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For Liberty and Glory: Washington, Lafayette, and Their Revolutions (Hardcover)

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Key Phrases: Théâtre Français, Fête de la Fédération, dear marquis, New York, French Revolution, United States (more...)
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. In this absorbing and learned study, Gaines (Evening in the Palace of Reason) chronicles the friendship of two great generals along with the American and French Revolutions, bringing great insight to both. He questions the standard theory that Lafayette and Washington had a father-son relationship and argues that the two men were the founding fathers of the centuries-long political alliance between France and America. This book is distinguished as much by the writing as the argument. Gaines's fresh narrative of the very familiar late–18th-century revolutions is exemplified by his exploration of the important role the playwright Beaumarchais played in French politics. With his typical flair for including perfect, cunning details, Gaines points out that Beaumarchais's nickname, fils Caron, sounded remarkably like the name of his theatrical hero Figaro. Thus, when Figaro debuted in the radical play The Barber of Seville, the self-consciously savvy audience knew exactly who they were watching on stage. Gaines also captures the drama of tense moments, such as Lafayette's public call for a convocation of the Estates-General. This winning volume will likely overshadow David Clary's Adopted Son. (Sept.)
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From Booklist

The American and French revolutions were inseparably linked. French financial and military support for the American cause helped bankrupt France's treasury, precipitating the financial crisis that began the slide into revolution. On a deeper level, both American and French revolutionaries took their inspiration from icons of the Enlightenment, including Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau. Gaines, former editor of Time and People magazines, has written an excellent examination of both revolutions and the men and times that spawned them. At the heart of his story is the complicated relationship between George Washington and Lafayette, the young French aristocrat with republican ideals who came to serve both Washington and the American cause. Gaines shows their relationship as nuanced: both sharing a tendency toward vanity, a thirst for glory, and a need to stand apart from their peers. Although Gaines provides some useful insights into the commonalities of the revolutions, he is at his best in illustrating how and why the French Revolution evolved so differently. Freeman, Jay
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 512 pages
  • Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co.; First Edition edition (September 17, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0393061388
  • ISBN-13: 978-0393061383
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #362,182 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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James R. Gaines
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
Théâtre Français, Fête de la Fédération, dear marquis
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, French Revolution, United States, National Assembly, Mount Vernon, Hôtel de Ville, Continental Army, George Washington, Valley Forge, Third Estate, American Revolution, Thomas Jefferson, Gouverneur Morris, West Indies, National Guard, James Madison, John Adams, Assembly of Notables, North America, General Washington, Rhode Island, Parlement of Paris, Henry Laurens, South Carolina, Society of Thirty
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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
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44 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books on the subject, September 2, 2007
We all know the story of the Marquis de Lafayette and his participation in the American Revolution, at least in outline. Washington had been overwhelmed by the foreign, mostly French, mercenaries who appeared at his headquarters, all offering to lead the army in his stead in return for a fortune and all of the credit for any victories. In walks a teenager, very wealthy, a bit awkward, but very willing to spend money for the cause, and insistent that he be allowed to serve in whatever capacity he's needed. The childless Washington and the fatherless Lafayette become surrogates for one another, and lead the Continental Army to victory.

James R. Gaines has a somewhat different, more nuanced appreciation of the friendship between the two men which was so crucial to the formation of the revolutions of their respective countries. This book, which follows the two men's friendship and the two revolutions they tried to lead, is very well-thought-out, and the result is an interesting, intelligent discussion of their relationship and the facets of it that reflected into the history of first our country and then France. The book is structured as a dual biography in part, and a dual history in part also, which makes it a bit confusing, but Gaines is a good writer and knows how to knit a story together, so the narrative moves along well and is interesting.

Washington comes across as the founding father we all know and love, even if we don't at this remove quite understand him any more (if anyone ever did). He's stiff, almost emotionless at times, and seemingly distant from those around him save a few intimates, but he's also supremely, almost inhumanly concerned with the welfare of his country above everything else, and willing to sacrifice everything he has personally to preserve that. Lafayette, however, emerges as more than a child who was ardently an advocate of freedom. At times, it has appeared that he was more of an adventurer than any sort of patriot or ideologue, but Gaines makes it clear that ideology was the main driving force of his actions, and that the views he expressed when he purchased a ship, filled it with goods he had also bought, and then sailed it to America, were the same ideals that he espoused 50+ years later when he visited America for the last time, and he held them throughout the period in between, never deviating from them. His devotion to Washington, as a result, winds up being more nuanced than just a search for a father-figure: he actually revered his politics, his reserve, his dignity, his self-control, and his desire to see democratic government preserved in the United States.

