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The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered
A major biography of the Marquis de Lafayette, French hero of the American Revolution, who, at age nineteen, volunteered to fight under George Washington; a biography that looks past the storybook hero and selfless champion of righteous causes who cast aside family and fortune to advance the transcendent aims of liberty and justice commemorated in America’s towns, streets, parks, and schools named after the French nobleman. Laura Auricchio gives us a rich portrait of the man, fully revealed, a man driven by dreams of glory and felled by tragic, human weaknesses.
In The Marquis, we come to understand the personal struggles, social quandaries, and idealistic visions that inspired an orphaned young man to cross an ocean and fight a war that was none of his concern; we see a guileless provincial whose unexpected inheritance allowed him to marry into the highest echelons of the French aristocracy, and become a self-consciously awkward presence at the palace of Versailles. Here is the young Lafayette, removed from the French army as a result of sweeping reforms, trapped in a gilded cage until American emissaries reached Paris seeking support for their revolution. In the American cause, Lafayette, whose only vision had been of martial glory, saw a way to reach his dreams, and seized it with gusto. Americans welcomed him with open arms, and he returned their affection fully. His American éclat was so brilliant and his enthusiasm so great that he quickly became the symbol of the Franco-American alliance that ultimately defeated Great Britain.
We see how Lafayette’s reputation rose to great heights during the American Revolution but collapsed during the French; that when the Bastille fell on July 14, 1789, Parisians hailed Lafayette as the French Washington and appointed him commander of their National Guard, hoping that he would be able to restore order to a city wracked by starvation and violence. As revolutionaries hurtled in radical directions and staunch monarchists dug in their heels, Lafayette lost control, remaining steadfast in his belief that the French monarchy needed to be reformed but not abolished, and doing everything in his power to prevent an American-style republic from taking root in his native land. Formerly seen as France’s heroic figure, Lafayette was now viewed as opportunistic, a dreamer, and a traitor to his nation--and today remains a murky figure in French memory.
In America, Lafayette’s momentous departure from his homeland for the War of Independence has long been hailed as the start of an extraordinary career to be celebrated for generations. In France, it is often seen as just one of his many misbegotten undertakings. Yet no one has managed to offer a satisfactory answer to the crucial question of Why did Americans shower Lafayette with so much acclaim in his own time that he remains a hero today, being named an honorary U.S. citizen in 2002—becoming only the seventh person ever granted this distinction? And why, in contrast, does his memory continue to be denigrated in his own land?
Auricchio, drawing on substantial new research conducted in libraries, archives, museums, and private homes in France and the United States, gives us history on a grand scale as she answers these crucial questions, revealing the man and his complex life, and challenging and exploring the complicated myths that have surrounded his name for more than two centuries.
In The Marquis, we come to understand the personal struggles, social quandaries, and idealistic visions that inspired an orphaned young man to cross an ocean and fight a war that was none of his concern; we see a guileless provincial whose unexpected inheritance allowed him to marry into the highest echelons of the French aristocracy, and become a self-consciously awkward presence at the palace of Versailles. Here is the young Lafayette, removed from the French army as a result of sweeping reforms, trapped in a gilded cage until American emissaries reached Paris seeking support for their revolution. In the American cause, Lafayette, whose only vision had been of martial glory, saw a way to reach his dreams, and seized it with gusto. Americans welcomed him with open arms, and he returned their affection fully. His American éclat was so brilliant and his enthusiasm so great that he quickly became the symbol of the Franco-American alliance that ultimately defeated Great Britain.
We see how Lafayette’s reputation rose to great heights during the American Revolution but collapsed during the French; that when the Bastille fell on July 14, 1789, Parisians hailed Lafayette as the French Washington and appointed him commander of their National Guard, hoping that he would be able to restore order to a city wracked by starvation and violence. As revolutionaries hurtled in radical directions and staunch monarchists dug in their heels, Lafayette lost control, remaining steadfast in his belief that the French monarchy needed to be reformed but not abolished, and doing everything in his power to prevent an American-style republic from taking root in his native land. Formerly seen as France’s heroic figure, Lafayette was now viewed as opportunistic, a dreamer, and a traitor to his nation--and today remains a murky figure in French memory.
In America, Lafayette’s momentous departure from his homeland for the War of Independence has long been hailed as the start of an extraordinary career to be celebrated for generations. In France, it is often seen as just one of his many misbegotten undertakings. Yet no one has managed to offer a satisfactory answer to the crucial question of Why did Americans shower Lafayette with so much acclaim in his own time that he remains a hero today, being named an honorary U.S. citizen in 2002—becoming only the seventh person ever granted this distinction? And why, in contrast, does his memory continue to be denigrated in his own land?
Auricchio, drawing on substantial new research conducted in libraries, archives, museums, and private homes in France and the United States, gives us history on a grand scale as she answers these crucial questions, revealing the man and his complex life, and challenging and exploring the complicated myths that have surrounded his name for more than two centuries.
409 pages, Hardcover
First published October 14, 2014
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June 9, 2025
Holding both a professional career in Art History as well as her recent appointment of Dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center, author Laura Auricchio’s prior books have focused on artists from the eighteenth century. In her latest biography, she turns to the Marquis de Lafayette—a revolutionary caught between two worlds—who attempted to use the ideals and influence of the Enlightenment to guide his way through both his adoptive and native countries. From a telling introduction that focuses on Lafayette’s later aspirations for a constitutional monarchy in France, Auricchio begs the question: why should the Marquis be honored in both his time and ours? From there on she seeks to answer it, and provide new insight into his life, principles, and character.
After dutifully describing Lafayette’s upbringing, we find him orphaned and taken on by his grandmother after his father died by cannon fire in the French and Indian War. The young boy would come into a windfall of inheritance with the death of his uncle, and here his mother (who was in and out of his childhood until her death a few years later) would bring the child of nobility to Paris for the city’s educational and cultural prospects. Auricchio delves into Lafayette’s engagement with his future wife Adrienne, showing his potential father-in-law’s early fondness for the young officer, as well as his misgivings regarding Lafayette’s naive inkling to go abroad and gain glory in the War of Independence.
With a wife pregnant with their second child, Lafayette nonetheless embarks across the Atlantic with the aid of Silas Deane and Baron de Kalb. It’s quite clear from the beginning that Auricchio’s writing and research are both magnificently conducted in a manner and format that’s appealing and comprehensive for the reading experience. For a single volume biography, she devotes a pleasing amount of attention to Lafayette’s early rise in both the Continental Army as well as Washington’s military circle—highlighting his introduction to the commander, and his involvement at such events as the Battle of Brandywine, Valley Forge, the Conway Cabal, and Yorktown. Indeed, Auricchio doesn’t skip a beat even when describing Lafayette’s battlefield experience at Monmouth—noting not only his actions, but the consequences of the battle—including Charles Lee’s regrettable court-martial and his subsequent career-ending letter campaign.
As Auricchio moves on to the Frenchman’s new life and prestige back in his mother country, she devotes much attention to his relationships with American statesmen, merchants, and Adrienne and their brood. The titular term “Reconsidered” may leave the reader thinking this is simply a character study of the Marquis, but this would not do the work justice, as it is all too clear by the second half that this is an exceptionally researched full-length chronicle of the noble revolutionary’s life and times. Time and again, she loses no focus when recounting each step of his journey—describing his oft-forgotten involvement with the Society of the Cincinnati, as well as his 1784 American sojourn before the dreary days of the coming French Revolution:
A similar triumph of wishful thinking was on exhibit in Philadelphia on August 12, 1784, when Lafayette gave a presentation to the American Philosophical Society in front of twenty-two members gathered in Carpenters’ Hall—in the same room where, some nine years earlier, Louis XVI’s undercover agent Bonvouloir had first met with Franklin to discuss covert Franco-American cooperation in the fight against England. Lafayette’s visit was of a far more public nature, but he, too, had come to share a European secret with American friends. Lafayette’s topic was mesmerism—more commonly known at the time as “Animal Magnetism.”
After depicting a rich and vivid portrait of the Lafayette household—which garnered the praise of both Abigail Adams and her son-in-law who were then stationed in France—Auricchio delves into Pre-Revolutionary France, noting Lafayette’s collaboration with Jefferson on a number of reforms. While the material leading up to the Reign of Terror reads a tad bit on the dry side, it nonetheless proves Auricchio’s commitment to detail and indeed covers a fascinating social history of the times. As she progresses through the tumult of the French Revolution, Auricchio easily answers why indeed France alone should celebrate Lafayette, leaving no questions as to his allegiance to both the cause of liberty and his determination to strictly abide by his nation’s laws—no matter their faults.
With his exile and subsequent imprisonment in Austria recounted in appropriately depressing detail, Auricchio covers his wife Adrienne’s heroic and passionate stance in joining her husband, which garnered the hearts of many. Fittingly, the Lafayette family’s triumphant return to France is followed by his final farewell tour to the United States, and it’s told in all of the grandeur and detail that has by now become an established familiarity for the reader. An exemplary biography through and through, Lafayette’s life and everlasting achievements are brilliantly memorialized by Auricchio. Over fifty illustrations are included, as well as an index.
After dutifully describing Lafayette’s upbringing, we find him orphaned and taken on by his grandmother after his father died by cannon fire in the French and Indian War. The young boy would come into a windfall of inheritance with the death of his uncle, and here his mother (who was in and out of his childhood until her death a few years later) would bring the child of nobility to Paris for the city’s educational and cultural prospects. Auricchio delves into Lafayette’s engagement with his future wife Adrienne, showing his potential father-in-law’s early fondness for the young officer, as well as his misgivings regarding Lafayette’s naive inkling to go abroad and gain glory in the War of Independence.
