Last Refuge of Scoundrels: A Revolutionary Novel [Hardcover]

Paul Lussier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2001

Early critical acclaim from Pulitzer Prize-winning scholars and best-selling authors Studs Terkel, Jonathan Kozol, Robert Coles, Howard Zinn, John Ferling and Winston Groom: "Last Refuge of Scoundrels" is the bottom-up story of the American Revolution brought to life vividly, compellingly, suggestively. It's a story that gives America its past in a manner worthy of comparison to Tolstoy's effort to understand and render history and does so in a manner that's rich, rambunctious, exploding with vitality and bubbling with wild humor. A delightfully irreverent look at the Revolution, it tells the story of John Lawrence a naive young merchant's son who finds love and his life's purpose in Deborah Simpson, a spy working in collusion with George Washington to lead An unsung army of ordinary Americans against the self-interested Founding Fathers as much as the bumbling Brits. "Last Refuge of Scoundrels" weaves meticulous research and fantastical fable into a poetic tale that's at once a rollicking romp, a haunting love story and a revisionist historical epic.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The founding fathers of our country are lambasted in this strikingly raunchy account of the Revolutionary War. It seems America's revolution, led by such bumbling, incompetent idiots as John Hancock and Samuel Adams, would never have been possible without the brilliance of a street whore and her star-crossed lover. George Washington lies on his deathbed, terrified of having "lost himself" and being remembered not as George, but as the General. During his last few breaths, he is given a chance to redeem his spirit by recollecting the Revolution as it really was, through the eyes of an "angel," his former aide-de-camp, John Lawrence. John's recollections start in 1765, when this 14-year-old spoiled merchant's son ditches his tutors and roams the streets of Boston, eventually meeting one of John Hancock's whores, 16-year-old Deborah Simpson. The savvy Deborah sees through the hypocrisies of the founding fathers but believes in the truth of the cause. John spends the rest of his life following in Deborah's wake as she ignites the fires of revolution, fighting alongside men, spying for both sides and strategically planning everything from munitions storage to ambush attacks. John and Deborah are present at such historical scenes as the Boston Massacre, the battles at Lexington and Concord, and the Valley Forge horror. They both die unrecognized for their contributions. History, according to Lussier's debut novel, has done us a grand injustice by painting our independence from England as a war of ethics, led by morally upstanding citizens fed up with taxation without representation. Whether his intent is revisionist history or comic satire, Lussier, who formerly wrote for TV and now writes and produces movies for Warner Bros. Studios, certainly takes irreverence to new extremes. History scholars will take umbrage with Lussier's iconoclastic portraits, but general readers tired of present-day politics may find the novel an escapist fantasy.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In this no-holds-barred revisionist historical novel, the American Revolution is a movement of the people, set in motion and aided in its progress by Deborah Simpson, a whore and spy, with the sometimes-bumbling help of her compatriot-lover, John Lawrence. By contrast, the Founding Fathers--variously described as stupid, vain, fanatic, temperamental, or mad--are gentlemen concerned more with creature comforts, money, and fame and less with the commoners. The "Cause" is all that counts for Deborah, who dresses as a man to fight with the troops or as a woman when it suits her purposes. John, committed first to Deborah and then to the rebels, becomes an aide to the commander-in-chief; and even here, George Washington is portrayed as a brilliant military man, particularly when he turns to the people to win the war. Even laced with a love story, this brisk view of the Revolution, with key characters based on actual figures, is likely to appeal more to readers of history than to readers of fiction. Michele Leber
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; First Edition edition (February 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446523429
• ISBN-13: 978-0446523424
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.2 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,488,667 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unprecedented, I wholeheartedly recommend it!, February 1, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Last Refuge of Scoundrels: A Revolutionary Novel (Hardcover)

I read historical fiction voraciously, and particularly enjoy works that focus on the American Revolution. But Last Refuge of Scoundrels has really set a new standard for this genre! Not only did I have to stay up all night to finish the book because the story was so unusual, hilarious and exciting, but unlike most historical fiction, I came away with a radically new understanding of and appreciation for the actual history of America. George Washington now seems to me a man of genuine flesh and blood -- flawed, yes, but remarkable in his humanity, much more interesting and alive than the conventional, starched, remote portraits of this complex man. And Mr. Lussier's main characters, Deborah and John, have now taken significant seats in the pantheon of characters in my psyche. Like Washington, they are both remarkably human and profoundly heroic. I especially love the gamine, vulnerable, passionate aspects of Deborah's character - she rivals Shakespeare's best females in spunkiness and wit. (Not to mention that both John and Deborah are based on real people who fought and brought about the Revolution!)

