Hi Mr Cornwell,
I hope you are doing well. I am just sending a quick email essentially to say thank you for your work. I must admit that growing up, I was not overly fond of reading, and although I tried to get into it on multiple occasions, I never seemed to find a book that really appealed to me. I finished university a few years ago after studying history, and when I started my job and became ever busier, I assumed that now, with even less time, reading would simply not be something for me.
I came across your books through a friend who, knowing my love of history, lent me his copy of Agincourt. I read the book in less than two days, and for the first time in my life, I could not put a book down. After Agincourt, I read the Grail Quest series, which then led me to the Sharpe series.
I began reading Sharpe last summer, and yesterday I finished Sharpe’s Devil, bringing the series to a close. I must add that finding the short stories, such as Sharpe’s Christmas, proved especially difficult — though I was eventually able to purchase it from The Rifles Museum, which felt like a nice touch. I have never been so engaged in a story, and I attribute the Sharpe series in particular with giving me a newfound love for reading.
I remember seeing in Sharpe’s Storm that it may potentially be the last book in the Sharpe series. Although the whole Sharpe saga occupied less than a year of my life, it has had a profound impact on me, so I can only imagine the impact it has had on you over the past 40 years.
The purpose of this email is simply to say thank you, and if Sharpe’s Storm is indeed your final book in the series, then I wish you the happiest of retirements with your loved ones.
Thank you again, Mr Cornwell.
All the best,
Tom Scarratt.