Book Review: Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser

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I probably shouldn't write a review for a book that I didn't finish reading, but this one is difficult to complete. I began reading Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser because it's considered historically accurate and focuses on the West's conquest into Afghanistan.
Unfortunately, it's tiresome reading about the escapades of a racist, misogynistic creep who is physically abusive to women and people of color.
Flashman's memoirs chronicle an "illustrious Victorian soldier," experiencing many 19th-century wars and adventures and rising to high rank in the British Army, while remaining "a scoundrel, a liar, a cheat, a thief, and a coward." He's an antihero who often runs from danger, but somehow always ends up being heralded as a hero.
That's probably Fraser's point: Flashman is considered a gentleman because of the social status he was born into, but he's devoid of class. So if one accepts that point, the Flashman series is worth reading because it dispels any romantic delusions one might have of foreign conquests and too many so-called heroes.
#Flashman #BookReview #Victorian #GeorgeMacDonaldFraser #Afghanistan #Colonialism #India #Scotland #Afghanistan #Racism #Misogyny #abuse #19th-century

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