With a wife pregnant with their second child, Lafayette nonetheless embarks across the Atlantic with the aid of Silas Deane and Baron de Kalb. It’s quite clear from the beginning that Auricchio’s writing and research are both magnificently conducted in a manner and format that’s appealing and comprehensive for the reading experience. For a single volume biography, she devotes a pleasing amount of attention to Lafayette’s early rise in both the Continental Army as well as Washington’s military circle—highlighting his introduction to the commander, and his involvement at such events as the Battle of Brandywine, Valley Forge, the Conway Cabal, and Yorktown. Indeed, Auricchio doesn’t skip a beat even when describing Lafayette’s battlefield experience at Monmouth—noting not only his actions, but the consequences of the battle—including Charles Lee’s regrettable court-martial and his subsequent career-ending letter campaign.
As Auricchio moves on to the Frenchman’s new life and prestige back in his mother country, she devotes much attention to his relationships with American statesmen, merchants, and Adrienne and their brood. The titular term “Reconsidered” may leave the reader thinking this is simply a character study of the Marquis, but this would not do the work justice, as it is all too clear by the second half that this is an exceptionally researched full-length chronicle of the noble revolutionary’s life and times. Time and again, she loses no focus when recounting each step of his journey—describing his oft-forgotten involvement with the Society of the Cincinnati, as well as his 1784 American sojourn before the dreary days of the coming French Revolution:
A similar triumph of wishful thinking was on exhibit in Philadelphia on August 12, 1784, when Lafayette gave a presentation to the American Philosophical Society in front of twenty-two members gathered in Carpenters’ Hall—in the same room where, some nine years earlier, Louis XVI’s undercover agent Bonvouloir had first met with Franklin to discuss covert Franco-American cooperation in the fight against England. Lafayette’s visit was of a far more public nature, but he, too, had come to share a European secret with American friends. Lafayette’s topic was mesmerism—more commonly known at the time as “Animal Magnetism.”
After depicting a rich and vivid portrait of the Lafayette household—which garnered the praise of both Abigail Adams and her son-in-law who were then stationed in France—Auricchio delves into Pre-Revolutionary France, noting Lafayette’s collaboration with Jefferson on a number of reforms. While the material leading up to the Reign of Terror reads a tad bit on the dry side, it nonetheless proves Auricchio’s commitment to detail and indeed covers a fascinating social history of the times. As she progresses through the tumult of the French Revolution, Auricchio easily answers why indeed France alone should celebrate Lafayette, leaving no questions as to his allegiance to both the cause of liberty and his determination to strictly abide by his nation’s laws—no matter their faults.
With his exile and subsequent imprisonment in Austria recounted in appropriately depressing detail, Auricchio covers his wife Adrienne’s heroic and passionate stance in joining her husband, which garnered the hearts of many. Fittingly, the Lafayette family’s triumphant return to France is followed by his final farewell tour to the United States, and it’s told in all of the grandeur and detail that has by now become an established familiarity for the reader. An exemplary biography through and through, Lafayette’s life and everlasting achievements are brilliantly memorialized by Auricchio. Over fifty illustrations are included, as well as an index.
November 24, 2021
Lafayette was an important figure in both the American and French revolutions, but while he continues to be revered in the U.S. today, with tons of places named for him, he’s essentially forgotten in France. Sadly, he also doesn’t seem to have a great modern biography. This one is decent, serious but a bit dry for the casual reader.
The book isn’t as long as it appears—the actual text ends on page 307 and the rest is source material—but it does feel fairly comprehensive. Lafayette became a marquis very young, was rich but not particularly well-connected by the standards of the French aristocracy, and as an idealistic, enthusiastic 19-year-old he snuck away to America on a ship paid for by himself in order to assist in the American Revolution. He became close friends with George Washington as well as a number of other leaders, led armies for awhile without any really noteworthy victories or defeats (he was at Valley Forge though), and the public-relations effects of his involvement may have helped convince the French to officially join the war. Being a bit of a glory-hound, he then ran about enthusiastically attempting to insert himself into everything, from the military to diplomacy, while everyone else seems to have tolerated him with mostly good humor.
Back in France, Lafayette’s involvement in his own country’s revolution was rather more peripheral, though he was elected to the Estates General and drafted a Declaration of Rights. At the height of his influence, he was selected as head of the militia for Paris, which he struggled to control when the people forcibly removed the royal family from Versailles. A staunch constitutional monarchist, he ended with both the absolute monarchists and the republicans seeing him as a traitor, and was finally forced to flee the country. He then spent several years a prisoner in Austria, until his wife’s demonstratively joining him in prison brought sympathetic attention to his cause. Most of the rest of his life he spent experimenting with agricultural techniques in the French countryside, but still an idealist who made one final grand victory tour to the U.S. decades later.
Auricchio begins this biography with a French curator asking “why should we have a bust of Lafayette?” and makes a point of showing the reader a more complex picture than the usual hero-worshiping Founding Fathers biography. I appreciated the even-handed complexity, but did wind up sharing the curator’s question. That Lafayette was willing to put himself and his money on the line for the American cause is absolutely admirable, but ultimately it seems his importance to the American Revolution was more about who he was (rich, aristocratic) than what he did. And in the French Revolution he did not in fact accomplish much. He did have a lot of ideals—he gently worked on Washington on the slavery issue, for instance—but ultimately failed to put many of them into practice: he bought a plantation in Cayenne apparently with the plan to free the slaves as an example of how well that would work, but in the end did not free them before France abolished slavery itself.
The book spends a lot of pages explaining events of the time, which often don’t directly involve Lafayette, and it’s all a bit dry—though readable—and very focused on his political rather than personal life. Only at the end was I even clear on how many children he had, the author never shared how old they were at any given time (nor is there a family tree from which the reader could deduce this), and outside of the prison episode, his wife is rarely mentioned except as a recipient of letters describing his activities. It’s not gripping storytelling, though the omissions do keep it short.
Overall, I learned from this book and did come away with the sense that Auricchio is a thorough and responsible historian, as well as a decent writer. It’s apparently a rare biography of Lafayette (at least in English) that deals much with his activities in France at all, so her specialization in French history and ability to make use of documents in that language is particularly helpful. I think this is a good choice if you want to learn more about Lafayette for some reason, but not one I’d go out of my way to recommend.
The book isn’t as long as it appears—the actual text ends on page 307 and the rest is source material—but it does feel fairly comprehensive. Lafayette became a marquis very young, was rich but not particularly well-connected by the standards of the French aristocracy, and as an idealistic, enthusiastic 19-year-old he snuck away to America on a ship paid for by himself in order to assist in the American Revolution. He became close friends with George Washington as well as a number of other leaders, led armies for awhile without any really noteworthy victories or defeats (he was at Valley Forge though), and the public-relations effects of his involvement may have helped convince the French to officially join the war. Being a bit of a glory-hound, he then ran about enthusiastically attempting to insert himself into everything, from the military to diplomacy, while everyone else seems to have tolerated him with mostly good humor.
Back in France, Lafayette’s involvement in his own country’s revolution was rather more peripheral, though he was elected to the Estates General and drafted a Declaration of Rights. At the height of his influence, he was selected as head of the militia for Paris, which he struggled to control when the people forcibly removed the royal family from Versailles. A staunch constitutional monarchist, he ended with both the absolute monarchists and the republicans seeing him as a traitor, and was finally forced to flee the country. He then spent several years a prisoner in Austria, until his wife’s demonstratively joining him in prison brought sympathetic attention to his cause. Most of the rest of his life he spent experimenting with agricultural techniques in the French countryside, but still an idealist who made one final grand victory tour to the U.S. decades later.
Auricchio begins this biography with a French curator asking “why should we have a bust of Lafayette?” and makes a point of showing the reader a more complex picture than the usual hero-worshiping Founding Fathers biography. I appreciated the even-handed complexity, but did wind up sharing the curator’s question. That Lafayette was willing to put himself and his money on the line for the American cause is absolutely admirable, but ultimately it seems his importance to the American Revolution was more about who he was (rich, aristocratic) than what he did. And in the French Revolution he did not in fact accomplish much. He did have a lot of ideals—he gently worked on Washington on the slavery issue, for instance—but ultimately failed to put many of them into practice: he bought a plantation in Cayenne apparently with the plan to free the slaves as an example of how well that would work, but in the end did not free them before France abolished slavery itself.
The book spends a lot of pages explaining events of the time, which often don’t directly involve Lafayette, and it’s all a bit dry—though readable—and very focused on his political rather than personal life. Only at the end was I even clear on how many children he had, the author never shared how old they were at any given time (nor is there a family tree from which the reader could deduce this), and outside of the prison episode, his wife is rarely mentioned except as a recipient of letters describing his activities. It’s not gripping storytelling, though the omissions do keep it short.
Overall, I learned from this book and did come away with the sense that Auricchio is a thorough and responsible historian, as well as a decent writer. It’s apparently a rare biography of Lafayette (at least in English) that deals much with his activities in France at all, so her specialization in French history and ability to make use of documents in that language is particularly helpful. I think this is a good choice if you want to learn more about Lafayette for some reason, but not one I’d go out of my way to recommend.
September 27, 2017
*3.5 stars, mostly because the only other book I read about Lafayette focused on his time in America, and this was mainly about his time in France after the American Revolution.
I'm very conflicted about this book, because while it was interesting, I found Auricchio's writing to be a little distant. I understand that this was a strict focus on Lafayette, but I was expecting at least a little about the relationships he had throughout his life. While Auricchio does touch on the relationships he formed with his wife Adrienne, Washington, Jefferson, and people in France, it's a very brief overview. I found this a little odd, because the novel was really examining the complexities behind the hero we know as Lafayette. Surely the relationships he had added to his complexity, but Auricchio decided to instead focus solely on Lafayette. I feel as though that decision left more to be desired.
For instance, his wife, Adrienne, was a remarkable woman. She took their lives into her own hands while Lafayette was imprisoned, and tried the best she could to get him freed. She even wrote to Washington to see if there was anything he could do. When nothing happened, she sent her son, Georges Washington Lafayette, to live with his namesake, and took her two daughters, Anastasie and Virginie, to the prison and they lived with Lafayette through that time. Adrienne even refused medical treatment although she was very ill, because that would have meant leaving Lafayette and she couldn't do that.
