Sean Bean Books

I had never heard the real King Arthur tale. I enjoyed it tremendously! Sean Bean's narration of this tale is exquisite. His voice is perfect for books on tape. Such depth. You felt you were really there. I would recommend this to anyone!

This CD was bought for our then seven year old son and we listened to it on a long car trip. What a fantastic way to pass the time. Sean Bean is phenomenal as the narrator and characters of the story. Thrown into this great story is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, another exciting story within the story of King Arthur. This story on CD appeals to all ages from our seven year old to our sixteen year old and to adults. It is one of a few stories that you really can listen to again and again and still be enthralled. I would highly recommend keeping it in the car for the long trips. In fact, I just convinced myself to listen to it again on our upcoming trip!

The whole family is hooked on this. The classical music that accompanies it is compelling. You think you are there.

Sean Bean does an awesome job on this production. His range of voices and dialects are amazing. Very eerie in the parts that are supposed to be.

It's hard to take such a well known tale and still make it fun to listen to, but Sean Bean's voice and cadences kept me listening to the end.

A wonderful addition to any kitchen. I love the beautiful, glossy photos of all the recipes. The dishes look very mouth-watering and I can't wait to start cooking! Oh... and yeah, the photos of Sean Bean peppered throughout the book doesn't hurt either! YUMMY!! Bon appetit!!

This book is excellent. Not only are the recipes easy to follow, but each recipe has a picture to accompany it, so you can see how the finished dish will look. Lots of information on osteoporosis, some interesting facts on life in Regency England and several very amusing introductions to the different sections of the book and many of the recipes. And you know you are supporting a good cause.......remember research will benefit osteoporosis sufferers all over the world.

This isn't your ordinary charity cookbook - as a matter of fact, it's not an ordinary cookbook at all!
If you like the Sharpe series of books by Bernard Cornwell; if you like the Sharpe film series starring Sean Bean; if you enjoy trying out easy-to-prepare dishes or learning more about the Napoleonic Wars and Regency England (information delivered more than a bit tongue-in-cheek!) . . . you'll love "Sharpe Chefs!"
Conceived and created by twenty-six women from around the world, "Sharpe Chefs" features more than 100 recipes, including contributions from the actors, producers, and director of the critically acclaimed BBC television series, Sharpe. Endorsed by Sean Bean, with a forward from Bernard Cornwell, "Sharpe Chefs" is a beautifully designed, lavishly illustrated volume that will inform, amuse, and inspire you to try out the dishes - from "Lord Wellington's Crab Dip" to "Sharpe's Christmas Apples".
Best of all, this really is a cookbook for charity. Every penny of authors' profit is going to support the National Osteoporosis Society of the UK - whose research into the prevention and treatment of a disease that effects 1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men is shared around the world.

What a wonderful memoir.
Stanley Matthews was one of the greatest footballers ever, and in this book tells his story with humour, but without the bravado of our era.
He gives us lovely images of the players of his time, and the games they played.
Makes one wish that one could go back in time.

a throughly enjoyable read. you can read this book for the simple joy of a tightly written, well plotted work of fiction, or as a novelization of historical events or enjoy both at the same time. Cornwell has a chapter in the back of each book that tells you what part of the book is historical fact and what part he inserted his characters in. I have enjoyed the progress of his characters through his many books, Sharp rises through the ranks from privet to major, because of his daring and courage and ambition, not something that happened very often in the British army where rank was generally purchased.

Cornwell's "Sharpe's Tiger" is a great book. I couldn't put it down. Its bad guys aren't all bad, and the good guys aren't all good - and you're never quite sure where the main character (Sharpe) falls in that spectrum.
Lots of action, descriptive narrative, be sure you get more than just the first of these books, since as soon as you finish this one, you're going to jump right back on Amazon and order the rest of the series!! (like I did)

I really liked this book as Cornwell seems to present blunt and realistic descriptions of life of the average enlisted man. A really good read. Take this book to the airport and you wont worry how delayed your flight is.

This first series installment introduces us to protagonist Richard Sharpe, an orphan from the gutter whose only shot in life is as a lowly private in the British Army, and whose only real skill is fighting. Sharpe does have related skills and virtues - honesty, wit, courage, initiative and resourcefulness among them - which is why the time spent with him in each book is so enjoyable.

Sharpe reports to the diabolical Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill, who exists primarily to cheat and scheme money out of his subordinates, and secondarily to torment them for sheer enjoyment. Hakeswill lusts for Sharpe's girlfriend and wants to sell her to a brothel owner, and so trumps up a scheme to have him flogged to death.

