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A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America
“In December 1776, a small boat delivered an old man to France.” So begins a dazzling narrative account of Benjamin Franklin’s French mission, the most exacting—and momentous—eight years of his life.
When Franklin embarked, the colonies were without money, munitions, gunpowder, or common cause; like all adolescents, they were to discover that there was a difference between declaring independence and achieving it. To close that gap Franklin was dispatched to Paris, amid great secrecy, across a winter sea thick with enemy cruisers. He was 70 years old, without any diplomatic training, and possessed of the most rudimentary French. He was also among the most famous men in the world.
Franklin well understood that he was off on the greatest gamble of his career. But despite minimal direction from Congress he was soon outwitting the British secret service and stirring passion for a republic in an absolute monarchy.
In A Great Improvisation Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff offers an utterly fresh and thrilling account of Franklin’s Parisian adventure and of America’s debut on the world stage. Schiff weaves her tale of international intrigue from new and little-known primary sources, working from a host of diplomatic archives, family papers, and intelligence reports. From her pages emerges a particularly human Founding Father, as well as a vivid sense of how fragile, improvisational, and international was our country’ s bid for independence.
When Franklin embarked, the colonies were without money, munitions, gunpowder, or common cause; like all adolescents, they were to discover that there was a difference between declaring independence and achieving it. To close that gap Franklin was dispatched to Paris, amid great secrecy, across a winter sea thick with enemy cruisers. He was 70 years old, without any diplomatic training, and possessed of the most rudimentary French. He was also among the most famous men in the world.
Franklin well understood that he was off on the greatest gamble of his career. But despite minimal direction from Congress he was soon outwitting the British secret service and stirring passion for a republic in an absolute monarchy.
In A Great Improvisation Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff offers an utterly fresh and thrilling account of Franklin’s Parisian adventure and of America’s debut on the world stage. Schiff weaves her tale of international intrigue from new and little-known primary sources, working from a host of diplomatic archives, family papers, and intelligence reports. From her pages emerges a particularly human Founding Father, as well as a vivid sense of how fragile, improvisational, and international was our country’ s bid for independence.
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First published April 2, 2005
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About the author
Stacy Schiff
17 books2,014 followersStacy Schiff is the author of Véra (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov), winner of the Pulitzer Prize; Saint-Exupéry, a Pulitzer Prize finalist; and A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America, winner of the George Washington Book Prize, the Ambassador Award in American Studies, and the Gilbert Chinard Prize of the Institut Français d'Amérique. All three were New York Times Notable Books; the Los Angeles Times Book Review, the Chicago Tribune, and The Economist also named A Great Improvisation a Best Book of the Year. The biographies have been published in a host of foreign editions.
Schiff has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities and was a Director’s Fellow at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library. She was awarded a 2006 Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Schiff has written for The New Yorker, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the Boston Globe, among other publications. She lives in New York City.
Schiff has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities and was a Director’s Fellow at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library. She was awarded a 2006 Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Schiff has written for The New Yorker, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and the Boston Globe, among other publications. She lives in New York City.
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December 23, 2022
I first became aware of Stacy Schiff in 2013 when she was one of the featured commencement speakers at my son's college graduation. I was so impressed with her that I rushed out and bought Cleopatra - a historical biography that read like an exquisite work of fiction. I was expecting more of the same with A Great Improvisation
...ummm, yes and no.
Whereas Cleopatra is enchanting and rather romantic, AGI is much more academic and intense. If your interest in American History is casual, I can only predict one of two outcomes: either (A) you won't finish it, or (B) your affinity for colonial history will exponentially increase.
So, if you're quite sure you are in the mood for a excruciatingly detailed piece about Benjamin Franklin, his cohorts, and their contributions to the American Revolution, then sit down, saddle-up and strap in. You will not be disappointed.
...ummm, yes and no.
Whereas Cleopatra is enchanting and rather romantic, AGI is much more academic and intense. If your interest in American History is casual, I can only predict one of two outcomes: either (A) you won't finish it, or (B) your affinity for colonial history will exponentially increase.
So, if you're quite sure you are in the mood for a excruciatingly detailed piece about Benjamin Franklin, his cohorts, and their contributions to the American Revolution, then sit down, saddle-up and strap in. You will not be disappointed.