I enjoyed this book a great deal. I'd never heard of Mr. Gaines before, but this book is one of the better ones on the American Revolution that I've read in recent years, and it's very well done. I would recommend it to anyone even slightly interested in the subject.
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Lafayette steals the show, September 4, 2007
James Gaines has posted quite an accomplishment with this book. Artfully he assembles a mountain of research and weaves the best pieces into a cohesive whole. You will learn fascinating things about America's founders,and also about the various factions and personalities of the French Revolution.

I thought that Lafayette stole the show. Washington was willing to risk all to bring liberty and stability to a new nation, and won. Lafayette was equally willing to risk all to bring liberty and stability to an old nation, after having already helped bring those blessings to us. Since his task was impossible, he lost. Nevertheless, his idealism and sense of duty allowed him to keep his honor.
It is rare that a work of history will engage your emotions the way this one does. Just remember, it is scholarly, lengthy, and demanding. But worth it. James Gaines is the former editor of Time magazine.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Cumbersome, December 1, 2008
By Michael E. Fitzgerald (Kingwood, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: For Liberty and Glory: Washington, Lafayette, and Their Revolutions (Paperback)
This interesting and challenging book closely inspects the parallel and intertwined fights for liberty that occurred in America and France during the last quarter of the 18th century. It is a very telling book describing the similar challenges faced by each as their revolutions respectively unfolded. It focuses on France's obvious contributions to American Independence, men money and material, and on America's necessary avoidance of the serial French upheaval that never seemed to quite achieve final resolution as internal warring factions murdered more French citizens than all of the casualties experienced by America, England and France combined in the US.

The author does a very good job detailing how each revolution developed its own path to completion. I was stunned to find that the French loans to America that financed our revolution so bankrupted the French Treasury that it was a prime contributor to the French Revolution. The author also does very good work describing the Federalist - Republican English and French polarization that occurred as the US sought different governmental models to negotiate the uncharted waters of self government, explains thoroughly the decided break with France after the XYZ affair and explains successive French governments disenchantment with the US as both nations moved into the 19th century. It is here that the fundamental difference between these two movements comes to the fore with the US focus remaining continental, and for the most part avoiding foreign entanglements, while France continues with the 15th, 16th and 17th century external model of European wars focused on global conquest.

The author bit off a lot here and I am thankful that he did. As a result of his significant efforts, I materially better understand the interplay between France and America for the 50 years following 1776. But in all honesty I found this book very difficult to work my way through, and in the process of doing so, found the book's structure an impediment to its effectiveness as a teaching tool: It is cumbersome. Make no mistake, this is a good work but at times it labors to make its points and provides far too much extraneous detail, unnecessary to its central theme, for it to flow smoothly. That said, just skim those parts and you have a winner.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Washington and Lafayette - Liberty at Its Roots
Stunning and penetrating look at the lives of Washington and Lafayette. Traces the sources, parallels, and divergent paths of the American and French Revolutions. Read more
Published 1 month ago by John J. Nichols

5.0 out of 5 stars Gaines we are here
This is excellent history demonstrating the friendship of George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette as well as the connections between the American and French Revolutions... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Deborah C. Galiano

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating Look at the Hero of Two Worlds and The Father of Our Nation
The Marquis de Lafayette seems to be enjoying a resurgence of popularity, with two new books on him and an exhibit at the New York Historical Society in 2007-8 dedicated to his... Read more
Published 21 months ago by B. Calhoun

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent treatment of the American and French Revolutions
James R. Gaines takes us through the American and French Revolutions by showing us the roles Washington, Lafayette and their friendship played in both. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Craig Matteson

3.0 out of 5 stars More than you ever knew about revolutions and their men
Hardly any of us knows Washington and marquis de Lafayette in other than the romantic model of heroes of long, long ago. Read more
Published on October 6, 2007 by Karl Robert Kern

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