But Sharpe is saved when he gets tapped to accompany an officer on a dangerous mission: finding a high-ranking British spy who has reconnoitered the defenses of Seringapatam. This is the stronghold of the fabulously wealthy Tippoo Sultan, the main obstacle to British rule of southern India.

Sharpe and Lt. Bill Lawford, good-hearted but naïve, find themselves swapping roles across class lines as they work their way towards the imprisoned Colonel McCandless, impersonating British deserters. Sharpe has more street smarts and finds himself in the unusual position of giving an officer orders.

All Cornwell's distinctive touches are found here - the luxury and misery of India, the fabulous wealth and huge harems of the powerful, the dreary lives of the British rank-and-file, and the exquisite tortures meted out by cruel rulers, who might have prisoners torn apart by sadistic musclemen or fearsome tigers. Cornwell pays meticulous attention to 19th century siege warfare.

In some ways he is even more compelling a character than Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey: Aubrey, from gentry, has some natural allies, but Sharpe's natural state in life is alone, back to the wall, with no allies but the converts he makes as he serves side by side with them. Sharpe's ingenious but totally plausible improvisations allow him to, whatever the day is, seize it. The Sharpe books are delightful.

I read all of the original Sharpe series in the eighties and thought that the series had come to it's natural conclusion with Sharpes Waterloo in 1990. I was very suprised to see Sharpes Devil a couple of years later and to my mind this was a book too far in the series. Cornwell was always writing other books at the same time including the excellent Redcoat aas well as the nautical thrillers. When he started the Starbuck chronicles I was delighted and followed Nates adventures in the same manner as I had Sharpe's. Then, after the Sharpe series had been shown on tv Cornwell abandoned "The Starbuck Chronicles" mid-series (after four books)and resurected Sharpe. Not to sound too cynical but the only reason for this betrayal of fans who had bought the new books and were following Starbuck could only have been money...Cornwell betrayed and sacrificed the Starbuck fans for a newer and more lucrutive market...the new Sharpe fans worldwide who came to the books after the tv series. In order to continue to cash in along came all the new books each one inserted in a different period of Sharpe's career. If you have read the original series you won't recognise Sharpe's description in the new books..because it's Sean Bean!...Thanks Bernard, how's the yacht?

This is another entry on the Sharpe series. It is fun, entertaining and very readable. Cornwell's research is as excellent as usual. He takes some licenses for the shake of the story and continuity, but this is OK. Some people are outraged by the portrait of some of the real historical characters, but historical characters are rarely depicted accurately in historical fiction, so I think this can be forgiven. Besides, usually a more serious account of these characters is given at the end of the book on the Historical Note.

Many people insist in compare this series with Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander. I don't think this is fair for any of the series, they are different entities. What they have in common is that once you start you may get hooked and devour one book after another...

And in the literary world today that is a rare and marvelous thing.

"Sharpe's Devil" is - so far - the final book in Bernard Cornwell's epic Richard Sharpe series in chronological terms. Cornwell has famously written many of these books out of historical sequence, but for the most part the novels formed a long, slow build to a magnificent climax with "Waterloo," when Sharpe finally faces Napoleon on the battlefield. "Waterloo" worked on many levels, but primarily as the perfect final act of Sharpe's long military career.

But Cornwell is a prolific writer, so say the least, and he must have felt that Sharpe and Patrick Harper deserved an entertaining epilogue of sorts, so here we have "Sharpe's Devil." The novel kicks off in 1820, and Sharpe has settled down in Normandy, content to live a farmer's life with Lucille and their two children. But a woman from Sharpe's past comes with a small errand - can Sharpe go to Chile to track down Don Blas Vivar, her husband? Don Blas had fought with Sharpe in Spain and they were friends of sorts. Lucille reminds Sharpe that they need money for the farm, and with this somewhat unconvincing prologue, Sharpe sets off for the New World with Harper - now obese after years of sampling his own wares at his pub in Ireland.

On the way to Chile, Sharpe and Harper meet Napoleon, who charms them and gives Sharpe a token to present to an "admirer" in Chile. This of course is false, and puts Sharpe at the mercy of the corrupt Spanish authorities in Chile because the token is actually a coded message from Napoleon to a local rebel.

The point of Cornwell's story is to have Sharpe fight alongside one of the era's true mavericks, Lord Cochrane. Cochrane is a famous sailor who has hired out his services to the Chilean rebels fighting against their Spanish overlords - he is the titular devil. Cochrane may have served as Patrick O'Brian's inspiration for Lucky Jack Aubrey, as the two characters are both audacious and lucky in battle as well as being completely useless in politics. But who could resist having Cochrane, the ultimate sailor, meet Sharpe, the ultimate soldier?

