F.L.O.: A Biography of Frederick Law Olmsted

by Laura Wood Roper

Olmsted's youth and intellectual development are discussed in addition to the diversity of his career and his lifelong concern for his country's welfare

Genres: Biography, History, Landscape Architecture, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published February 1, 1983

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exhaustively, and I mean exhaustively, detailed and researched account of a very interesting life. Slow going but on balance worth the slog to obtain more insights on the man and his various interests than you might otherwise have known. He was far more than one of the first acknowledged landscape architects in the U.S and was replete with both endearing and annoying character traits (which after a while kind of deaden you page after page). I also thought there could have been more on the nature of his relationship with his wife, in particular, who seemed like an interesting person and a real spark plug, especially in that era of our history. Maybe because he was working and away from his family pretty much his whole life there was relatively little to tell. Overall I suspect there might be breezier and more approachable works on his life but I was not unhappy with the book. It was a monumental effort by Ms. Roper, who is a fine writer, and I appreciated it.

[Samuel Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best bio of Olmsted