I've heard a rumor that there's supposed to be a film made of Last Refuge of Scoundrels. I certainly hope this true, as I think Mr. Lussier's writing is cinematic in texture and scope, and I think the story would translate wonderfully to the screen.

I look forward to the next work by Paul Lussier. Last Refuge of Scoundrels is a phenomenal, unprecedented debut and a significant contribution not only to the world of the historical novel, but to the broader realms of literature and history as well. And, on top of all of that, it is quite simply a great read! This is unquestionably the next book you should buy, whatever your taste.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Last Refuge of Scoundrels, February 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Last Refuge of Scoundrels: A Revolutionary Novel (Hardcover)

I don't normally read historical fiction or non fiction books but after hearing rave reviews, I picked it up. I am so happy that I happened upon this book. I feel like I have finally discovered the true story! Mr. Lussier's book brings history to life! The Last Refuge of Scoundrels is funny, informative and refreshing.The once cardboard characters that I have heard about since grammar school, suddenly have personalities! Mr. Lussier paints a picture that allows us to experience "A Day in the Life of..." our nations fore fathers. He has opened up a whole new world for me and I am sufddenly interested in the American Revolution. Thank you Paul Lussier for the new insights and fine writing!

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars national lampoon's revolutionary war -- in the bad sense, April 4, 2002

By 

audrey (white mtns) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Last Refuge of Scoundrels: A Revolutionary Novel (Hardcover)

You know how funny and creative National Lampoon's Animal House was? And ever since then you keep getting your hopes up that the next National Lampoon film will actually be ,,,, you know, funny .... but it never happens. That's how I felt about this book -- high expectations followed by disappointment. Did all the funny people graduate and go to law school or something?

Based on other reviews it seems people either love this book or hate it, and I am on the fringes of the latter camp. I had high hopes. I was interested in an irreverent and more honest take on the founding fathers and it had been praised by people I respected (Howard Zinn, I feel betrayed!). I wanted to like it, but I was really disappointed -- not hating it so much as being pretty bored. I felt the book droned on and on and on, and then I'd see I'd only read another 10 pages. Usually I get through a book in two or three days; this took me almost three times as long. It was a struggle to finish it. I think a book should be entertaining and/or thought-provoking. This was neither.

The premise is great and the author is talented. He writes as if he's been to 18th century America and come back to tell us about it. There's no denying that his descriptions are great, but the characters never rise above two-dimensional puppets, gumping around without motive or reason. Well-known figures are lampooned but not better understood, and unknown characters, in particular and unfortunately the two protagonists John and Deborah, are never revealed as complex or interesting. The action is erratic and confusing. The POV changes ... but just often enough to be awkward. The humor is great but fades fast and never returns. Anachronistic speech and actions disrupt the narrative flow. I believe the revisionist facts are accurate but this book just wasn't pleasurable to read.

The style is raw. As in junior high school. One example: instead of taking some effort to introduce the characters of the Boston leadership, the author LISTS them with this introduction: "Oh, the men from the Green Dragon, they ruled. There was Hancock and Otis and Warren and Church and, of course, the Adamses: Samuel and John .... Each his own brand of mad." And then he devotes a paragraph or two to each person and gives us irreverent facts about each one. On the level of the "so very fat" John Adams. Hmm. Insightful. And then he goes back to the story. Clunk. The author brings the streets to life, but never the people on them.

Like I said, I wanted to like it. I just didn't. It's not that I didn't "get" it. It's that I was bored and irritated -- not the feelings I want a book to evoke. A much richer, entertaining and accurate book covering the same era is Kenneth Roberts' Oliver Wiswell, and this is one of those instances when the simple truth is so compelling that it doesn't need embellishment or titillation to make it palatable. Why not read something where you have to rub two brain cells together?

Because the reviews are so polarized, there is a chance you will like this book even though I didn't. Obviously some people really liked it, and maybe you will too. This is my opinion and nothing more.