After her death, Lafayette wrote in his own memoirs about how much he had loved her, even though he took her for granted, and that he was inconsolable about the loss and would never recover. None of that is in the book. At all. In fact, Adrienne's death takes up two sentences. It's, "Adrienne passed away in her bedroom. Years later Lafayette was elected to.." I was incredibly surprised that Auricchio decided against writing about a very crucial time in Lafayette's life, seeing as how the whole narrative was supposedly reexamining his character and his life events to discover the complexity that was Lafayette. In fact, there's more discussion about his relationship with Washington and Marie Antoinette than with Adrienne.
However, it is clear that Auricchio has immense respect for Lafayette, as evidenced in her last chapter, Picpus (which is both sad, yet a great end to the book, I think). The ending saved the book for me, and is part of the reason I gave this 3.5 stars instead of just a three. I also have to say that the amount of history in this is astonishing. Auricchio clearly did her work (she said the book took seven years to complete and it's obvious) and used multiple sources throughout.
One other tiny complaint I do have is the fact that she tended to be a little heavy handed on the details of the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. During the Terror, Lafayette was imprisoned, and therefore, didn't really contribute anything to it. I didn't care about reading half a chapter on Robespierre, even though it was interesting, because I wanted to read about Lafayette.
I have a tendency to harp on the negative things about books, but I did like this more than I have made it seem. It's incredibly interesting, and offers so many details on Lafayette, going so far as to examine the way he furnished his rooms, and what that said about his character.
As I've said previously, I'm also glad this focused more on Lafayette after the American Revolution, because I had previously read Adopted Son by David A. Clary, and that focused mainly on Lafayette during his time in America.
(One more tiny complaint before I leave this review on a good note. Auricchio has a tendency to start sentences with "and" and that bugged me to no end.)
Though I wish some parts of this book were different, it made me gain even more respect for Lafayette. He was a man that sought glory, and always did his best to help his people, whether they be American or French. He truly loved both his adopted and original countries, and many people (mainly Americans, because the French don't pay him any mind, which I learned reading this), still to this day, love him too.
I'm very conflicted about this book, because while it was interesting, I found Auricchio's writing to be a little distant. I understand that this was a strict focus on Lafayette, but I was expecting at least a little about the relationships he had throughout his life. While Auricchio does touch on the relationships he formed with his wife Adrienne, Washington, Jefferson, and people in France, it's a very brief overview. I found this a little odd, because the novel was really examining the complexities behind the hero we know as Lafayette. Surely the relationships he had added to his complexity, but Auricchio decided to instead focus solely on Lafayette. I feel as though that decision left more to be desired.
For instance, his wife, Adrienne, was a remarkable woman. She took their lives into her own hands while Lafayette was imprisoned, and tried the best she could to get him freed. She even wrote to Washington to see if there was anything he could do. When nothing happened, she sent her son, Georges Washington Lafayette, to live with his namesake, and took her two daughters, Anastasie and Virginie, to the prison and they lived with Lafayette through that time. Adrienne even refused medical treatment although she was very ill, because that would have meant leaving Lafayette and she couldn't do that.
After her death, Lafayette wrote in his own memoirs about how much he had loved her, even though he took her for granted, and that he was inconsolable about the loss and would never recover. None of that is in the book. At all. In fact, Adrienne's death takes up two sentences. It's, "Adrienne passed away in her bedroom. Years later Lafayette was elected to.." I was incredibly surprised that Auricchio decided against writing about a very crucial time in Lafayette's life, seeing as how the whole narrative was supposedly reexamining his character and his life events to discover the complexity that was Lafayette. In fact, there's more discussion about his relationship with Washington and Marie Antoinette than with Adrienne.
However, it is clear that Auricchio has immense respect for Lafayette, as evidenced in her last chapter, Picpus (which is both sad, yet a great end to the book, I think). The ending saved the book for me, and is part of the reason I gave this 3.5 stars instead of just a three. I also have to say that the amount of history in this is astonishing. Auricchio clearly did her work (she said the book took seven years to complete and it's obvious) and used multiple sources throughout.
One other tiny complaint I do have is the fact that she tended to be a little heavy handed on the details of the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. During the Terror, Lafayette was imprisoned, and therefore, didn't really contribute anything to it. I didn't care about reading half a chapter on Robespierre, even though it was interesting, because I wanted to read about Lafayette.
I have a tendency to harp on the negative things about books, but I did like this more than I have made it seem. It's incredibly interesting, and offers so many details on Lafayette, going so far as to examine the way he furnished his rooms, and what that said about his character.
As I've said previously, I'm also glad this focused more on Lafayette after the American Revolution, because I had previously read Adopted Son by David A. Clary, and that focused mainly on Lafayette during his time in America.
(One more tiny complaint before I leave this review on a good note. Auricchio has a tendency to start sentences with "and" and that bugged me to no end.)
Though I wish some parts of this book were different, it made me gain even more respect for Lafayette. He was a man that sought glory, and always did his best to help his people, whether they be American or French. He truly loved both his adopted and original countries, and many people (mainly Americans, because the French don't pay him any mind, which I learned reading this), still to this day, love him too.
December 22, 2014
Despite his fame, Marquis de La Fayette gets barely a mention in the (few) books I read on the French Revolution. Two mentions in the same book can be contradictory. Author Laura Auricchio explains the contradiction. While book's thesis mostly concerns the interpretation of La Fayette's role in the French Revolution, the by-product is a pretty decent biography.
At a young age he suddenly became one of the richest men in France but his status in the lower nobility did not match his wealth. He was awkward in the opulent court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. At age 19 he was ready for a military career at a time when France was at peace and the role of nobles as military leaders was being called into question. The book shows La Fayette to be an idealist with views that contradict his noble status.
La Fayette fought with General Washington, provided his own funds for uniforms, provisions and munitions and was key in getting French financing and support. Once the colonies gained independence La Fayette returned to France an international celebrity. He took a leadership role in what was to become the French Revolution supporting a British style constitutional monarchy. Auricchio shows how Louis XVI's inability to grasp the situation undermined La Fayette and the monarchy itself. The royal attempt at flight is shown as a true betrayal of La Fayette; it put the radicals in control and forced La Fayette's flight from France.
Besides providing an overall reconsideration of La Fayette, Auricchio provides some interesting "small" stories. One was how LaFayette arranged his mission to America: A man in his position could not just pick up and go. He needed the blessing of the king, and to have a rank befitting his position, he wanted a top position in the Continental Army. Another was the advance planning for the royal family's attempted escape. A third example is the piece on the cemetery where La Fayette is buried.
This is recommended for those interested in the French Revolution.
At a young age he suddenly became one of the richest men in France but his status in the lower nobility did not match his wealth. He was awkward in the opulent court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. At age 19 he was ready for a military career at a time when France was at peace and the role of nobles as military leaders was being called into question. The book shows La Fayette to be an idealist with views that contradict his noble status.
La Fayette fought with General Washington, provided his own funds for uniforms, provisions and munitions and was key in getting French financing and support. Once the colonies gained independence La Fayette returned to France an international celebrity. He took a leadership role in what was to become the French Revolution supporting a British style constitutional monarchy. Auricchio shows how Louis XVI's inability to grasp the situation undermined La Fayette and the monarchy itself. The royal attempt at flight is shown as a true betrayal of La Fayette; it put the radicals in control and forced La Fayette's flight from France.
Besides providing an overall reconsideration of La Fayette, Auricchio provides some interesting "small" stories. One was how LaFayette arranged his mission to America: A man in his position could not just pick up and go. He needed the blessing of the king, and to have a rank befitting his position, he wanted a top position in the Continental Army. Another was the advance planning for the royal family's attempted escape. A third example is the piece on the cemetery where La Fayette is buried.
This is recommended for those interested in the French Revolution.
February 25, 2020
"Why should we have a bust of Lafayette? Not because he was infallible or superhuman or endowed with gifts that the rest of us lack. We should have a bust of Lafayette precisely because he was all too human. He lived in treacherous times and made imperfect choices. He failed at more ventures than most of us will ever attempt and succeeded at efforts that stymied countless men. But he never abandoned the belief that he could change the world and he never despaired of success."
Laura Auricchio, Introduction - The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered
>>Read by Grover Gardner; introduction read by Pam Ward
app 12.75hrs
My interest in Lafayette was heightened after a conversation with my French cousins. We had been discussing the long history and "friendship" between our countries. And I said how it was embodied and carried on by the memory of the Marquis de Lafayette - and encountered a bunch of blank stares. "Who?" was the resounding question.
He was an earnest idealist. Laura Auricchio's biography captures the complexity of Lafayette's character and his seeming impulsiveness as well as the almost universal misunderstanding by even his closest associates of his motives and intentions.
In France, his legacy is mixed and mostly unknown. In the United States, in his lifetime and even now, "... he was a celebrity, and yet he was more than that. He was a living embodiment of the nation's founding principles and his enduring vitality augered well for the future of his adopted land."
Laura Auricchio, Introduction - The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered
>>Read by Grover Gardner; introduction read by Pam Ward
app 12.75hrs
My interest in Lafayette was heightened after a conversation with my French cousins. We had been discussing the long history and "friendship" between our countries. And I said how it was embodied and carried on by the memory of the Marquis de Lafayette - and encountered a bunch of blank stares. "Who?" was the resounding question.
He was an earnest idealist. Laura Auricchio's biography captures the complexity of Lafayette's character and his seeming impulsiveness as well as the almost universal misunderstanding by even his closest associates of his motives and intentions.
In France, his legacy is mixed and mostly unknown. In the United States, in his lifetime and even now, "... he was a celebrity, and yet he was more than that. He was a living embodiment of the nation's founding principles and his enduring vitality augered well for the future of his adopted land."