September 15, 2013
Despite our own self-serving myths about our war for independence, the American revolution did not reflect the action of a single country coming of age. Rather, the revolution marked the debut of the United States onto the global stage where France and the rest of Europe had already been players. The revolution was not so much as “won” by the colonies as by the aid of the French and the blunders by the British. The foreign aid provided by France during the revolution was essential to the outcome of the uprising. Critical to getting these funds from the French monarchy was Benjamin Franklin. The story of the eight years he spent in Paris, persuading the French to support the fledgling American army in ways both concrete and symbolic, is the subject of Schiff's book. The story of how it was obtained is fascinating and messy, as diplomacy often is. And in that age, diplomacy and intrigue were separated only by the thinnest of lines. As the title implies, he was open to spontaneous inventiveness when it came to pursuing his goals. Schiff attributes Franklin's success to his laissez-faire attitude, an ability to be logical without being pedantic, and a single-minded approach that both genial and ruthless. There probably was no one else better suited to the posting. George Washington wanted to win the war without French assistance, and John Adams wanted to win without owing anything to France. Franklin, however, simply wanted to win.
Franklin and his mission (which he actually opposed at first) are at the center of events in the book, but Schiff's in-depth research and great writing makes us intimate with the labyrinth of colossal personalities and complex issues involved. She effectively shows how Franklin (whose diplomatic credentials were dubious at best given that America was far from a sovereign nation in a technical sense) forged a rocky trans-Atlantic alliance with France. Even after the alliance was fromalized by treaty in 1778, it was unclear whether France would enter the war. And when they did, joint efforts between France and America were far from coordinated. During those years, Franklin lived in houses teeming with both French and British spies, having no secretary except his own adept grandson, and receiving from Congress new emissaries and contradictory or unnecessary directions. We also see how Franklin attempted to adapt to the culture. The French of that day placed a great emphasis on high-minded ideals (conscience, honor, faith, etc.) that, contrary to the heroic and noble mythology that we would like to believe, simply were not widespread in America.
Adding to the challenge was the colorful cast of Frenchmen that he had to deal with each day. They ranged from Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, the flamboyant secret agent who provided the colonies with many of their weapons; to the young Marquis de Lafayette, who received the weapons and sailed recklessly to America against the king's orders; to the stubborn British ambassador to Versailles, the Viscount Stormont. The American cast of characters was no less of a challenge to Franklin. His American colleagues in Paris ( some of whom were also supposed to be representing America in France, and some of whom stayed on the congressional payroll but simply never went to their postings in other countries) were full of complaints about Franklin. Schiff paints a vivid picture of the infighting among John Adams (who hated Franklin), John Jay, Richard Izard, Arthur and William Lee, Silas Deane (who hated the French while Franklin still loved Britain), and the various others. Some of Franklin’s colleagues made utter fools of themselves as he attempted to reach his objective.
The British launched an aggressive operation to spy on Franklin. The British ran a very effective network of spies in paris that kept Stormont well informed of most of Franklin’s “clandestine” activities. The British spy Edward Edwards was particularly ingenious. Edwards was actually trusted by the Americans and distrusted by his superiors, who spied on him in turn.
Through all the back-biting treachery, Franklin (who once satirized Machiavelli) managed to persuade the French government to support the war with its navy, gunpowder, thousands of soldiers, and provide contributions which would amount to something like thirteen billion in today's dollars. Franklin never directly asked for help from the French. Instead he tried to manipulate events in such a way that France would see intervention in the war to be in her own interest.And, when the English finally admitted defeat, Franklin, along with John Jay and John Adams, negotiated a most beneficent peace. This is a fascinating story providing yet another dimension to this supposedly familiar figure. Schiff has written a lively story with a cast of colorful characters and plot twists that could easily compare to a work of historical fiction.
