, Flashman uses his charm and wiles to attach himself to a high ranking British officer, only to discover he is bound for Kabul, Afghanistan. What follows is one of the most humiliating chapters in British military history, and Flashman is in the center of the debacle.
Never before have I encountered such a likeable cad. At every juncture, Flashman seeks fame, pleasure and riches at the least risk to him, and is not above larceny to acquire them. Most refreshing is his candor and self recognition, expressing scorn and disbelief at those willing to risk life and fortune for noble or selfless causes. A rollicking good read.
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LibraryThing member leslie.98
It was sheer coincidence that I read this only a few months after The Far Pavilions... For those unfamiliar with either of these books, they both deal with 19th century British army in India & Afghanistan. Flashman is involved in the first Anglo-Afghan war while Ashton Pelham-Martyn was present for
Flashman could be called an anti-hero I suppose; he certainly describes himself that way, as a coward & scoundrel. His actions, particularly in regard to women, are awful but the reader can't help liking him. Perhaps it is because he is so open about all his weaknesses that one prefers him to the braver but stupider (or hypocritical) soldiers around him. In any case, as in Far Pavilions, the reader is left shaking his/her head at the incredible incompetence and arrogance of the leaders in the British army.
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the second Anglo-Afghan war; neither of them were typical British Army but otherwise they are quite different characters!!Flashman could be called an anti-hero I suppose; he certainly describes himself that way, as a coward & scoundrel. His actions, particularly in regard to women, are awful but the reader can't help liking him. Perhaps it is because he is so open about all his weaknesses that one prefers him to the braver but stupider (or hypocritical) soldiers around him. In any case, as in Far Pavilions, the reader is left shaking his/her head at the incredible incompetence and arrogance of the leaders in the British army.
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LibraryThing member ABVR
I get it . . . I really do. I understand that Fraser is writing a highly sophisticated, take-no-prisoners satire of Victorian Britain. I appreciate that Harry Flashman is meant to be the living, breathing, over-the-top embodiment of everything that was loathsome about nineteenth-century
I get it . . . and I'll even grant that Fraser pulls off the satire without a single misstep. The historical background is immaculate, the details of Victorian life are meticulously handled, and Flashman (as a character) is pitch-perfect on every page. He never wavers . . . never softens . . . never turns and winks to show the reader that it's all just good fun.
I get it . . . but I find Harry Flashman such a thoroughly loathsome character -- cruel, violent, racist, misogynistic, and the rest -- that I found the book (much as I admired Fraser's level of craft) actively unpleasant and disturbing to read. So I stopped.
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imperialism. I have no interest in judging the Victorians by contemporary moral standards, much less of judging an acid-etched caricature of them by those standards.I get it . . . and I'll even grant that Fraser pulls off the satire without a single misstep. The historical background is immaculate, the details of Victorian life are meticulously handled, and Flashman (as a character) is pitch-perfect on every page. He never wavers . . . never softens . . . never turns and winks to show the reader that it's all just good fun.
I get it . . . but I find Harry Flashman such a thoroughly loathsome character -- cruel, violent, racist, misogynistic, and the rest -- that I found the book (much as I admired Fraser's level of craft) actively unpleasant and disturbing to read. So I stopped.
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LibraryThing member bigbub
Excellent story about the misadventures (what could have happened??) to the stereotypical hero of the Victorian era. Flashman is a complete thug and scoundrel, and will do whatever he wishes if given the chance, but at the same time cringes away from duty and country, yet still comes out on top,
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smelling like roses. Show Less
LibraryThing member antiquary
very clever idea -memoirs of the complete Victorian cad. Unfortunately in the first volume he is so thoroughly caddish --especially betraying his faithful native servant -- that is is hard to enjoy the story. In later volumes he is more picaresque --lecherous and opportunistic but not so vile --and
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they are much more enjoyable. Show Less
LibraryThing member brewergirl
I can't believe it took me to age 40-something to discover Flashman. Flashman himself is rude, crude, and cowardly ... but he manages to survive his adventures in the end with a spotless reputation. There were enough truly historical facts, people, and places in the book that I had to read up on
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the history of the British involvement in Afghanistan to appreciate which parts were "real." Show Less
LibraryThing member ocianain
The only problem with the Flashman books is, there are too few of them, this is offset by MacDonald's writing in other areas (history, social criticism, etc). Flashman is however, GMF masterwork, scoundrel, liar, and bully he's only redeaming feature is his love for his Elsbeth. Through a series of
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unfortunate events he falls into a series of adventures he's spectacularly ill equipped to handle. Show Less
LibraryThing member ben_a
What a cad! And what a creation by Fraser. Predictably the implicit contrasts (Flashman vs. Mackenzie, Flashman vs. the sterling Sergeant Hudson) are keystone moments for me.
***
"I would if I could, you know. But whatever my back looks like, I can't do much just yet. I think there's something
He stood looking down at me. "Yes sir," says he at length, "I think there is."
***
"As to the excellence of the match," said he, "I'd sooner see her marry a Barbary ape."
***
"I would if I could, you know. But whatever my back looks like, I can't do much just yet. I think there's something
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broken inside" He stood looking down at me. "Yes sir," says he at length, "I think there is."
***
"As to the excellence of the match," said he, "I'd sooner see her marry a Barbary ape."
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Subjects
Original publication date
1969
Physical description
304 p.; 7.8 inches
ISBN
0006511252 / 9780006511250
Local notes
Flashman - soldier, duellist, lover, imposter, coward, cad and hero - and his adventures as the reluctant secret agent in Afghanistan, his entry into the exclusive company of Lord Cardigan's Hussars, and his part in the historic disaster of the Retreat from Kabul. This is the story of a blackguard who enjoyed villainy for its own sake.
The Flashman Papers 1839-1842
The Flashman Papers 1839-1842