January 10, 2015
This new biography of Lafayette reminds us that France as well as America remember Lafayette mainly for his role in America's revolutionary war and not for his subsequent role in the French Revolution, but it was that part of this biography that interested me most
Auricchio's biography does recount Lafayette in America, how he overcame American skepticism that we was simply another Frenchman seeking glory or financial reward by showing a sincere commitment to the ideals of American democracy--though I wish Auricchio spent more time detailing Lafayette's military deeds, especially his role in setting the initial trap of Cornwallis at Yorktown before Washington and deGrasse came to the scene
Lafayette returned to France as a hero. During the events leading to the French revolution, Lafayette sided with the reformers and after the storming of the Bastille Lafayette assumed leadership of France as a moderate who was criticized by the Jacobins on the left and royalists on the right. Interestingly, Auricchio quotes writers of the time that Lafayette's problems were not simply due to his moderation in a time of extremes, but that he arguably failed to seize leadership and initiative when he had most of France behind him, he arguably did not address the underlying challenges of poverty, hunger and need for political reform and perhaps let France drift as the extremes on both sides gained traction
The biography of course tells of Lafayette's fall from power, his escape from France(he surely would have been guillotined if he had not escaped) his imprisonment by Austria and his return to France only after he promised Napeleon that he would refrain from politics. But the compelling character for me was his wife Adrienne. She was left in France with the children, she was imprisoned only to escape the guillotine and additional imprisonment due to American intervention, arranged for her children to escape, and intervened on Lafayette's behalf, both to gain his release and then to lobby Napeleon himself for a safe return. Imprisonment broke her physical health and her emotional health had to have been shattered by the executions of her mother, sister, grandmother and friends and the loss of her income and estate. Still, she preserved for her family
One disappointment with this biography was the short shrift given to Lafayette's reunion tour to America in the 1820s, while the book notes that he traveled to every state and mentions the celebrations it does not detail his reunions with Adams, Jefferson, and Madison among others which included Lafayette's arguments with Jefferson about slavery, something that the reader would know only from other books
But still, this is a fine book worth the read
Auricchio's biography does recount Lafayette in America, how he overcame American skepticism that we was simply another Frenchman seeking glory or financial reward by showing a sincere commitment to the ideals of American democracy--though I wish Auricchio spent more time detailing Lafayette's military deeds, especially his role in setting the initial trap of Cornwallis at Yorktown before Washington and deGrasse came to the scene
Lafayette returned to France as a hero. During the events leading to the French revolution, Lafayette sided with the reformers and after the storming of the Bastille Lafayette assumed leadership of France as a moderate who was criticized by the Jacobins on the left and royalists on the right. Interestingly, Auricchio quotes writers of the time that Lafayette's problems were not simply due to his moderation in a time of extremes, but that he arguably failed to seize leadership and initiative when he had most of France behind him, he arguably did not address the underlying challenges of poverty, hunger and need for political reform and perhaps let France drift as the extremes on both sides gained traction
The biography of course tells of Lafayette's fall from power, his escape from France(he surely would have been guillotined if he had not escaped) his imprisonment by Austria and his return to France only after he promised Napeleon that he would refrain from politics. But the compelling character for me was his wife Adrienne. She was left in France with the children, she was imprisoned only to escape the guillotine and additional imprisonment due to American intervention, arranged for her children to escape, and intervened on Lafayette's behalf, both to gain his release and then to lobby Napeleon himself for a safe return. Imprisonment broke her physical health and her emotional health had to have been shattered by the executions of her mother, sister, grandmother and friends and the loss of her income and estate. Still, she preserved for her family
One disappointment with this biography was the short shrift given to Lafayette's reunion tour to America in the 1820s, while the book notes that he traveled to every state and mentions the celebrations it does not detail his reunions with Adams, Jefferson, and Madison among others which included Lafayette's arguments with Jefferson about slavery, something that the reader would know only from other books
But still, this is a fine book worth the read
September 25, 2020
Great book about very special character in history. I got to know Lafayette and his life journey which was definitely one of the most eventful lives that one can have.
His optimistic and idealistic personality shines through every page. I think he truly understood the rights of men and lived these ideals in a best way he could.
I will always keep the memory of Lafayette traveling the American continent in winter with only light taffeta jacket which got imprints of a newspaper that it was wrapped in. People could read news from his back.
He did try to regulate French Revolution into more of a moderate affair but unfortunately that failed and not due to him.
I would recommend this book to everyone who is interested to learn about one of the leaders of enlightenment. Who wasn’t just paying lip service to popular ideas but who was willing to risk his life and his fortune for it. Over and over.
His optimistic and idealistic personality shines through every page. I think he truly understood the rights of men and lived these ideals in a best way he could.
I will always keep the memory of Lafayette traveling the American continent in winter with only light taffeta jacket which got imprints of a newspaper that it was wrapped in. People could read news from his back.
He did try to regulate French Revolution into more of a moderate affair but unfortunately that failed and not due to him.
I would recommend this book to everyone who is interested to learn about one of the leaders of enlightenment. Who wasn’t just paying lip service to popular ideas but who was willing to risk his life and his fortune for it. Over and over.
April 8, 2022
We should all know more about this hero. Not only his great sacrifice to come and fight for our baby country, but also his commitment to principles of freedom. This includes his prophetic encouragement to some of the founders to carry through with the promise of freedom and abolish slavery in our lands.
But perhaps even more importantly, we should learn from him during the French Revolution. He refused to swing with the trends of the moment and remained steadfast in his commitment to human rights even when the mob began to rend society apart. One minute he was the hero of the people and had unlimited power in France, the next minute the mob turned into a violent surge of humanity that disregarded the rights of whole classes of people (especially the rich). But Lafayette remained steadfast in his commitment to equality.
In our day when we quickly disregard individuals and groups of people because we disagree with them we can be quick to forget that even our enemies have rights and those rights deserve to be protected. We can learn from heroes like Lafayette that just because something is popular doesn’t mean that it is right.
In the end he lost his home, his wealth, and even his honor (which truly was his most prized possession) because he would not go along with the crowd and give up what he was right. Although this is a tragedy, it inspires me because doing what is right is indeed best, even if it costs you everything.
But perhaps even more importantly, we should learn from him during the French Revolution. He refused to swing with the trends of the moment and remained steadfast in his commitment to human rights even when the mob began to rend society apart. One minute he was the hero of the people and had unlimited power in France, the next minute the mob turned into a violent surge of humanity that disregarded the rights of whole classes of people (especially the rich). But Lafayette remained steadfast in his commitment to equality.
In our day when we quickly disregard individuals and groups of people because we disagree with them we can be quick to forget that even our enemies have rights and those rights deserve to be protected. We can learn from heroes like Lafayette that just because something is popular doesn’t mean that it is right.
In the end he lost his home, his wealth, and even his honor (which truly was his most prized possession) because he would not go along with the crowd and give up what he was right. Although this is a tragedy, it inspires me because doing what is right is indeed best, even if it costs you everything.
December 31, 2016
"The French Revolution was a complicated time and Lafayette was a complicated man. People like simple stories; simple stories get remembered. Lafayette's story isn't simple."
Americas favourite fighting frenchman wird hier sehr gut dargestellt.
Es ist ein bisschen zu sehr auf nur seine Sicht bezogen, gerne hätte ich zb mehr über seiner Frau Adrienne erfahren, welche anscheinend großartig war, aber vieles was ich nicht wusste wurde hier einfach und klar dargelegt.
Hoffentlich bekommt Lafayette dadurch die Aufmerksamkeit, die er verdiente.
Americas favourite fighting frenchman wird hier sehr gut dargestellt.
Es ist ein bisschen zu sehr auf nur seine Sicht bezogen, gerne hätte ich zb mehr über seiner Frau Adrienne erfahren, welche anscheinend großartig war, aber vieles was ich nicht wusste wurde hier einfach und klar dargelegt.
Hoffentlich bekommt Lafayette dadurch die Aufmerksamkeit, die er verdiente.
February 24, 2015
Fascinating, but I'd like to know more about his wife, Adrienne, who seemed to be managing the children, the finances, the properties without help while the Marquis followed his dreams of glory around Europe and America.
April 24, 2018
Halfway through “Lafayette Reconsidered,” I found myself wishing the author had selected a different title. “Lafayette: A Revolutionary Man” would have been a more apt description of Auricchio’s book, as the subject split into two distinct parts: (1) Lafayette’s role in the American Revolution and (2) Lafayette’s role in the French Revolution. Auricchio handled both with aplomb and intrigue, but the publisher’s description left me with different expectations than what I actually found in the book.
Here is the tagline: “Laura Auricchio looks past the storybook hero and selfless champion of righteous causes who cast aside family and fortune to advance the transcendent aims of liberty and fully reveals a man driven by dreams of glory only to be felled by tragic, human weaknesses.” Certainly Auricchio addresses all of this and more. But an in-depth look at any great figure reveals weaknesses and flaws to counterbalance the greatness. This is no surprise, but the book really looks at the fortitude and ambition that motivated Lafayette to serve as part of two significant events and how he was in turn treated by the masses whom he served. The result is a solid and interesting book about an oft-neglected figure who is worth exploring and understanding.
I wanted to read about Lafayette because I once heard him described as America’s first rockstar—a man whose fame exceeded that of nearly everyone in the early days of the United States. His limited treatment in American history books left me curious about why his reputation reached such a peak. “Lafayette Reconsidered” helped me understand the answer, and it simply took some adjustment from my early expectations on the book’s focus to what I found as I dug into the text.
In addition to enjoying Lafayette’s story, here are some points that stood out in my reading:
• I enjoyed reading George Washington’s letter to Lafayette after Valley Forge when Lafayette was stationed in Albany. Washington wrote Lafayette as an older, more experienced friend who understand the young man's pain and doubts:
"However sensibly your ardor for glory may make you feel this disappointment, you may be assured your character stands as fair as it ever did." ... "When a man does all he can do though it succeeds not well, blame not him that did it."
Washington was abiding by one of the 110 items listed in his own “Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.” Given the amount of failure that Washington experienced, such wisdom must have offered comfort to Lafayette. It is also a reminder to do all we can and then rest in the knowledge that nothing more could have been done. Such a perspective is quiets the frustration of regret.