Unfortunately, while the novel has several promising elements - there is no such thing as a bad Bernard Cornwell novel - it does not hit the heights of the rest of the series. Perhaps most annoyingly, the Spanish foes Cochrane and Sharpe face have a disturbing tendency to run away. At several key moments, Sharpe and Cochrane would be dead if the local soldiers could mount a decent volley and bayonet charge, but instead they run away. Indeed, some forts are abandoned seemingly before they are even fired upon.

Ultimately, the enemies Sharpe, Harper and Cochrane face in "Devil" just aren't up to snuff. While the novel raises the intriguing notion of Napoleon heading to Chile to start another campaign, this obviously did not occur. Fans of Cornwell will probably read "Devil" anyway, but the book in no way constitutes an essential part of the Sharpe legend. Feel free to stop with "Waterloo" and check out Cornwell's other series if you haven't read them already.

I've read nearly all the full-length Sharpe books, and this is definitely the weakest. The plot is desultory and predictable, the characters thinly drawn, and worst of all, Harper is reduced to comic relief. I still read it - it's still Sharpe - but it's a disappointment. If you haven't read the other books in the series, I urge you to put this off until you can't stand waiting for Cornwell to come out with his next book. Chronologically, that should be easy, since this book takes place after Sharpe's been retired for a good long time.

Excellend adventure reading. I liked all Sharp stories.

Six years after the end of the Napoleonic wars, ex-Rifleman Richard Sharpe toils on his French wife's farm in Normandy. Times are a little tough, so when the fabulously wealthy wife of a former Spanish comrade asks him to travel to Chile to find her missing husband, he can't refuse the gold that comes with the request. Naturally, Sharpe rounds up the now-rotund and prosperous tavern-keeper Patrick Harper before setting sail for South America. Their vessel is a Spanish one, ferrying a number of patronizing and foppish Spanish officers who are off to fight the Chilean rebels (who are led by the intriguing half-Spanish, half-Irish gentleman Bernardo O'Higgins). These Spaniards decide to take a minor detour to St. Helena to gawk at the imprisoned Napoleon, and of course Sharpe and Harper can't resist the chance to pay their own respects. The ex-emperor is by now rotting away in his dank mansion, with peeling wallpaper, a poor wine-cellar, and a large British garrison to keep him company. Treated like a curiosity in a zoo, he is disdainful of the Spaniards, but is intrigued by Sharpe and Harper, who are clearly fellow warriors. Cornwell has a lot of fun with this section, as the two old soldiers talk shop, honor each other, and Sharpe, with his customary naivite is unwittingly drawn into intrigue.

Eventually, the ship arrives in Chile, where Sharpe is told the man he is seeking, Captain-General Vivar, is actually dead. Of course, Sharpe is suspicious when a body can't be produced, and soon he and Harper have run afoul of the thoroughly evil Spanish Governor-General Bautista. Events entertainingly run their course, and soon the dynamic duo find themselves on the side of the rebels seeking to eject the Spaniards from Chile. They come under the wings of Admiral Cochrane, a Scottish Lord turned rebel seaman, and all around adventurer. Cochrane is a wildly daring and bold leader, a real life figure of such improbability that many readers will want to rush out and read one of the biographies about his exploits (The Audacious Admiral Cochrane by and The Sea Wolf by being two). Once in Cochrane's company, the action ratchets up until the climactic battle at Valdivia, where the ragtag rebel navy crushed the entrenched and more numerous Spanish defenders in an audacious action, heralding an end to Spanish rule. The rout also allows Sharpe to unravel the mystery of what befell Captain-General Vivar, and of course, exact retribution on the nasty Bautista.

This is indubitably a change of pace and setting from the regular Sharpe books, but a welcome one. As always, the military action is well described, there are evil villains, interesting supporting characters, and a heavy dose of vivid personages from history on hand. It's hard to imagine anyone making the nominally drab topic of Chilean independence come alive more vividly than Cornwell does here. There's a lot packed into this one, and Cornwell even manages to raise the specter of one of history's more interesting "what ifs" via an audacious plot. All in all, great fun.

PS. Anyone interested in St. Helena is advised to read Harry Ritchie's excellent travel book, The Last Pink Bits, which has a good section on how the island fares in modern times.

