Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brings to Life the Conflicts of the mid-19th Century, November 29, 2007
This review is from: Passion and Principle: John and Jessie Fremont, the Couple Whose Power, Politics, and Love Shaped Nineteenth-Century Americ (Hardcover)
His career wedged between two American titans, Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln, John C. Fremont leaps into the his rightful place in American history through this remarkable book.
Fremont's idealism both helped and haunted his career. He was the first American to systematically map the Rocky Mountains and the Great Basin, and he played a key role in the Bear Flag Revolt and the conquest of California. But the "Pathfinder" often found himself too far in front of his contemporaries: his failure to adapt to the military change of command led to court martial within a year of his California exploits; his adamant opposition to slavery cost him first his senate seat and later his position as commander of the Union's Western forces in the Civil War (he issued the first Emancipation Proclamation in the state of Missouri in 1861, and Lincoln punished him harshly for this); finally, he invested the huge fortune he had made in the California gold fields in transcontinental railroad stocks, only to fail at every turn and die in poverty.
No better example of both Fremont's strengths and flaws can be found than the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado: a rugged mountain chain he tried twice to traverse, ending in failure each time, the first time in the service of the U.S. Army and the second time in an vain attempt to survey a pass for a railroads through the mountains.
This is the first biography I have read of Fremont, and I felt that Denton's tone was sometimes overly sympathetic. She seemed to play down obvious indications of both Fremonts' extra-marital affairs and the personality flaws that prevented Fremont from succeeding as a politician (despite runs for the presidency both in 1856 and 1864).
All in all, though, Denton does a wonderful job of bringing this power couple to life. From beginning to end, I was fascinated by these two individuals and their contributions during a critical part of American history.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing! Reads like a novel., September 17, 2007
This review is from: Passion and Principle: John and Jessie Fremont, the Couple Whose Power, Politics, and Love Shaped Nineteenth-Century Americ (Hardcover)
This book was gripping. It is the best historical book I have read. It reads like a novel. Denton's ability to provide a historical account, introduce many characters and events and keep the reader engrossed in the story is remarkable. As a person who loves to read about strong women in history, I loved reading about this strong alliance between husband and wife.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Well Worth the Read, January 30, 2008
This review is from: Passion and Principle: John and Jessie Fremont, the Couple Whose Power, Politics, and Love Shaped Nineteenth-Century Americ (Hardcover)
A very interesting account of a couple whose lives and relations spanned so many important events of America's 19th century. Too often, I felt, Denton quoted from secondary source material within the text when the end notes would've sufficed. When countering long-held opinions of historians about Fremont's role in events or competence as an explorer or soldier, presentation of the views of seemed appropriate. However, at other times, the quotations and references to the works of others was burdensome.
Most irritating was the lack of maps included by the publisher. Two hard-to-read maps are found at the front of the book, but no other maps were available to trace the detailed events and travels of Fremont! So much of the story deals with his exploration. Geographic details are available in the text, but without supporting maps, I was left wanting.
I learned much about Jessie Fremont, and, through her relationship with her father, John, and others, about American attitudes about women in the 19th century. I learned that it was Jessie who was the the true pathfinder of the two.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