• French Commander Comte de Rochambeau wrote a letter to Lafayette after he was disappointed after being rejected for the role of French commander: “There are no troops more easily beaten than when they have lost confidence in their commander, and they lose it immediately when exposed to danger through private and personal ambition.” While I cannot apply this militarily, it is wise advice for politics or even organizational success. If a leader is not focused on the group—setting aside personal ambitions—then the followers will not follow and the leader cannot lead.
• In Chapter 10 – Rights of Man, Auricchio observed Montesquieu’s argument that “Liberty is not synonymous with unfettered freedom. Rather…'political liberty…is that tranquility of mind that derives from the opinion each person has of his safety.’” Auricchio further observed that peace of mind extends from separation of powers that permit to each branch of government to focus on their respective roles. The sliding scale of how people perceive liberty is important yet underexplored. It strikes me that individuals—and by extension political parties—see government as wholly useless and evil or wholly necessary and the panacea to societal ills with little middle ground. The lack of refinement and gradient in considering the role of government seems a central point in the ugly nature of our political discourse.
• As loved as Lafayette was in America, he found a much harsher audience in France. The French establishment found Lafayette too radical. The revolutionists found Lafayette too conservative. Lafayette thought the colonists had the benefit from plowing new ground without Europe’s history and baggage. A new country can operate somewhat unencumbered as they designed a new structure. Given the intermingling of England and the colonies, Lafayette’s assessment may have been a bit simplistic. Yet his point is still significant. How much does our own history shape us today as an invisible yet powerful and forgotten hand?
Looking back at my past book selections, I have often gravitated toward the founding of the United States. It lends insight into the country we have become, and Lafayette was a key figure in the fight against England that made the country possible. Auricchio’s book adds more understanding to U.S. history and contrasts it nicely with the French revolution. While Lafayette may fall lower on the list of players behind Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, and Franklin, he is still an individual who laid groundwork for the U.S. “Lafayette Reconsidered” is worth including on the reading list for those who enjoy revolutionary-era history.
Here is the tagline: “Laura Auricchio looks past the storybook hero and selfless champion of righteous causes who cast aside family and fortune to advance the transcendent aims of liberty and fully reveals a man driven by dreams of glory only to be felled by tragic, human weaknesses.” Certainly Auricchio addresses all of this and more. But an in-depth look at any great figure reveals weaknesses and flaws to counterbalance the greatness. This is no surprise, but the book really looks at the fortitude and ambition that motivated Lafayette to serve as part of two significant events and how he was in turn treated by the masses whom he served. The result is a solid and interesting book about an oft-neglected figure who is worth exploring and understanding.
I wanted to read about Lafayette because I once heard him described as America’s first rockstar—a man whose fame exceeded that of nearly everyone in the early days of the United States. His limited treatment in American history books left me curious about why his reputation reached such a peak. “Lafayette Reconsidered” helped me understand the answer, and it simply took some adjustment from my early expectations on the book’s focus to what I found as I dug into the text.
In addition to enjoying Lafayette’s story, here are some points that stood out in my reading:
• I enjoyed reading George Washington’s letter to Lafayette after Valley Forge when Lafayette was stationed in Albany. Washington wrote Lafayette as an older, more experienced friend who understand the young man's pain and doubts:
"However sensibly your ardor for glory may make you feel this disappointment, you may be assured your character stands as fair as it ever did." ... "When a man does all he can do though it succeeds not well, blame not him that did it."
Washington was abiding by one of the 110 items listed in his own “Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.” Given the amount of failure that Washington experienced, such wisdom must have offered comfort to Lafayette. It is also a reminder to do all we can and then rest in the knowledge that nothing more could have been done. Such a perspective is quiets the frustration of regret.
• French Commander Comte de Rochambeau wrote a letter to Lafayette after he was disappointed after being rejected for the role of French commander: “There are no troops more easily beaten than when they have lost confidence in their commander, and they lose it immediately when exposed to danger through private and personal ambition.” While I cannot apply this militarily, it is wise advice for politics or even organizational success. If a leader is not focused on the group—setting aside personal ambitions—then the followers will not follow and the leader cannot lead.
• In Chapter 10 – Rights of Man, Auricchio observed Montesquieu’s argument that “Liberty is not synonymous with unfettered freedom. Rather…'political liberty…is that tranquility of mind that derives from the opinion each person has of his safety.’” Auricchio further observed that peace of mind extends from separation of powers that permit to each branch of government to focus on their respective roles. The sliding scale of how people perceive liberty is important yet underexplored. It strikes me that individuals—and by extension political parties—see government as wholly useless and evil or wholly necessary and the panacea to societal ills with little middle ground. The lack of refinement and gradient in considering the role of government seems a central point in the ugly nature of our political discourse.
• As loved as Lafayette was in America, he found a much harsher audience in France. The French establishment found Lafayette too radical. The revolutionists found Lafayette too conservative. Lafayette thought the colonists had the benefit from plowing new ground without Europe’s history and baggage. A new country can operate somewhat unencumbered as they designed a new structure. Given the intermingling of England and the colonies, Lafayette’s assessment may have been a bit simplistic. Yet his point is still significant. How much does our own history shape us today as an invisible yet powerful and forgotten hand?
Looking back at my past book selections, I have often gravitated toward the founding of the United States. It lends insight into the country we have become, and Lafayette was a key figure in the fight against England that made the country possible. Auricchio’s book adds more understanding to U.S. history and contrasts it nicely with the French revolution. While Lafayette may fall lower on the list of players behind Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, and Franklin, he is still an individual who laid groundwork for the U.S. “Lafayette Reconsidered” is worth including on the reading list for those who enjoy revolutionary-era history.
March 11, 2023
Marquis de Lafayette was a key figure of both the American and French Revolutions and this book is a wonderful treatment of an idealist revolutionary with an inspiring life story. Starting with a five-year old Lafayette showing his interest in bravery and fame through wanting to defeat a mythical beast supposedly living in his part of France (and which even King Louis XV sent people to hunt after), we see Lafayette moving from his rural origins to Paris, where never fit in, to pursuing glory in America as a participant in the American Revolution.
We learn more about his relationship with revolutionaries - including George Washington and Gouvernor Morris, the latter mostly in Paris - and about Lafayette's pivotal role in the earlier stages of the French Revolution, as head of the National Guard, and as someone who sought to balance and negotiate between the different factions of those early Revolutionary years. Eventually deemed a traitor to the cause due to his preference for a constitutional monarchy in France, which he deemed not as suitable to a republic as the United States, he was exiled and imprisoned, before his wife Adrienne ensured his release by herself going to live in prison with him and hence pressuring his release by inciting the sympathy and pressure of the French and Americans alike.
Briefly a part of the Napoleonic regime, Lafayette ended up spending most of two decades in relative isolation at his estate, until eventually visiting the United States in a grand tour in 1825-26. Today, Lafayette is best remembered in the United States, and sadly not remembered as well in France in spite of his significant role in the early years of the French Revolution. This book helps recover a more complete picture of the man, his character, and his role in this fascinating period of history.
We learn more about his relationship with revolutionaries - including George Washington and Gouvernor Morris, the latter mostly in Paris - and about Lafayette's pivotal role in the earlier stages of the French Revolution, as head of the National Guard, and as someone who sought to balance and negotiate between the different factions of those early Revolutionary years. Eventually deemed a traitor to the cause due to his preference for a constitutional monarchy in France, which he deemed not as suitable to a republic as the United States, he was exiled and imprisoned, before his wife Adrienne ensured his release by herself going to live in prison with him and hence pressuring his release by inciting the sympathy and pressure of the French and Americans alike.
Briefly a part of the Napoleonic regime, Lafayette ended up spending most of two decades in relative isolation at his estate, until eventually visiting the United States in a grand tour in 1825-26. Today, Lafayette is best remembered in the United States, and sadly not remembered as well in France in spite of his significant role in the early years of the French Revolution. This book helps recover a more complete picture of the man, his character, and his role in this fascinating period of history.
September 22, 2020
A well written and well researched book about a man who lived in extraordinary times but, was actually pretty boring.
September 29, 2014
4.0 of 5 stars – An Enlightening Chronicle of an Adopted Amercian Hero.
(I'm excited to have won this as a Goodreads First Read – so thanks, Knopf!)
I love history and bios, particularly those of the American revolution, but I haven’t yet read one devoted to this intriguing foreign "founding father." I’ve read a number of bios of American revolutionary figures (Washington, J.Adams (my personal fav), Jefferson, Franklin) and latter day prezes (Jackson, Lincoln, both Roosevelts, Truman), as well as some revolutionary histories (my fav: Angels in the Whirlwind). This bio fits right in there – Laura Auricchio does a good job of capturing Lafayette and enlightening us on the details of his life, accomplishments and times.
My natural interests drew me into the American Revolution period of the book – I got a further understanding of how this historical figure fit into the broader social, economic, and political forces, reinforcing and adding to what I already knew about the founding of our country. And it was made all the more interesting by providing Lafayette’s and French POV on events I’d read about before from an American POV. I was also equally and pleasurably drawn into the French Revolution period, this time because of my lack of familiarity with what this adopted American hero’s life had been like after he left America.
Auricchio’s writing flowed nicely and logically as an approachable, understandable and entertaining history, even with some of the necessary details that comes with a biography. She did a good job of explaining Lafayette’s path and experiences in the context of the political and social forces of the time, both in America and France. For example, I liked the background info on the machinations and “Realpolitik” – revealed through the letters and memoirs of the time. And I appreciated the illustrations. The only issue was that some of the maps had small type or were blurred (this was an ARC) so that I couldn’t read them, and they weren’t explained in the text so they lost any meaning for me.
I got a good feel for Lafayette’s general traits, personality and motivations, both as a young man and older. However, I found it to be a bit more descriptive than explanatory and analytical – describing mostly what happened, and some but not as much of the how and why of the man. Having a psychology background, I would have liked to have seen more about Lafayette’s psychological core and development. This is a little hard to explain, but Auricchio talked about Lafayette’s behavior and characteristics, not as much of where they came from developmentally, or the sources of what drove his motivations. For example, why was he so “eager to please,” “idealistic” and “determined”? Where did his enthusiastic and extremely optimistic nature come from? Why the “zeal” for the American cause but then later moderate stance during the French Revolution that would have provided a more indepth look to account for the extra difference that distinguished him from his other Frenchmen likewise enamored? And what about more of a feel about his interpersonal relationships beyond Washington?