Very funny--yet warm--film, despite some negative critic reviews (perhaps because it centers around Catholicism???). And great on-location scenery! If you like more subtle humor, and don't need pies in the face and crass jokes, give it a go. RD's facial expressions alone will crack you up! And, there are redeeming resolutions to all the comedy in the end--w/o any particular religion being force-fed to you. I just have to keep watching this one again and again.

I ordered the movie "we're no angels". When I could find no way to continue to buy it, I cancelled the transaction.....I thought. Your system saved my first order. I ended up with two copies. It made a nice Christmas present ,but I wish your system was better.

This is simply another film that I had seen years ago, a film that I wanted to add to my DVD collection that began not all that long ago.

This movie makes me think of how great things can be achieved out of lack of choice and desperation and how people imate things without understanding the reasons underneath those things.

This is a very funny movie that seems to get better the more you watch it. DeNero and Penn are great as two escaped convicts posing as priest to get accross the border into Canada. Try it you'll like it! Very funny with an excellent cast.

Sean takes his talking points a bit further in this compelling book. Great read! I can recommend!

I like this book because it was a channel to meet Hannity, one of my favority conservative representatives.

It is very touching how he describes 9/11 and the effects on him.

Very easy to read and full of beautiful surprises.

Without getting into a public discussion about the politics within this book, I'll just say this: Sean Hannity has a firm grasp on his opinions. They're well articulated throughout the book. He cites facts and doesn't just blow smoke. This is a great read for anyone who loves Ameria, not just the republicans. There are things in the book that every American should know.

Hannity is a disgrace to the true conservative movement and stands as a monument to everything that has gone wrong in this country during the past 15 years. His book is filled with as many distortions as his TV show. If it was up to Hannity, Rush and Ann, we would have a one-party system with a judiciary and congress set up to act as nothing but shills for our elected king.

I'm still unclear how anyone can watch his show or listen to his radio program. What is more painful is trying to get through his book. I pray that nobody actually pays for this book, thus encouraging this fear monger to write more. Please, stop the madness.

Laura Jackson does get some of the details wrong, like stating that Sean Bean divorced his first wife after moving to London to attend at RADA. In reality, they split before. However, she provides an overall well-rounded portrait of the actor, which makes for an interesting if rather quick read. There are several pages of colour photos as well, an added point of interest, and fascinating details about several of Sean Bean's projects. How many people know that several of the cast of Sharpe got very ill from the Ukraine catering?

If you're looking for a book to fill in the gaps on your knowledge of this actor, or just something to while away a lazy summer afternoon, this one will do quite nicely. And the cover alone is gorgeous - surely Sean Bean should get an award for Best Smile of the Year?

I have been a fan of Sean Bean for some time - from the first time I saw the Sharpe series through the Robert Lovelace/Clarissa role and the odd villainous appearances. I don't generally read biographies of actors but thought since he'd portrayed such an interesting variety of characters that there would be an interesting person behind them. However, I wouldn't know if there was or not. He seems to have led an interesting life but there really isn't a shred of the man himself in this book.

Maybe it's too much to expect - I wasn't looking for dirt but I was certainly looking for substance and found nothing. "Everyone likes him, he's a man's man, he's a great actor". The book leads you to believe that he had about as much depth as a cereal bowl and I tend to think that there's more to this actor than that. I found it very vacuous.

I read this book because I ordered it from an inter library loan. It is not for sale through Amazon much to my disappointment. The book is a good overview of Mr.Bean's work in films. It does not offer anything else.

There isn't any really deep analysis of Sean Bean as a person. Next to nothing about his childhood is in the book, nor any photos of him as a kid. The author had no access to his relatives, and only interviewed a teacher of his from primary school and his drama teacher from Sheffield.

Primarily this is a good book for his devoted fans who want a good chronological account of his acting work and very superficial details about his life. The author was not granted an interivew with Sean Bean,nor any of his relatives or very close friends. It's not an official biography. Jackson interviewed people who worked with Bean, and slight acquaintances, but none of his close friends gave her quotes. Bean is well known for being absolutely silent about his personal life which he assiduously guards.....and that's part of his charisma. What Bean holds back is what makes him so fascinating. He gives 1,000% in performances, and really that is ALL he owes the public.

The photo section is very skimpy, you can get much better pictures of Bean online at various fan sites such as "The Compleat Bean". Reading this book made me convinced the author simply sat down and read every article, website and watched taped interviews of the star to compile her book because she was denied interviews with those people closest to her subject. Because she doesn't have the astuteness to extrapolate all those sources and create a psychological profile - you finish reading the book wondering....great actor - but what is he REALLY like?

