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jessijoyb's review against another edition
4.0
My mother bought this book for me because at the time I was taking a class about the American Revolution and it was (and still is) on deep clearance at Amazon.com
The only reason I can think that it is on such a deep clearance is because people are sadly not interested in History. They are much more interested in current events, either political or entertainment-wise but that is rant for another day.
I enjoyed this book very much. It explores the relationship that existed between George Washington and the young French General, the Marquis de Lafayette. While comparing these two men it also branches out to compare their respective countries and the revolutions that took place in them. The author makes much of the fact that the two men were very concerned with "liberty and glory". They both had strong ideas about freedom that they wished to uphold. (Lafayette was in fact an abolitionist) but also cared deeply about their personal reputation and the glory to be gained by their deeds.
Both men were instrumental in the Revolutions of their countries, Lafayette being "the hero of two worlds" played a signifigant part in both the American and French Revolution. Gainer explores how the ideals Lafayette fought for in America were transplanted with him back to Paris but were not as close of a fit. He also explores Washington's personal feelings on not only the AMerican Revolution but in the role demanded of him as the first president.
I liked very much learning about Lafayette. I had heard very little about him in school past the AMerican Revolution. I was totally unaware that he wrote the draft of the Declaration of the Rights of Men and Citizens! I feel like that is a huge gap in my history education that has now been rectified! I did feel that the book was more heavily involved with Lafayette than with Washington. Adrienne, Lafayette's wife, is mentioned several times whereas Martha Washington is only mentioned in passing. Although Washington did die first, the book ends with a epilouge that is almost entirely centered on Lafayette's portrayal in history and Washington seems sadly left out.
On the whole however I found this book very interesting for someone who enjoys history. There is a lot of information about the formation of the American Government and the French Revolution besides the stories of these two men. For the price that Amazon is selling it at, its definetly worth picking up.
The only reason I can think that it is on such a deep clearance is because people are sadly not interested in History. They are much more interested in current events, either political or entertainment-wise but that is rant for another day.
I enjoyed this book very much. It explores the relationship that existed between George Washington and the young French General, the Marquis de Lafayette. While comparing these two men it also branches out to compare their respective countries and the revolutions that took place in them. The author makes much of the fact that the two men were very concerned with "liberty and glory". They both had strong ideas about freedom that they wished to uphold. (Lafayette was in fact an abolitionist) but also cared deeply about their personal reputation and the glory to be gained by their deeds.
Both men were instrumental in the Revolutions of their countries, Lafayette being "the hero of two worlds" played a signifigant part in both the American and French Revolution. Gainer explores how the ideals Lafayette fought for in America were transplanted with him back to Paris but were not as close of a fit. He also explores Washington's personal feelings on not only the AMerican Revolution but in the role demanded of him as the first president.
I liked very much learning about Lafayette. I had heard very little about him in school past the AMerican Revolution. I was totally unaware that he wrote the draft of the Declaration of the Rights of Men and Citizens! I feel like that is a huge gap in my history education that has now been rectified! I did feel that the book was more heavily involved with Lafayette than with Washington. Adrienne, Lafayette's wife, is mentioned several times whereas Martha Washington is only mentioned in passing. Although Washington did die first, the book ends with a epilouge that is almost entirely centered on Lafayette's portrayal in history and Washington seems sadly left out.
On the whole however I found this book very interesting for someone who enjoys history. There is a lot of information about the formation of the American Government and the French Revolution besides the stories of these two men. For the price that Amazon is selling it at, its definetly worth picking up.
lakecake's review
4.0
Everyone thinks they know the story of the American Revolution, and most people have seen Les Mis, so they think they know the story of the French Revolution too...but the stories are much deeper and much more interconnected than most people know. Gaines does a great job putting the two events together through George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette. It's not a full biography of a both or a full accounting of either event, but just enough of everything to put the picture together.
bookwormmichelle's review
4.0
I could have a few nitpicks about little things in this book, like the author's typical historian-establishment statement that the Founding Fathers really weren't religious, certainly not Christian, but overall this was very well done and a very enjoyable read. The author took the fascinating Washington-Lafayette relationship and used it to explore both men, their ideals and motivations, and the two revolutions they were intimately invoved in. He did a good job "going deeper" and exploring all of the relationship, not just staying on the surface with the fabled "father-son" angle, and to the better of both men, I believe. The author did one of the better jobs I've read in recent years of exploring Lafayette's role in the French Revolution and what exactly went wrong. Definitely a worthwhile read. One of the more enjoyable things was a fun look at Beaumarchais, "The Marriage of Figaro", and a cross-dressing cavalry captain, and their impact on the American Revolution (pretty critical, incidentally, :-)
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