Granted, there was indeed a sketch of a psychological picture, just not a complete one. Admittedly, digging deep has been found to be quite the challenge for any number of revolutionary figures who appear to us today as more historical icons than human beings; and to Aurrichio’s credit, she did put flesh and blood to this legendary hero.
All in all, this is an interesting bio of a fascinating man in American and French history.
(I'm excited to have won this as a Goodreads First Read – so thanks, Knopf!)
I love history and bios, particularly those of the American revolution, but I haven’t yet read one devoted to this intriguing foreign "founding father." I’ve read a number of bios of American revolutionary figures (Washington, J.Adams (my personal fav), Jefferson, Franklin) and latter day prezes (Jackson, Lincoln, both Roosevelts, Truman), as well as some revolutionary histories (my fav: Angels in the Whirlwind). This bio fits right in there – Laura Auricchio does a good job of capturing Lafayette and enlightening us on the details of his life, accomplishments and times.
My natural interests drew me into the American Revolution period of the book – I got a further understanding of how this historical figure fit into the broader social, economic, and political forces, reinforcing and adding to what I already knew about the founding of our country. And it was made all the more interesting by providing Lafayette’s and French POV on events I’d read about before from an American POV. I was also equally and pleasurably drawn into the French Revolution period, this time because of my lack of familiarity with what this adopted American hero’s life had been like after he left America.
Auricchio’s writing flowed nicely and logically as an approachable, understandable and entertaining history, even with some of the necessary details that comes with a biography. She did a good job of explaining Lafayette’s path and experiences in the context of the political and social forces of the time, both in America and France. For example, I liked the background info on the machinations and “Realpolitik” – revealed through the letters and memoirs of the time. And I appreciated the illustrations. The only issue was that some of the maps had small type or were blurred (this was an ARC) so that I couldn’t read them, and they weren’t explained in the text so they lost any meaning for me.
I got a good feel for Lafayette’s general traits, personality and motivations, both as a young man and older. However, I found it to be a bit more descriptive than explanatory and analytical – describing mostly what happened, and some but not as much of the how and why of the man. Having a psychology background, I would have liked to have seen more about Lafayette’s psychological core and development. This is a little hard to explain, but Auricchio talked about Lafayette’s behavior and characteristics, not as much of where they came from developmentally, or the sources of what drove his motivations. For example, why was he so “eager to please,” “idealistic” and “determined”? Where did his enthusiastic and extremely optimistic nature come from? Why the “zeal” for the American cause but then later moderate stance during the French Revolution that would have provided a more indepth look to account for the extra difference that distinguished him from his other Frenchmen likewise enamored? And what about more of a feel about his interpersonal relationships beyond Washington?
Granted, there was indeed a sketch of a psychological picture, just not a complete one. Admittedly, digging deep has been found to be quite the challenge for any number of revolutionary figures who appear to us today as more historical icons than human beings; and to Aurrichio’s credit, she did put flesh and blood to this legendary hero.
All in all, this is an interesting bio of a fascinating man in American and French history.
January 19, 2019
Genre: History (non-fiction)
Heat level: Spicy (The French Revolution was most definitely R-rated at the very least!)
Earlier this week, my hairdresser asked me where I get my ideas from. I know plenty of other authors who gain inspiration by reading novels in their own genre. I get mine from the history books. Truth is, history is often more unbelievable than fiction, and in the hands of a good writer, it really comes alive.
The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered by Laura Auricchio (@Auricchio_Laura) fits the bill. Granted, the Marquis de Lafayette’s life story needs no embellishment to be exciting, but I’ve read plenty of history books that manage to drown the drama in a sea of names, dates, and places. Ms. Auricchio tells the story of the man, starting with his upbringing, which I knew almost nothing about, all the way through to his death.
I’m fascinated by the American and the French Revolutions. How could two conflicts that started with seemingly similar goals have followed such completely different paths? Following Lafayette’s career helps us see that vast difference between the goals of these revolutions in a much clearer contrast.
Lafayette started out as a young man interested in glory much like other young aristocrats of the time. However, he has an idealistic spirit that rather quickly, if not immediately, wins him the admiration of George Washington – a man not easy to impress. After the Revolution ends, he goes home to France where his early role in the French Revolution earns him a reputation as “the hero of two worlds.” Unfortunately for Lafayette, it doesn’t last.
Lafayette would probably be what we call a moderate today (never a popular stance when tensions are high), and his failure to emphatically join either side eventually makes him persona non grata in a time when that could be quite deadly.
Unbelievably, he appeals to the United States for what must be one of the first cases of political asylum. He had been granted citizenship by one of the states (Connecticut I think), but that was not honored, and his request was denied. Actually, I’m not sure it was outright denied so much as it was just caught up in Congress. (Think it’s bad today? You haven’t ready enough history books.)
I’m always amazed that Lafayette didn’t lose his head (literally) in the French Revolution, but to an odd stroke of “luck” or divine intervention (you decide), he ends up sitting out some of the worst days of the reign of Terror in an Austrian jail.
While Lafayette never relocates to the United States, in what seems to me as a magnanimous example of “letting bygones be bygones,” he comes back for a 14-month tour of the now-24 states in his adopted country in 1824. He dies ten years later and is buried in Picpus Cemetary in Paris, France. I’m not ashamed to say, I got a little teary eyed while reading about his funeral.
Heat level: Spicy (The French Revolution was most definitely R-rated at the very least!)
Earlier this week, my hairdresser asked me where I get my ideas from. I know plenty of other authors who gain inspiration by reading novels in their own genre. I get mine from the history books. Truth is, history is often more unbelievable than fiction, and in the hands of a good writer, it really comes alive.
The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered by Laura Auricchio (@Auricchio_Laura) fits the bill. Granted, the Marquis de Lafayette’s life story needs no embellishment to be exciting, but I’ve read plenty of history books that manage to drown the drama in a sea of names, dates, and places. Ms. Auricchio tells the story of the man, starting with his upbringing, which I knew almost nothing about, all the way through to his death.
I’m fascinated by the American and the French Revolutions. How could two conflicts that started with seemingly similar goals have followed such completely different paths? Following Lafayette’s career helps us see that vast difference between the goals of these revolutions in a much clearer contrast.
Lafayette started out as a young man interested in glory much like other young aristocrats of the time. However, he has an idealistic spirit that rather quickly, if not immediately, wins him the admiration of George Washington – a man not easy to impress. After the Revolution ends, he goes home to France where his early role in the French Revolution earns him a reputation as “the hero of two worlds.” Unfortunately for Lafayette, it doesn’t last.
Lafayette would probably be what we call a moderate today (never a popular stance when tensions are high), and his failure to emphatically join either side eventually makes him persona non grata in a time when that could be quite deadly.
Unbelievably, he appeals to the United States for what must be one of the first cases of political asylum. He had been granted citizenship by one of the states (Connecticut I think), but that was not honored, and his request was denied. Actually, I’m not sure it was outright denied so much as it was just caught up in Congress. (Think it’s bad today? You haven’t ready enough history books.)
I’m always amazed that Lafayette didn’t lose his head (literally) in the French Revolution, but to an odd stroke of “luck” or divine intervention (you decide), he ends up sitting out some of the worst days of the reign of Terror in an Austrian jail.
While Lafayette never relocates to the United States, in what seems to me as a magnanimous example of “letting bygones be bygones,” he comes back for a 14-month tour of the now-24 states in his adopted country in 1824. He dies ten years later and is buried in Picpus Cemetary in Paris, France. I’m not ashamed to say, I got a little teary eyed while reading about his funeral.
November 6, 2018
I’m fairly new to nonfiction and biographies, but my recently-kindled love of the American Revolution (thanks, LMM) has caused me to dive into them headfirst. I was really looking forward to this one as it was following on the tail of another Lafayette biography and I was interested in seeing how the two compared, but I was a bit disappointed.
This one was pointedly drier than the one I read previously, which seems like it would be difficult to pull off, Lafayette’s life having been so interesting. While the biographies I read prior contained a good balance of personal and political information, this one I felt leaned far more heavily into the political aspects of the subject’s life, while skimming over most of the details that would have made it a good read.
(Not that the politics are unwelcome. Lafayette was a very political man, held multiple offices, and his politics shaped the way he’s remembered by the world. They also helped shape the French Revolution, and the Terror. His politics are incredibly important to the narrative of his life. They’re usually not this difficult to read through, though.)
While the book as a whole was a bit of a slow read for my taste, there are aspects I adore. While Lafayette by Harlow Giles Unger (the first Lafayette biography I read, immediately preceding this one) felt overall more detailed and entertaining, it also felt incredibly biased and clean in comparison to this. Unger’s telling of Lafayette’s life read like a love letter to his memory - edited for content and wiped clean, the way Georges-Washington Lafayette censored his father’s diaries and letters before allowing them to be read by the public. Auricchio’s telling feels far more authentic. Less enamored and kind, dirtier, and filled with information that GWL would have gone pale over the world knowing.
An entire portion of Auricchio’s biography is dedicated to the women Lafayette took as lovers during his marriage to his wife, Adriènne. Another chapter contains scans and transcripts of dirty, queer fanfiction written about and against him during times of political turmoil to undermine and discredit him. All of that is totally absent from Unger’s book, and I can’t help but feel that that omission does a great disservice to the memory of the Marquis, a disservice that is not repeated in Auricchio’s far more honest take.
This one was pointedly drier than the one I read previously, which seems like it would be difficult to pull off, Lafayette’s life having been so interesting. While the biographies I read prior contained a good balance of personal and political information, this one I felt leaned far more heavily into the political aspects of the subject’s life, while skimming over most of the details that would have made it a good read.