Nearly every single interview of people who worked with Bean all say the same thing, namely that he is shy, soft spoken, has genuine humility, extremely polite, good hearted, a little awkward with people he doesn't know well, really a sweetheart of a guy, loves beer, football, smoking and he doesn't emotionally bond well with women....it's his male friends he's closest to....an adoring father who was forced to be separated from his wives and three adorable daughters for long periods of time while filming movies. Hence, his three divorces.

He's had a terrible personal price to pay for his success as an actor, yet the author doesn't even write about this which is a major factor in his life. I didn't want her to slink to the level of tabloid gossip and "dish dirt" I just wanted some semblance of an anyalsyis of the man as a person. The book reads more like a resume of his work......without much "meat" about him as a person to fill in the blanks.

Well, you can get that same information from just going online and reading media/magazine/newspaper archives at "The Compleat Bean" and save yourself the cost of the book. For goodnss sake, don't pay $80.00 for it! It's also posted as selling for over $200.00!

The back of the book has an excellent very detailed index and an accurate precise listing of all his films, narration work, television and theatre performances. I've been a great admirer of his work for 20 years, dating back to 1986 when I first saw him perform as an unknown in the film "Caravaggio". Although I know nearly everything ever written about him, reading this book actually did fill in some bits and pieces of information about him. No earth shattering revelations - but a nice, easy read.

A very kind British friend gave me this book as a gift because I had such a hard time locating it online in the USA and didn't want to pay a fortune for it. It's out of print and very hard to find. I've seen it sell in the USA for $40.00 to $80.00 and consider myself a very lucky lass to receive it free. Depending on if you are bonkers for Bean-o would determine how much you're willing to pay for the book.

The author doesn't really dig too deep and only has flattering postive things to say about the star, she comes fairly close to crossing the line into a pure "gush-fest". The book makes you believe he is just nearly perfect. He's only human and everyone has positive and negative aspects to their nature. I wish this book had more substance and gave me a more authentic portrait of him.

On the other hand, "Sharpe Cut - The Making of Sharpe's Challenge" published in 2006, by Linda Blandford skewers Bean to bits. That author doesn't like him one little bit, she makes this quite clear to the reader. Blandford nitpicks about trivial things she views as huge character flaws of Bean's and spends most of the book "Bean Bashing" then 3/4 through the book admits he's won her over, sheerly on the professionalism and devotion to his craft he exhibits on the set. Known for his introverted reticence and ability to completely avoid answering personal questions he doesn't want to reveal about himself.....Bean more or less didn't trust Linda Blandford because she had written a previous article him that was quite cruel, negative and hurt his feelings deeply. Yet, his tremendous charm and personal warmth eventually wins Blandford over and she almost begrudgingly admits she likes him at the close of the book.

I wish that a really skilled writer would create a book somewhere in the middle between these two books about Sean Bean. Not a "gushfest" nor a hatchet job......but a work that would give the public a genuine understanding of what makes him tick and his interior dialogue.....he's almost Garboesque in his need for absolute privacy about his personal life, which is what makes Sean Bean so refreshing - unlike some of the publicity hounds that are celebrity actors - he comes across as a pretty normal bloke, who just happens to be a world class actor. He's got no interest in "making the scene" or having a flashy, glitzy high profile life....this is not an actor pursuing the "Bling Bling" lifesytle. He enjoys being an internationally known star and the perks that come with it, but seems to have a good head on his shoulders and keeps things in perspective. Probably this accounts for how Bean's been able to maintain a solid career as a working actor in a very ruthless, competitive industry for well over 25 years.

Blandford book and Jackson's book are both flawed - but both are a good read for true Bean Buffs. "Sharpe Cut" has more facts about filmaking/television industry which give you a really strong background and she really makes a point of criticizing Bean - Jackson's book is more a chronological citation of the work of the star - with very little personal insight into his personality. Read both books and come to your own conclusions.

Best thing about this book.......well it would have to be Sean Bean's wicked sexy smile on the cover in the sepia tinted photograph. I've been dying to find a copy of that photo that doesn't chop off part of his face....anybody know where to find it online? I've been searching for ages to get a full version of the book cover photograph! This guy has definitely got sex appeal galore........I call him "Lord Sexitude" and he can knock on my box any day of the week.......the only middle-aged guy with lots of wrinkles I am bonkers about!

As I am a relatively new devotee to the works of Sean Bean (FOTR), I found this a wonderful guide to his past roles. Although it does not delve very deeply into Sean as a person, it is a very useful travel guide to the World Of Bean. Also very nice to know that there are some actors who like "real" women & not skeletons!