An interesting part of the narrative was how the French mission brought out Franklin’s best and worst traits. Franklin was personally averse to intrigue, but there was plenty of it to be had during his time in Paris. During his posting, Franklin displayed the wit, charisma, ingenuity and silkiness that he was known for. At the same time, he could be negligent, manipulative, inconsistent, unmethodical, uncommunicative, and vindictive. “We are commanded to forgive our enemies,” Franklin noted, “but we are nowhere commanded to forgive our friends.” Franklin was like a lightning rod for people with the wildest ideas, not just in America, but in France as well. “I don’t know what it is about our home, “ Franklin’s wife once said, “but not one madman sets foot on the American continent without preceding directly to our front door.” Jean-Paul Marat was but one of the many colorful characters that Franklin attracted.
Ms. Schiff masterfully weaves a thousand and more strands and bits of human folly and achievement into a delightful, humorous tale of one man's often erring, sometimes stumbling but ultimate success in helping the colonies become a nation, and gives us a unique view of a man and the difficult birth of his nation.
The writing is flowery to the point of exaggeration: "The slippery stew which was a Paris thoroughfare accounted for the city's most singular danger. No man who had the means walked through the filth of the streets, and no man who had the means hired a driver with any respect for the individual who did."
But in all, an excellent and thoroughly enjoyable book.
Franklin and his mission (which he actually opposed at first) are at the center of events in the book, but Schiff's in-depth research and great writing makes us intimate with the labyrinth of colossal personalities and complex issues involved. She effectively shows how Franklin (whose diplomatic credentials were dubious at best given that America was far from a sovereign nation in a technical sense) forged a rocky trans-Atlantic alliance with France. Even after the alliance was fromalized by treaty in 1778, it was unclear whether France would enter the war. And when they did, joint efforts between France and America were far from coordinated. During those years, Franklin lived in houses teeming with both French and British spies, having no secretary except his own adept grandson, and receiving from Congress new emissaries and contradictory or unnecessary directions. We also see how Franklin attempted to adapt to the culture. The French of that day placed a great emphasis on high-minded ideals (conscience, honor, faith, etc.) that, contrary to the heroic and noble mythology that we would like to believe, simply were not widespread in America.
Adding to the challenge was the colorful cast of Frenchmen that he had to deal with each day. They ranged from Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, the flamboyant secret agent who provided the colonies with many of their weapons; to the young Marquis de Lafayette, who received the weapons and sailed recklessly to America against the king's orders; to the stubborn British ambassador to Versailles, the Viscount Stormont. The American cast of characters was no less of a challenge to Franklin. His American colleagues in Paris ( some of whom were also supposed to be representing America in France, and some of whom stayed on the congressional payroll but simply never went to their postings in other countries) were full of complaints about Franklin. Schiff paints a vivid picture of the infighting among John Adams (who hated Franklin), John Jay, Richard Izard, Arthur and William Lee, Silas Deane (who hated the French while Franklin still loved Britain), and the various others. Some of Franklin’s colleagues made utter fools of themselves as he attempted to reach his objective.
The British launched an aggressive operation to spy on Franklin. The British ran a very effective network of spies in paris that kept Stormont well informed of most of Franklin’s “clandestine” activities. The British spy Edward Edwards was particularly ingenious. Edwards was actually trusted by the Americans and distrusted by his superiors, who spied on him in turn.
Through all the back-biting treachery, Franklin (who once satirized Machiavelli) managed to persuade the French government to support the war with its navy, gunpowder, thousands of soldiers, and provide contributions which would amount to something like thirteen billion in today's dollars. Franklin never directly asked for help from the French. Instead he tried to manipulate events in such a way that France would see intervention in the war to be in her own interest.And, when the English finally admitted defeat, Franklin, along with John Jay and John Adams, negotiated a most beneficent peace. This is a fascinating story providing yet another dimension to this supposedly familiar figure. Schiff has written a lively story with a cast of colorful characters and plot twists that could easily compare to a work of historical fiction.
An interesting part of the narrative was how the French mission brought out Franklin’s best and worst traits. Franklin was personally averse to intrigue, but there was plenty of it to be had during his time in Paris. During his posting, Franklin displayed the wit, charisma, ingenuity and silkiness that he was known for. At the same time, he could be negligent, manipulative, inconsistent, unmethodical, uncommunicative, and vindictive. “We are commanded to forgive our enemies,” Franklin noted, “but we are nowhere commanded to forgive our friends.” Franklin was like a lightning rod for people with the wildest ideas, not just in America, but in France as well. “I don’t know what it is about our home, “ Franklin’s wife once said, “but not one madman sets foot on the American continent without preceding directly to our front door.” Jean-Paul Marat was but one of the many colorful characters that Franklin attracted.