(Not that the politics are unwelcome. Lafayette was a very political man, held multiple offices, and his politics shaped the way he’s remembered by the world. They also helped shape the French Revolution, and the Terror. His politics are incredibly important to the narrative of his life. They’re usually not this difficult to read through, though.)
While the book as a whole was a bit of a slow read for my taste, there are aspects I adore. While Lafayette by Harlow Giles Unger (the first Lafayette biography I read, immediately preceding this one) felt overall more detailed and entertaining, it also felt incredibly biased and clean in comparison to this. Unger’s telling of Lafayette’s life read like a love letter to his memory - edited for content and wiped clean, the way Georges-Washington Lafayette censored his father’s diaries and letters before allowing them to be read by the public. Auricchio’s telling feels far more authentic. Less enamored and kind, dirtier, and filled with information that GWL would have gone pale over the world knowing.
An entire portion of Auricchio’s biography is dedicated to the women Lafayette took as lovers during his marriage to his wife, Adriènne. Another chapter contains scans and transcripts of dirty, queer fanfiction written about and against him during times of political turmoil to undermine and discredit him. All of that is totally absent from Unger’s book, and I can’t help but feel that that omission does a great disservice to the memory of the Marquis, a disservice that is not repeated in Auricchio’s far more honest take.
May 29, 2017
Really enjoyed this book. I felt she went into more detail regarding his childhood in Auvergne and Paris than I have seen in any other historical biography of him. I would, however, not recommend this book for people who have never before read anything on the Marquis de Lafayette. As the title of the work suggests, she is "reconsidering" the historical figure, and therefore a reader should probably have some prior background knowledge on the man. For example, she does not delve too deeply into Lafayette's relationship with his own family, to the point that she never even mentions his son Georges Washington de Lafayette until almost the very end of the book. Still, it provides a lot of interesting facts and introduces several historical figures who I had not seen mentioned in other books about him. Her detailed source list in the back of the book should be enough to make anyone interested in Lafayette want to check her work out.
October 23, 2017
I truly loved this book. I learned and re-learned so much from it, both about its subject and about the history of the time, and in particular, the turmoil of the French Revolution. Lafayette's indomitable spirit and idealism pervaded the telling, and I marveled at his persistence and refusal to let go of his views, his hopes, and his ambitions. Far from being a perfect character (which Auricchio presented unflinchingly) he nevertheless seems to have fought for what he believed all his life. I'm so glad the author wrote this biography, in so many ways an homage to the man.
To quote a line from a great contemporary play, it all comes down to "who lives, who dies, who tells, your story," doesn't it? After reading his story as told by Laura Auricchio, I am positive that Lafayette would have been so very pleased.
To quote a line from a great contemporary play, it all comes down to "who lives, who dies, who tells, your story," doesn't it? After reading his story as told by Laura Auricchio, I am positive that Lafayette would have been so very pleased.
March 17, 2020
This isn't a bad book, per se, but it is not as good a book as it thinks it is. The author is of the mistaken opinion that those who read books about the Marquis de Lafayette think of him as some sort of perfect plaster saint when virtually every book I have read about him (and this is at least the fourth or fifth) has commented on his adulteries as well as his general foolishness in seeking glory and in his political incompetence during and after the French Revolution. Indeed, there is very little that this book adds that one would not be able to read in a host of less unpleasant books except for the explicit pornography about Lafayette that was written during the early part of the French Revolution that the author spends a fair amount of time talking about and showing pictures of. If reading about French political pornography is your thing, then by all means this book may be of interest to you, but it contains a good deal less detail about Lafayette that show his good sense and his ability to make peace with the Oneida (only briefly mentioned here), his avoidance of trouble in not invading Canada, and in his visit to Prussia to meet with Frederick the Great and see the Prussian army in action than many other biographies do.
This book is a bit more than 300 pages of text and is divided into four parts. The first part of the book discusses the youth of Lafayette in the boondocks, his family background, and his move to Paris as a wealthy orphan fascinated by the insurgent Americans (1-3). After that the author discusses Lafayette as a devoted American patriot, including a discussion of the first impressions he had of the United States in South Carolina and Philadelphia (4), his disenchantment about the course of the war as well as his injury and struggle to gain glory (5), the issue of the French alliance (6), his temporary homecoming when he got his young wife pregnant again (7), his devotion to a particular view of honor (8), the momentous return to France in 1784 (9), and Lafayette's role as a pro-American nobleman in Paris (10). The next few chapters discuss Lafayette as an unsuccessful political reformer (III), including chapters on his political education (11), the rights of man (12), some early successes (13, 14), his apparent triumph (15), as well as some unflattering pornographic portrayals (16) and his downfall (17). The rest of the book quickly (IV) discusses his exile (18), American trip (19), and the end of his life (20).
Indeed, it appears that the author of this book is somewhat mistaken in the fact that Lafayette needed a revisionist biographer at all. I'm not sure what sort of view of Lafayette the author feels the need to revise. Those people who are interested enough in the history of the American and French Revolutions to read about Lafayette will find books that are more enjoyable and certainly more gracious than this one that give information that shows Lafayette to be an immensely flawed if brave person. Most mention issues with his plantations in French Guiana and his general lack of religious belief as well as his political folly in striving to make France a constitutional monarchy in the face of Bourbon monarchs who had no interest in being constitutional and French radicals who had no interest in having a monarchy. Considering the fact that modern biographies of Lafayette are honest about his virtues and flaws, this book's attempt to encourage reveling in Lafayette's human foibles generally fails to provide very much that is new, or good when compared with more balanced offerings.
This book is a bit more than 300 pages of text and is divided into four parts. The first part of the book discusses the youth of Lafayette in the boondocks, his family background, and his move to Paris as a wealthy orphan fascinated by the insurgent Americans (1-3). After that the author discusses Lafayette as a devoted American patriot, including a discussion of the first impressions he had of the United States in South Carolina and Philadelphia (4), his disenchantment about the course of the war as well as his injury and struggle to gain glory (5), the issue of the French alliance (6), his temporary homecoming when he got his young wife pregnant again (7), his devotion to a particular view of honor (8), the momentous return to France in 1784 (9), and Lafayette's role as a pro-American nobleman in Paris (10). The next few chapters discuss Lafayette as an unsuccessful political reformer (III), including chapters on his political education (11), the rights of man (12), some early successes (13, 14), his apparent triumph (15), as well as some unflattering pornographic portrayals (16) and his downfall (17). The rest of the book quickly (IV) discusses his exile (18), American trip (19), and the end of his life (20).
Indeed, it appears that the author of this book is somewhat mistaken in the fact that Lafayette needed a revisionist biographer at all. I'm not sure what sort of view of Lafayette the author feels the need to revise. Those people who are interested enough in the history of the American and French Revolutions to read about Lafayette will find books that are more enjoyable and certainly more gracious than this one that give information that shows Lafayette to be an immensely flawed if brave person. Most mention issues with his plantations in French Guiana and his general lack of religious belief as well as his political folly in striving to make France a constitutional monarchy in the face of Bourbon monarchs who had no interest in being constitutional and French radicals who had no interest in having a monarchy. Considering the fact that modern biographies of Lafayette are honest about his virtues and flaws, this book's attempt to encourage reveling in Lafayette's human foibles generally fails to provide very much that is new, or good when compared with more balanced offerings.
January 9, 2022
As we sat together on the wooden pew [...], I posed the question that had been on my mind for three years. Would she agree, I asked, that Lafayette is not widely admired in France? Yes, she said. Only Americans visit his grave, and an American flag flies over it. I paused and asked if she had any idea why. She thought for a moment, then gestured to the names on the walls. "The French Revolution was a complicated time," she said, "and Lafayette was a complicated man. People like simple stories; simple stories get remembered. Lafayette's story isn't simple."
I think this passage sums up quite nicely the entirety of this book. While Lafayette is remembered with love and fondness in the United States (his reputation most recently having been revived thanks to the sensation that is Hamilton), his legacy in the greater part of French history is much more complex and nuanced. Laura Auriccho does attempt to, well, "reconsider" the man, seeking to examine Lafayette's actions within the political sphere, to understand the essence of his character and what drove him.
However, while she does shed light on much of Lafayette's life, I still felt that it was an incomplete picture. Little is done to explore Lafayette's relationships with others, and how they impacted and shaped him and his actions. I will say that Lafayette's relationship with George Washington is threaded through the biography, portraying how it began and evolved over the years, but others are not afforded the same treatment. His wife, Adrienne, for the most part, seems to exist within the biography merely for Lafayette to write letters to. Only during the period of the Reign of Terror does she receive much attention, from her arrest and sufferings during that time (her mother, sister, and grandmother all executed on the same day), to her miraculous release and prompt decision to march into Austria to join Lafayette in prison, setting the stage for Lafayette's allies to campaign vigorously for his release (the woman essentially stares down an Emperor). But after that, she promptly falls back to being a bit character in Lafayette's story. Even her death is only afforded a single line. It is the same with his mistresses. The incidents involving them are only afforded a few brief pages. Auricchio even comments that Madame de Simiane "remained [...] one of [Lafayette's] closest confidantes for many decades to come." We then never hear another peep about her and how she remained one of his "confidantes".
While I was pleased to gain a better understanding of Lafayette's life, particularly his involvement in the French Revolution, I still felt that there was more to tell, more threads to weave in, and in the end, I felt that we still didn't have the entire story. Still, it is a complicated story of a complicated man, and there are many other sources to puzzle out all of the other pieces of that story.
I think this passage sums up quite nicely the entirety of this book. While Lafayette is remembered with love and fondness in the United States (his reputation most recently having been revived thanks to the sensation that is Hamilton), his legacy in the greater part of French history is much more complex and nuanced. Laura Auriccho does attempt to, well, "reconsider" the man, seeking to examine Lafayette's actions within the political sphere, to understand the essence of his character and what drove him.
