Too Few for Drums - A grand tale of adventure set during the Napoleonic Wars (Paperback, New ed)

Delderfield spins off his action tale of the adventures of a young British ensign and his men from behind French lines during the Napoleonic wars with gruff ease; however, his characters and motivation are based on the same well-oiled assumptions which have offered his adult audiences an easy retreat. Ensign Graham nervously rallies a ragtag group of men in occupied Portugal in 1810, with the considerable help of beautiful but bedraggled Gwyneth, a veteran camp follower whose main contribution seems to be to make a man of Graham by striking her colors in the glade. ("If you take me you will feel yourself a man. . .") Girls - and boys these days - may well question such mythic female priorities, and adults might wonder if explicit sex scenes and flashing views of "broad hips and buttocks" will defuse the musket fire. The action, as stalwarts are picked off one by one, as the options dwindle and as Graham (presumably powered from below) assumes leadership with confidence, is fast and flawless. But alas for Gwyneth and her admirers - no matter how sharp her shooting, how brilliant her ballistics, it's the rear action in the glen that prevails. (Kirkus Reviews)

After the British victory at Busaco during the Peninsula campaigns of the Napoleonic Wars, Ensign Keith Graham finds himself cut off from the army, along with a sergeant and seven privates. This ill-assorted, tattered band is joined by a Welsh campfollower, Gwyneth and she and Sergeant Fox help nineteen-year-old Graham achieve both manhood and leadership. Struggling through strange, often hostile country, with insufficient food and sometimes mutinous men, his one aim is to reach the coast and, hopefully, safety . . .

General

Imprint:	Hodder Paperback
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	1992
Authors:	R.F. Delderfield
Dimensions:	176 x 110 x 18mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - Mass Market
Pages:	224
Edition:	New ed
ISBN-13:	978-0-340-55447-0
Categories:	Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > War fiction > General
LSN:	0-340-55447-9
Barcode:	9780340554470

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