Ms. Schiff masterfully weaves a thousand and more strands and bits of human folly and achievement into a delightful, humorous tale of one man's often erring, sometimes stumbling but ultimate success in helping the colonies become a nation, and gives us a unique view of a man and the difficult birth of his nation.
The writing is flowery to the point of exaggeration: "The slippery stew which was a Paris thoroughfare accounted for the city's most singular danger. No man who had the means walked through the filth of the streets, and no man who had the means hired a driver with any respect for the individual who did."
But in all, an excellent and thoroughly enjoyable book.
February 17, 2023
Stacy Schiff is a great story teller, she is erudite and her writing style can be qualified as elegant. Her contribution to the story of Franklin in Paris is her unique ability to recreate the complex cultural atmosphere of the times. Franklin had the rare capacity to communicate and personnally engage his French counterparts which gave him a unique status as an american envoy.
We see a principled man focused on his mission displaying an in depth understanding of the political, social and financial situation. The personal life of Franklin receives in depth coverage to provide us with an understanding of his motives. He was not a womanizer but he needed sustained female relationships to provide him with an emotional balance in his life. This was a man who used his rare combination of talents as a scientist, writer, philosopher to become an astute and efficient diplomat. His time in Paris was a critical episode for the establishment of the American Republic, he became a man of destiny because he successfully met the challenges of his mission. US mythology about the beginnings of the Republic has erased the memory of the substantial military and financial support provided by France; this book contributes greatly to reminding us of the facts and of the unique leadership ability of Franklin.
We see a principled man focused on his mission displaying an in depth understanding of the political, social and financial situation. The personal life of Franklin receives in depth coverage to provide us with an understanding of his motives. He was not a womanizer but he needed sustained female relationships to provide him with an emotional balance in his life. This was a man who used his rare combination of talents as a scientist, writer, philosopher to become an astute and efficient diplomat. His time in Paris was a critical episode for the establishment of the American Republic, he became a man of destiny because he successfully met the challenges of his mission. US mythology about the beginnings of the Republic has erased the memory of the substantial military and financial support provided by France; this book contributes greatly to reminding us of the facts and of the unique leadership ability of Franklin.
January 8, 2012
A Great Improvisation provides a focus on the time Benjamin Franklin spent as the American envoy to France negotiating treaties with all the European powers and providing American representation in Versailles. From the intrigues of the court, to the social life of Paris, to the intricate negotiations with not only France but peace with Great Britain and commercial treaties with almost everyother power in Europe. The drawback to this book is the heavy prose that drags on with high amounts of detail that includes superfluous words without coming to a quick point. Often times the description is so much that you have to skim just to find the point of the paragraph. The book focuses quite a bit on the relationship between Franklin and many of the French he interacted with and is based on quite a bit of speculation and accounts from those hostile to Franklin. I think this is a book with a lot in it for those willing to take the time to decipher the prose and I did find many great additions to the Franklin myth and legend while also getting a rehash of some of the tried and true Franklin stories. For those who want something only on the time in France this is a great book to take a look at if you have a reference point for what was occurring back home. It is not a great book for those just starting out on this time period in US history. If you want a great primer for Franklin use Issacsson's book for a view of his whole life. Overall though worth the time if you are willing to work through the language.
August 13, 2016
This one is densely packed with a lot of information. If I were rating it solely on the meticulous quality of the research, I'd probably give it a 5. I'm used to McCullough and Isaacson though, and styles similar to theirs. I'm sure Ms. Schiff is very bright, but she apparently needs to prove it to her readers, resulting in a densely written book, at least for the first half. Once the war was won, it became much more readable and I really enjoyed the second half of the book.
Regarding the audio performance, I'd say it was well done. Most of the action takes place in France, and I'd say the narrator's pronunciations are absolutely fine. She reads a little slowly, but that's required for this book, at least for the first couple hundred pages.