However, while she does shed light on much of Lafayette's life, I still felt that it was an incomplete picture. Little is done to explore Lafayette's relationships with others, and how they impacted and shaped him and his actions. I will say that Lafayette's relationship with George Washington is threaded through the biography, portraying how it began and evolved over the years, but others are not afforded the same treatment. His wife, Adrienne, for the most part, seems to exist within the biography merely for Lafayette to write letters to. Only during the period of the Reign of Terror does she receive much attention, from her arrest and sufferings during that time (her mother, sister, and grandmother all executed on the same day), to her miraculous release and prompt decision to march into Austria to join Lafayette in prison, setting the stage for Lafayette's allies to campaign vigorously for his release (the woman essentially stares down an Emperor). But after that, she promptly falls back to being a bit character in Lafayette's story. Even her death is only afforded a single line. It is the same with his mistresses. The incidents involving them are only afforded a few brief pages. Auricchio even comments that Madame de Simiane "remained [...] one of [Lafayette's] closest confidantes for many decades to come." We then never hear another peep about her and how she remained one of his "confidantes".
While I was pleased to gain a better understanding of Lafayette's life, particularly his involvement in the French Revolution, I still felt that there was more to tell, more threads to weave in, and in the end, I felt that we still didn't have the entire story. Still, it is a complicated story of a complicated man, and there are many other sources to puzzle out all of the other pieces of that story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2019
The writing quality is wonderful, and the book is a breeze to get through, a nice quality in academic facing biography. The Marquis has an incredible and winding life and Auricchio does a great job at giving it personal character and stakes, making for a very entertaining read.
It is also, though, not an impartial take on the man or his legacy. Strictly speaking, this is not a problem (no "objective" work can ever be so, and she's fairly clear with her perspective from her title alone), but it becomes an issue when Auricchio presents this as the "balanced" take, between the fawners in America and critics in France. It does not take long to see how she feels about the Girondins and Jacobins who ultimately would be most critical of Lafayette, and her blanket dismissal of their criticism leaves much of the Marquis' story unexamined. Indeed, I was coming to this volume in part to understand why the French were - and are still - so upset about Latayette's backing of the monarchy in 1830. Auricchio more or less avoids this topic entirely, in part because it's a late-life decision for Lafayette, but also - presumably - because it complicates an otherwise straightforward narrative about what he really contributed to France. The missing parts and targeted writing were seriously disappointing for such a well-written book.
It is also, though, not an impartial take on the man or his legacy. Strictly speaking, this is not a problem (no "objective" work can ever be so, and she's fairly clear with her perspective from her title alone), but it becomes an issue when Auricchio presents this as the "balanced" take, between the fawners in America and critics in France. It does not take long to see how she feels about the Girondins and Jacobins who ultimately would be most critical of Lafayette, and her blanket dismissal of their criticism leaves much of the Marquis' story unexamined. Indeed, I was coming to this volume in part to understand why the French were - and are still - so upset about Latayette's backing of the monarchy in 1830. Auricchio more or less avoids this topic entirely, in part because it's a late-life decision for Lafayette, but also - presumably - because it complicates an otherwise straightforward narrative about what he really contributed to France. The missing parts and targeted writing were seriously disappointing for such a well-written book.
August 4, 2021
In "The Marquis" Dr. Laura Auricchio examines the life of the Marquis Gilbert du Lafayette - hero of the American revolution and participant (with questionable results) in the French revolution years later. A man of boundless enthusiasm, Lafayette comes off as a deeply idealistic and stubborn man with a pechant for action. An undercurrent that runs through Auricchio's narritive is the attempt to answer the question of why Lafayette continues to be revered in the United States but is largely overlooked in his native land of France. The book itself is extremely well written and veers towards a popular audience. If any fault can be found, Auricchio favors the first half of Lafayette's life (admittingly, the most action packed!) while his last several decades are glossed over in just a few dozen pages. Furthermore, the author's focus is so focused on Lafayette himself that one does not really get the chance to understand the personality of those around him, including his wife and children.
Still, I would highly recommend this work for those who wish to learn more about the life of the good Marquis.
Still, I would highly recommend this work for those who wish to learn more about the life of the good Marquis.
November 6, 2022
I have already written a lot about Lafayette on HistoryNerdsUnited.com, but the major beats are worth rehashing. He was a rich aristocrat in France born in 1757. At 19, he wanted to win glory in war and found himself intrigued by what the British colonies were doing across the Atlantic. He bought a boat and sailed away to help against his own king’s wishes.
In America, he became a surrogate son to George Washington and was generally beloved by everyone, including that whiny curmudgeon, Thomas Jefferson. He played a pivotal role in France’s entrance into the war and was even more pivotal in numerous battles of the American Revolution.
He went back to France where he became embroiled in the French Revolution. In comparison to the heroics he performed in the American Revolution, you would have to file his French exploits as, “rather underwhelming.”
He ended up in prison for a while. Napoleon brought him back. Hilarity ensued.
In America, he became a surrogate son to George Washington and was generally beloved by everyone, including that whiny curmudgeon, Thomas Jefferson. He played a pivotal role in France’s entrance into the war and was even more pivotal in numerous battles of the American Revolution.
He went back to France where he became embroiled in the French Revolution. In comparison to the heroics he performed in the American Revolution, you would have to file his French exploits as, “rather underwhelming.”
He ended up in prison for a while. Napoleon brought him back. Hilarity ensued.
October 14, 2018
An exhaustive but readable biography
The musical Hamilton has kindled my interest in the figures of the Revolutionary War and early American republic, so I knew I had to read more about “America’s favorite founding Frenchman”. This book is an excellent resource - it covers his life in detail but not mind-numbing detail. The prose is engaging and relatively light.
There is a lot more to the character of Lafayette than could be captured in a Broadway play. Although Lafayette was steadfast in his principles, he trod a complicated path through a series of perilous times. I had really had little understanding of his role in the French Revolution, where his struggles highlighted the challenge of remaining true to moderate principles in a time of extremes.
All in all, the book paints an excellent portrait of a nuanced man and the times in which he lived.
The musical Hamilton has kindled my interest in the figures of the Revolutionary War and early American republic, so I knew I had to read more about “America’s favorite founding Frenchman”. This book is an excellent resource - it covers his life in detail but not mind-numbing detail. The prose is engaging and relatively light.
There is a lot more to the character of Lafayette than could be captured in a Broadway play. Although Lafayette was steadfast in his principles, he trod a complicated path through a series of perilous times. I had really had little understanding of his role in the French Revolution, where his struggles highlighted the challenge of remaining true to moderate principles in a time of extremes.
All in all, the book paints an excellent portrait of a nuanced man and the times in which he lived.
January 27, 2020
From my New Year's resolution to read more non-fiction comes this biography of Marquis Lafayette, an extremely wealthy French nobleman who just could NOT keep himself out of it if something was going down. Probably most famous now for being the fastest rapping character in Hamilton, he spent his own money to sail over and join the American Revolution, then sailed right back and threw himself into the thick of the French one as well. Initially I wasn't sure that I was interested enough in him as an individual to read an entire book about him, but he serves as an excellent window into French AND American history so taking it all together I was invested the whole way through. Plus it felt like an oddly relevant look at how political factions influence social opinion in kind of terrifying ways. Extremely well researched, engagingly written, definitely informative.
February 7, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed The Marquis. Laura Auricchio wrote a thoughtful biography bringing to light a personality instrumental in the American and French Revolutions. A cast of fascinating historical figures and personalities light up the page as Lafayette's life unfolds.
In the best parts of the book Auricchio backs up the story with primary accounts. When I got to the reign of terror I was concerned that there were too few pages left to tell the rest of the story. I was curious how the founding fathers would react to the French Revolution as it went off the rails. Though this was addressed, I would have liked to see more primary sources concerned with the reaction in the States. The biography doesn't spend much time with the general's later years. Perhaps it wrapped up to quickly or just left me wanting more.
In the best parts of the book Auricchio backs up the story with primary accounts. When I got to the reign of terror I was concerned that there were too few pages left to tell the rest of the story. I was curious how the founding fathers would react to the French Revolution as it went off the rails. Though this was addressed, I would have liked to see more primary sources concerned with the reaction in the States. The biography doesn't spend much time with the general's later years. Perhaps it wrapped up to quickly or just left me wanting more.
August 25, 2020
Well it seems pretty easy to write a stellar biography when you are writing about one of the most interesting historical figures in European political/military history. The dude was just fascinating; your American history class gives him serious short shrift. I'd bet most people think he was like 40 when we was partaking in what he's known for, helping out in the American revolution, but he was only 19! Even if you don't find Lafayette himself to be worth your time, the book is still a great read. People forget the temporal connection between the American and French Revolutions, and Lafayette was instrumental in both. He serves as the bridge to link those two important historical events together. Top 5 book so far this year.
August 19, 2024
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I was frustrated by the lack of detail and historical inquiry about Lafayette's time in the Revolutionary War. Was he a good general? What did his troops think of him? The author doesn't seem to care. My impression was that he really didn't do all that much. Yet again I am frustrated by a biography written by a non-historian. I was much more impressed with the author's recounting of Lafayette's role during the French Revolution. This is a period I don't know much about, so the detail she provided was much appreciated. The author is an art professor, and her insight into pornographic cartoons of Lafayette and Marie Antoinette ware particularly interesting.
October 12, 2017
I picked this book up since I wanted to see how accurate some of the songs from Hamilton are and was pleasantly surprised at how interesting the rest of the book was.
Obsessed with honour and renown, Lafayette was the hero of two worlds and one of the most beloved stars of early America. He was very close to the king during the French revolution and, amazingly, left that struggle with his head in tact.
Like Washington and Cincinatus before him, he retired from public life to tend his garden.
Obsessed with honour and renown, Lafayette was the hero of two worlds and one of the most beloved stars of early America. He was very close to the king during the French revolution and, amazingly, left that struggle with his head in tact.
Like Washington and Cincinatus before him, he retired from public life to tend his garden.
July 8, 2018
Interesting look at Lafayette's legacy in both American and France. Auricchio follows his life from birth to death, with primary focus on the American Revolution and French Revolution. Lafayette seems often to waver in his feelings and struggle to fulfill his obligations and persona. Appreciated that she was able to keep the book below 500 pages, a feat of true control over subject for a historian.
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