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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
As we sat together on the wooden pew [...], I posed the question that had been on my mind for three years. Would she agree, I asked, that Lafayette is not widely admired in France? Yes, she said. Only Americans visit his grave, and an American flag flies over it. I paused and asked if she had any idea why. She thought for a moment, then gestured to the names on the walls. "The French Revolution was a complicated time," she said, "and Lafayette was a complicated man. People like simple stories; simple stories get remembered. Lafayette's story isn't simple."
I think this passage sums up quite nicely the entirety of this book. While Lafayette is remembered with love and fondness in the United States (his reputation most recently having been revived thanks to the sensation that is Hamilton), his legacy in the greater part of French history is much more complex and nuanced. Laura Auriccho does attempt to, well, "reconsider" the man, seeking to examine Lafayette's actions within the political sphere, to understand the essence of his character and what drove him.
However, while she does shed light on much of Lafayette's life, I still felt that it was an incomplete picture. Little is done to explore Lafayette's relationships with others, and how they impacted and shaped him and his actions. I will say that Lafayette's relationship with George Washington is threaded through the biography, portraying how it began and evolved over the years, but others are not afforded the same treatment. His wife, Adrienne, for the most part, seems to exist within the biography merely for Lafayette to write letters to. Only during the period of the Reign of Terror does she receive much attention, from her arrest and sufferings during that time (her mother, sister, and grandmother all executed on the same day), to her miraculous release and prompt decision to march into Austria to join Lafayette in prison, setting the stage for Lafayette's allies to campaign vigorously for his release (the woman essentially stares down an Emperor). But after that, she promptly falls back to being a bit character in Lafayette's story. Even her death is only afforded a single line. It is the same with his mistresses. The incidents involving them are only afforded a few brief pages. Auricchio even comments that Madame de Simiane "remained [...] one of [Lafayette's] closest confidantes for many decades to come." We then never hear another peep about her and how she remained one of his "confidantes".
While I was pleased to gain a better understanding of Lafayette's life, particularly his involvement in the French Revolution, I still felt that there was more to tell, more threads to weave in, and in the end, I felt that we still didn't have the entire story. Still, it is a complicated story of a complicated man, and there are many other sources to puzzle out all of the other pieces of that story.
I think this passage sums up quite nicely the entirety of this book. While Lafayette is remembered with love and fondness in the United States (his reputation most recently having been revived thanks to the sensation that is Hamilton), his legacy in the greater part of French history is much more complex and nuanced. Laura Auriccho does attempt to, well, "reconsider" the man, seeking to examine Lafayette's actions within the political sphere, to understand the essence of his character and what drove him.
However, while she does shed light on much of Lafayette's life, I still felt that it was an incomplete picture. Little is done to explore Lafayette's relationships with others, and how they impacted and shaped him and his actions. I will say that Lafayette's relationship with George Washington is threaded through the biography, portraying how it began and evolved over the years, but others are not afforded the same treatment. His wife, Adrienne, for the most part, seems to exist within the biography merely for Lafayette to write letters to. Only during the period of the Reign of Terror does she receive much attention, from her arrest and sufferings during that time (her mother, sister, and grandmother all executed on the same day), to her miraculous release and prompt decision to march into Austria to join Lafayette in prison, setting the stage for Lafayette's allies to campaign vigorously for his release (the woman essentially stares down an Emperor). But after that, she promptly falls back to being a bit character in Lafayette's story. Even her death is only afforded a single line. It is the same with his mistresses. The incidents involving them are only afforded a few brief pages. Auricchio even comments that Madame de Simiane "remained [...] one of [Lafayette's] closest confidantes for many decades to come." We then never hear another peep about her and how she remained one of his "confidantes".
While I was pleased to gain a better understanding of Lafayette's life, particularly his involvement in the French Revolution, I still felt that there was more to tell, more threads to weave in, and in the end, I felt that we still didn't have the entire story. Still, it is a complicated story of a complicated man, and there are many other sources to puzzle out all of the other pieces of that story.
Very interesting. It definitely reinforced the notion that nothing is black or white. Life is always full of gray especially the stories of heroes and villains. I found myself often frustrated with Lafayette but then so was Washington, so I guess I’m in good company
This book is not exactly what I'd call a "major biography" -- and that was what I was looking for and was expecting from this book. The events of Lafayette's life before the French Revolution are a bit skimmed over; even his contributions to the American Revolution weren't given as much attention. In fact, the battle of Yorktown only received a single paragraph of explanation. The same can be said about his life after the French Revolution. The last 35 years of his life only received about 20 pages at the end of the books. It just didn't have the level of explanation that I was used to read in in biographies.
However, the vast majority of the book that is dedicated to Lafayette's involvement in the French Revolution is quite good. It's clear the author went through some extensive research for this part.
So if you are looking for a Chernow level biography that truly covers every bit of the life of the Marquis, from birth to death and then some, I wouldn't choose this one. I would choose this one, though, if you are mainly interested in his involvement in the French Revolution as that's basically all this biography covers.
However, the vast majority of the book that is dedicated to Lafayette's involvement in the French Revolution is quite good. It's clear the author went through some extensive research for this part.
So if you are looking for a Chernow level biography that truly covers every bit of the life of the Marquis, from birth to death and then some, I wouldn't choose this one. I would choose this one, though, if you are mainly interested in his involvement in the French Revolution as that's basically all this biography covers.
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
An exhaustive but readable biography
The musical Hamilton has kindled my interest in the figures of the Revolutionary War and early American republic, so I knew I had to read more about “America’s favorite founding Frenchman”. This book is an excellent resource - it covers his life in detail but not mind-numbing detail. The prose is engaging and relatively light.
There is a lot more to the character of Lafayette than could be captured in a Broadway play. Although Lafayette was steadfast in his principles, he trod a complicated path through a series of perilous times. I had really had little understanding of his role in the French Revolution, where his struggles highlighted the challenge of remaining true to moderate principles in a time of extremes.
All in all, the book paints an excellent portrait of a nuanced man and the times in which he lived.
The musical Hamilton has kindled my interest in the figures of the Revolutionary War and early American republic, so I knew I had to read more about “America’s favorite founding Frenchman”. This book is an excellent resource - it covers his life in detail but not mind-numbing detail. The prose is engaging and relatively light.
There is a lot more to the character of Lafayette than could be captured in a Broadway play. Although Lafayette was steadfast in his principles, he trod a complicated path through a series of perilous times. I had really had little understanding of his role in the French Revolution, where his struggles highlighted the challenge of remaining true to moderate principles in a time of extremes.
All in all, the book paints an excellent portrait of a nuanced man and the times in which he lived.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
A well written and well researched book about a man who lived in extraordinary times but, was actually pretty boring.