Anyone with a real interest in the Revolutionary period should make time to read this one. There's a lot here to learn, and it's obvious Schiff did her homework.
ETA: There's a long cast of characters at the beginning of the book. Very important listing. There are tons of people here. Maybe that's part of the reason I read slower at the beginning also, in addition to getting used to her writing style.
Regarding the audio performance, I'd say it was well done. Most of the action takes place in France, and I'd say the narrator's pronunciations are absolutely fine. She reads a little slowly, but that's required for this book, at least for the first couple hundred pages.
Anyone with a real interest in the Revolutionary period should make time to read this one. There's a lot here to learn, and it's obvious Schiff did her homework.
ETA: There's a long cast of characters at the beginning of the book. Very important listing. There are tons of people here. Maybe that's part of the reason I read slower at the beginning also, in addition to getting used to her writing style.
May 31, 2017
Had bought this book almost a decade ago. Finally set it free. It covers Franklin's years in France in great detail. The book showcases his ability to deal with the French court with great aplomb and yet struggle in dealing with his own team and Congress. His constant nudging of Vergennes for funding was the bonanza that financed the war of independence and which eventually (and unintentionally) led to the bankruptcy of Louis XVI's France.
His taciturnity to the constant distrust, complaining and back biting that his co-commissioners (Arthur/William Lee and John Adams) had with and about him pushed some of them to the point of being unhinged. Adams was, in particular, very scathing when writing about Franklin.
In the end I'll just quote the author about Franklin: "He was no less the revolutionary for being a congenial and cool-headed late bloomer. He never allowed himself to be constrained by accepted practice or prevailing ethos; he was always prepared to throw piety out of the window. He preferred dialogue to dogma. To that extent the charges of heresy were in order. The supreme gift was his flexibility. He was the opportunistic envoy from the land of opportunity, that pluralistic singularity that is the United States."
His taciturnity to the constant distrust, complaining and back biting that his co-commissioners (Arthur/William Lee and John Adams) had with and about him pushed some of them to the point of being unhinged. Adams was, in particular, very scathing when writing about Franklin.
In the end I'll just quote the author about Franklin: "He was no less the revolutionary for being a congenial and cool-headed late bloomer. He never allowed himself to be constrained by accepted practice or prevailing ethos; he was always prepared to throw piety out of the window. He preferred dialogue to dogma. To that extent the charges of heresy were in order. The supreme gift was his flexibility. He was the opportunistic envoy from the land of opportunity, that pluralistic singularity that is the United States."
October 23, 2011
It took me a long time to get through this because it was such a fascinating book full of historical facts that the author carefully researched, I didn't want to miss a thing! It's great if you're into American history and want to know what was going on with the American delegates (Franklin, John Jay, John Adams, etc) who were in France trying to get assistance from the French king (Louis XVI) for the American Revolution, while pretending to simply be there on personal vacations (after all, France was neutral in the beginning so the British Ambassador would have objected to the delegates' presence...which he did often anyway!). The saddest part was reading how it all ended, with Franklin's debts accrued during those eight years never compensated by Congress, the French loans to the American revolutionaries never repaid, and the promised trade agreements between France and the new United States almost immediately broken once America was free of British rule. The irony kills me...
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July 14, 2016Did not finish...truly tried to read it alllll the way through! At first I thought maybe I wasn't in the mood for so much history, so I put it down and picked up something light and fun. Picked it up again, but was again put off by how many times I had to check the meaning of the words Ms. Schiff used. Seemed she was trying to impress with difficult words when a common one would have suited much better. Very rarely do I not finish a book I've started. I did struggle to read a quarter of this book, but when I found myself looking for other things to do rather then read it, I knew it was time to give up the ghost! 0 Stars - confusing, boring, flowery and definitely not for me!
January 2, 2020
A Rambling Mess
This is quite likely the worst book I have read in over a decade. The author seems to have a real problem making a coherent narrative, and the poor writing is made worse by a completely unlikeable Franklin. Was I supposed to hate Ben Franklin by the end of the book? That’s exactly what happened.
