Out with Garibaldi: A Story of the Liberation of Italy

by G.A. Henty

Garibaldi himself is the central figure of this brilliant story, and the little-known history of the struggle for Italian freedom is told here in the most thrilling way. From the time the hero, a young lad, son of an English father and an Italian mother, joins Garibaldi's band of 1,000 men in the first descent upon Sicily, which was garrisoned by one of the large Neapolitan armies, until the end, when all those armies are beaten, and the two Sicilys are conquered, we follow with the keenest interest the exciting adventures of the lad in scouting, in battle, and in freeing those in prison for liberty's sake.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

372 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1901

About the author

George Alfred Henty, better known as G.A. Henty, began his storytelling career with his own children. After dinner, he would spend and hour or two in telling them a story that would continue the next day. Some stories took weeks! A friend was present one day and watched the spell-bound reaction of his children suggesting Henty write down his stories so others could enjoy them. He did. Henty wrote approximately 144 books in addition to stories for magazines and was known as "The Prince of Story-Tellers" and "The Boy's Own Historian." One of Mr. Henty's secretaries reported that he would quickly pace back and forth in his study dictating stories as fast as the secretary could record them.

Henty's stories revolve around fictional boy heroes during fascinating periods of history. His heroes are diligent, intelligent, and dedicated to their country and cause in the face, at times, of great peril... Henty's heroes fight wars, sail the seas, discover land, conquer evil empires, prospect for gold, and a host of other exciting adventures. Along the way, they meet famous personages... In short, Henty's heroes live through tumultuous historic eras meeting leaders of that time. Understanding the culture of the time period becomes second nature as well as comparing/contrasting the society of various cultures.

Reviews

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This is one of Henty’s cleanest books. It is very exciting, with a thread of mystery throughout, and also pretty humorous. There are a few mentions of drinking & smoking, and passing mentions of murders. Garibaldi was an admirable man and his exploits are worth knowing. I enjoyed this book very much.

A Favourite Quote: “...it is a good thing for a man to have exercised all his muscles as a boy, and to be good at sports, and have learned to use his fists. It is good for him, whether he is going to be a soldier, or a colonist in a wild country, or a traveller, or a clergyman. I am saying nothing against learning; learning is a very good thing, but certainly among English boys we admire strength and skill more than learning, and I am quite sure that as a nation we have benefited more by the one than the other. If there was not one among us who had ever opened a Latin or Greek book, we should still have extended our empire as we have done, colonised continents, conquered India, and held our own, and more, against every other nation by land and sea, and become a tremendous manufacturing and commercial country. [B]ravery is no good without backbone. If two men equally brave meet, it is the one with most ‘last’—that is what we call stamina—most endurance, most strength, and most skill, who must in the long-run win.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “In the quarter nearest to St. Elmo the enthusiasm had a good deal cooled down, as the fear that the guns of the castle might at any moment open fire for the time dissipated any desire for marching about and acclaiming Garibaldi.”

[Stephan Whalen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of a well-rounded study of Italian history.

The story was seemed to be informed by the author’s personal biases. You would think that Garibaldi waked on water while a man of purest integrity would face more challenging dilemmas during war time.

The writing was simple and a bit weak.

The book did provide the reader with some valuable insights into the formation of a single Italian nation. A second book would be useful wherein the negotiations that left San Marino and Vatican City as independent states would be interesting.

[Andrew Eddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A superb tale full of intrigue and action. Good Plot well written.