Flash for Freedom!
I suppose in his way he had the makings of as big a scoundrel as I am myself.
19 March 2018
Another entry into the Flashman papers - a series of bawdy, pulpy fictional memoirs underpinned by a surprising degree of historical accuracy. This time Flashy gets stuck on a slave vessel and has to dig his way out of trouble on numerous occasions.
It’s generally a funny read until it gets punctuated by vivid, chilling descriptions of slave life. Framing such awful events through the eyes of our cad protagonist is a bold move but it pays off, the change in tone is so arresting it never feels like Fraser makes light of the situation.
Like all Flashman novels this is an acquired taste, but definitely worth a look for fans of historical fiction, or if you weren’t brought up quite right.