This is quite likely the worst book I have read in over a decade. The author seems to have a real problem making a coherent narrative, and the poor writing is made worse by a completely unlikeable Franklin. Was I supposed to hate Ben Franklin by the end of the book? That’s exactly what happened.
October 30, 2010
In this book, Stacy Schiff covers the trip Benjamin Franklin took to France in order to help America gain its independence from Great Britain. The story is interesting in itself, and needs little for its improvement. However, Schiff is able to use analysis to describe not only what Franklin is doing, but what he is thinking while it is being done. It is an opportunity to meet the man who was so revered in colonial America. As a writer, I was able to learn from Schiff that it is not so much what the person is doing, but what they understand those actions to mean. Franklin had his finger on the pulse of posterity, which is made clear in Schiff's depiction. Schiff also showed me that it is possible to take a historical situation and spice it up to make it interesting. Sometimes, however, one must dig deeper to find the hints of interest.
This book, while geared toward those who enjoy American history, would also be a great read for people who want to know how America was formed. It shows that there was much more to starting America than simply penning the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
This book, while geared toward those who enjoy American history, would also be a great read for people who want to know how America was formed. It shows that there was much more to starting America than simply penning the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
February 3, 2017
A detailed political account of Franklin's diplomatic voyage to France that reveals much about the man himself that was never taught in grade school history classes. A very enjoyable telling of history that could have been condensed perhaps by a third less material, and have yet been very thoroughly covered. This has its advantages though, in that the source materials are vetted extensively. Franklin has always been an extremely likeable American, and is even the more so once he is revealed from such a human perspective as that of Stacy Schiff's. I don't really need to say that the reader will likewise learn a great deal about the birth of the United States of America in this book, as well as the people of France.
December 21, 2007
An account of Franklins stay in Paris during and after the Revolutionary War. It is common knowledge that he was there, that he worked for American interests with the French court - but the extent of his influence and how much his actions actually effected the outcome of the war is extraordinary. Franklin himself comes alive in this account, and my thanks to Schiff for keeping him human (and not some infallible hero). Franklin's petulance, love of luxury and 'the good life', his indecision and his infamous appetites are a nice juxtaposition to his dedication, drive and immense intelligence, not to mention his limitless love for his country and the American dream.
January 7, 2009
Enjoyable read about Franklin's peace treaty work with the French.
It's not a rosy picture read, Franklin is definitely presented warts and all, but he was apparently the best man for the job, by a large margin.
John Adams is usually my favorite founding father, but he shows to bad advantage as a diplomat to a Monarchy. :)
It's amazing that the French to give us as much support as they did.
It's not a rosy picture read, Franklin is definitely presented warts and all, but he was apparently the best man for the job, by a large margin.
John Adams is usually my favorite founding father, but he shows to bad advantage as a diplomat to a Monarchy. :)
It's amazing that the French to give us as much support as they did.
September 16, 2019
Magnificent
Sparkling, humorous, wonderful prose. Dr. Franklin would approve. One of the best books of its kind I have ever read. Worthy of its marvelous subject.
Sparkling, humorous, wonderful prose. Dr. Franklin would approve. One of the best books of its kind I have ever read. Worthy of its marvelous subject.
January 19, 2023
Excellent for research!
October 9, 2024
This book has all the best that Stacy Schiff offers in non-fiction. There are so many details from letters and diaries that allows this book to read as if it were fiction. What makes this book all the more fascinating is that while describing in minute detail, an event or a person's response, and while making the reader wonder, "do I really need to know this?" she skillfully pulls everything together in the epilogue and leaves the reader (at least I can say for myself) contented in that all loose ends are tied up.
December 10, 2025
I enjoyed this book. It was exactly what I expected from Stacy Schiff. She told the story like a story but she weaved in tons of fascinating details. Ben Franklin is such a fun character from history and his adventures in Paris during that time period were amusing to read about. I learned a lot and enjoyed myself along the way.
June 17, 2019
Good book covering the Revolutionary period in France and how the US got French support.
May 29, 2025
jam packed with information, but such a slog to read.
May 22, 2019
Fantastic the whole way through!
October 20, 2009
A history book on the time Ben Franklin was in Paris waiting out the French to jump in and back America for our Independence.
Unfortunately seven years of excruciatingly oblique politics does not make for a major pleasure of a read. It seems politics is eternal, you never know what is ever the truth, what of the 1,000 motivations are going to lead, or are ever sure what is behind what is going on; past, present, or future.
I am also not sure that you can push history into being a novel. The events may write themselves but they do not edit themselves unfortunately.
The history of the time itself is interesting, the contemporaries that are in France at the same time as Franklin- Marie Antoinette, Jefferson, Voltaire. Its also nice to just have a picture of the times, to read about the vogue of hot air balloons, the neighborhood, now Passy, then just a rural area with giant country estates.
I can see why Schiff though this would be a good book to write. There are so many angles of self-interests, and things that hinge on timing. Unfortunately it left me with a feeling of how boring politics is, how motivations of self-interest, a whole gaggle of people playing games for their own self-interest, is pretty bleak and boring ground indeed. It just kind of boils down into the same gray stew.
Although if you’re a cynic you may find an unending hall of mirrors, that ends in your (America's) favor, is satisfying. And too if you are a cynic you will never get over the thrill that it was the King of France and Marie Antoinette who bankrupted their country by helping us, by funding our revolution, and brought a revolution onto themselves. They lost their aristocracy and their heads by helping us to our liberty. That’s the kind of irony that would make a cynic dance. They were blamed for being too lushly indulgent with themselves; Marie Antoinette was blamed, when it was with America really that they were too lush. And we did not pay them back. Can anyone say default credit swap options.....
And of course no one is sure if Ben Franklin is a scoundrel or a genius.
Schiff is at times a little bit too punctilious in a sotto voce snobbish sort of way. Like any backdoor stuff that is going on 'closest to the salt' makes it of interest. She comes off as at times an Upper East Side lady who believes one is privileged to get one small honest nod towards any tidbit of the real workings of power. I, unlike Schiff, do not find 'power' scintillation.
Unfortunately seven years of excruciatingly oblique politics does not make for a major pleasure of a read. It seems politics is eternal, you never know what is ever the truth, what of the 1,000 motivations are going to lead, or are ever sure what is behind what is going on; past, present, or future.
I am also not sure that you can push history into being a novel. The events may write themselves but they do not edit themselves unfortunately.
The history of the time itself is interesting, the contemporaries that are in France at the same time as Franklin- Marie Antoinette, Jefferson, Voltaire. Its also nice to just have a picture of the times, to read about the vogue of hot air balloons, the neighborhood, now Passy, then just a rural area with giant country estates.
I can see why Schiff though this would be a good book to write. There are so many angles of self-interests, and things that hinge on timing. Unfortunately it left me with a feeling of how boring politics is, how motivations of self-interest, a whole gaggle of people playing games for their own self-interest, is pretty bleak and boring ground indeed. It just kind of boils down into the same gray stew.
Although if you’re a cynic you may find an unending hall of mirrors, that ends in your (America's) favor, is satisfying. And too if you are a cynic you will never get over the thrill that it was the King of France and Marie Antoinette who bankrupted their country by helping us, by funding our revolution, and brought a revolution onto themselves. They lost their aristocracy and their heads by helping us to our liberty. That’s the kind of irony that would make a cynic dance. They were blamed for being too lushly indulgent with themselves; Marie Antoinette was blamed, when it was with America really that they were too lush. And we did not pay them back. Can anyone say default credit swap options.....
And of course no one is sure if Ben Franklin is a scoundrel or a genius.
Schiff is at times a little bit too punctilious in a sotto voce snobbish sort of way. Like any backdoor stuff that is going on 'closest to the salt' makes it of interest. She comes off as at times an Upper East Side lady who believes one is privileged to get one small honest nod towards any tidbit of the real workings of power. I, unlike Schiff, do not find 'power' scintillation.
August 29, 2010
A gossipy, fun book to read about America's diplomatic outreach to France during the American Revolution. The author reveals the appealing aspects of Benjamin Franklin's character, but also provides evidence of the contradictions in his life and personality. John Adams doesn't appear to be a very appealing man, but you get a sense of his frustration in playing second fiddle to Franklin. You won't learn much about the battles of the Revolution, but will be treated to the development of the U.S. relationship with France's monarchy, the lifestyle of the French upper class, a bit of the scientifc discoveries of the time (including ballooning) and the immediate ramifications for France and Louis XVI in extending help to the former British colonies in their quest to become independent.
January 5, 2019
A Great Improvisation has been around for a while, so I’m catching up to another nonstop example of Stacy Schiff’s luscious, lavish, and literate prose.
She offers, as usual, stunningly detailed research, and the master’s touch in illuminating the characters of the people whose lives are captured by her pen.
Franklin didn’t do it all by himself, of course, but his hand was in much of the good, bad, and sometimes ugly diplomacy of getting the French to help America get started.
Once you get started on this historically contextual biography of Benjamin Franklin, you won’t be able to stop.
Yes, 489 pages is a bit too long. You can live with it.
Read more of my book reviews and poems here:
www.richardsubber.com
She offers, as usual, stunningly detailed research, and the master’s touch in illuminating the characters of the people whose lives are captured by her pen.
Franklin didn’t do it all by himself, of course, but his hand was in much of the good, bad, and sometimes ugly diplomacy of getting the French to help America get started.
Once you get started on this historically contextual biography of Benjamin Franklin, you won’t be able to stop.
Yes, 489 pages is a bit too long. You can live with it.
Read more of my book reviews and poems here:
www.richardsubber.com
January 9, 2011
This is a phenomenal book, covering a part of American history that is downright fascinating and at the same time embarrassing. I am disheartened to know that politics has been as irresponsible from the very beginning as it ever has been. But if nothing else, I am very glad Ben Franklin was who he was, when he was, and where he was. I feel incredibly indebted to the old rascal, and wish I were a little more like him in all the best ways. He wasn't perfect, but he was exactly what was needed.
August 25, 2021
Does Benjamin Franklin get enough credit for winning the Revolutinary War? He talked (conned) the French, King Louis XVI, into sending enough money and troops to make it possible to win the war. Without the French we might still be English colonists. Ironically, the amounts lent us were so enormous that the debt incurred was a major factor in the coming French Revolution.
It’s delightful to picture the renowned scientist arriving at the opulent court in a coonskin cap. Franklin, according to Schiff, was revered much more by the French than by his own countrymen. An
amazing book!
It’s delightful to picture the renowned scientist arriving at the opulent court in a coonskin cap. Franklin, according to Schiff, was revered much more by the French than by his own countrymen. An
amazing book!
December 2, 2013
I found this book a delight to read, rich in detail of personalities especially the French. Schiff does a fine job of setting up in juxtaposition the personalities especially of Adams and Franklin (a legacy with which we continue to struggle) as well as the European monarchies and intrigue with America as newcomer and democracy. Recommended for all interested in the history and founding of the USA as well as America's place in the global political arena.
June 27, 2014
Here you have absolutely everything little detail of Benjamin Franklin's years as a minister plenipotentiary in France. I must admit I was fascinated, even as Franklin himself was fascinated with every small detail of life, love and science.
This is a book for people who are interested in Franklin, his contemporaries in France and Franco-American relations. John Adams comes through as a boor (perhaps unfairly).
This is a book for people who are interested in Franklin, his contemporaries in France and Franco-American relations. John Adams comes through as a boor (perhaps unfairly).
March 24, 2010
Benjamin Franklin seems like an interesting enough man. The same cannot be said for this book.
I gave it one full chapter, and found myself preferring to browse through trite news articles at 3-point font on my Blackberry at 2G speeds. The style is written very matter-of-fact. This happened... then this... then this, but I'll use a big word to make it seem more interesting.
I gave it one full chapter, and found myself preferring to browse through trite news articles at 3-point font on my Blackberry at 2G speeds. The style is written very matter-of-fact. This happened... then this... then this, but I'll use a big word to make it seem more interesting.
October 24, 2013
I read this book long after I finished writing Benjamin Franklin's Bastard, because this book started where mine left off, but as always, I learned something new. There is no end to the depth of this man.
February 9, 2012
Couldn't get very far into this. I love the time period, and really enjoyed Schiff's biography of Cleopatra, but this one just didn't do it for me!
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