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Last Refuge of Scoundrels: A Revolutionary Novel
Early critical acclaim from Pulitzer Prize-winning scholars and best-selling authors Studs Terkel, Jonathan Kozol, Robert Coles, Howard Zinn, John Ferling and Winston Last Refuge of Scoundrels is the bottom-up story of the American Revolution brought to life vividly, compellingly, suggestively. It's a story that gives America its past in a manner worthy of comparison to Tolstoy's effort to understand and render history and does so in a manner that's rich, rambunctious, exploding with vitality and bubbling with wild humor.
A delightfully irreverent look at the Revolution, it tells the story of John Lawrence a naive young merchant's son who finds love and his life's purpose in Deborah Simpson, a spy working in collusion with George Washington to lead An unsung army of ordinary Americans against the self-interested Founding Fathers as much as the bumbling Brits. Last Refuge of Scoundrels weaves meticulous research and fantastical fable into a poetic tale that's at once a rollicking romp, a haunting love story and a revisionist historical epic.
A delightfully irreverent look at the Revolution, it tells the story of John Lawrence a naive young merchant's son who finds love and his life's purpose in Deborah Simpson, a spy working in collusion with George Washington to lead An unsung army of ordinary Americans against the self-interested Founding Fathers as much as the bumbling Brits. Last Refuge of Scoundrels weaves meticulous research and fantastical fable into a poetic tale that's at once a rollicking romp, a haunting love story and a revisionist historical epic.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published February 8, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 21 reviews
November 7, 2015
A fun and sometimes funny historical novel. A nice way to be reintroduced to some American Revolutionary War characters we know pretty well.
December 8, 2024
What started out with promise became quite crass. I’m not going to waste my time on such books - there are too many other good books to read.
November 30, 2021
"It was a turning point in human history, brought about, so we've been told, by paragons of selflessness and democratic virtue -- the Founding Fathers. But in this audacious and irreverent new novel, based on long-overlooked facts of history, Paul Lussier blows the dust off the American Revolution and its icons and takes us on a you-are-there journey into a lunatic underworld ... a place in which everyday American citizens find themselves opposing the self-interested Founding Fathers as much as the bumbling Brits.
"Last Refuge of Scoundrels ... is the story of John Lawrence, a naive young merchant's son who finds love and his life's purpose in the force of nature that is Deborah Simpson, a prostitute who leads an unsung army of cooks, washerwomen, jacktars, and fishermen into the fray. Secretly embraced by George Washington, these ordinary heroes prove to be the commander-in-chief's key to victory and the inspiration for his metamorphosis from careerist aristocrat to father of his country -- more a man of the people than his peers would ever know.
"John and Deborah plunge headlong into a guerrilla war, bringing them up against the foppish John Hancock (whose tremulous nerves are soothed by the smashing of china); the rabidly puritanical Sam Adams; Sam's chubby and elitist cousin John Adams (who aspires to be the first American king); and the horny Ben Franklin, whose mission to seduce the French to the American cause is waged mostly on chaise longues.
"Through it all John and Deborah are armed with only the inspiration they draw from their burgeoning, albeit unconventional, love.
"From the public relations ploy that was the Boston Massacre to the spiritual epiphany of the Boston Tea Party, from the preventable horrors of Valley Forge to the grotesque yet soulful opulence of the court of Marie Antoinette, Last Refuge of Scoundrels is at once a rollicking romp, a haunting love story, and a laugh-out-loud Dickensian epic that will stir passions as forceful as the Revolution itself."
~~front & back flaps
Isn't that a wonderful review? Makes the book sound incredibly brilliant. I read the first 23 pages and didn't find a rollicking romp nor a laugh-out-loud Dickensian epic. So I abandoned ship.
"Last Refuge of Scoundrels ... is the story of John Lawrence, a naive young merchant's son who finds love and his life's purpose in the force of nature that is Deborah Simpson, a prostitute who leads an unsung army of cooks, washerwomen, jacktars, and fishermen into the fray. Secretly embraced by George Washington, these ordinary heroes prove to be the commander-in-chief's key to victory and the inspiration for his metamorphosis from careerist aristocrat to father of his country -- more a man of the people than his peers would ever know.
"John and Deborah plunge headlong into a guerrilla war, bringing them up against the foppish John Hancock (whose tremulous nerves are soothed by the smashing of china); the rabidly puritanical Sam Adams; Sam's chubby and elitist cousin John Adams (who aspires to be the first American king); and the horny Ben Franklin, whose mission to seduce the French to the American cause is waged mostly on chaise longues.
"Through it all John and Deborah are armed with only the inspiration they draw from their burgeoning, albeit unconventional, love.
"From the public relations ploy that was the Boston Massacre to the spiritual epiphany of the Boston Tea Party, from the preventable horrors of Valley Forge to the grotesque yet soulful opulence of the court of Marie Antoinette, Last Refuge of Scoundrels is at once a rollicking romp, a haunting love story, and a laugh-out-loud Dickensian epic that will stir passions as forceful as the Revolution itself."
~~front & back flaps
Isn't that a wonderful review? Makes the book sound incredibly brilliant. I read the first 23 pages and didn't find a rollicking romp nor a laugh-out-loud Dickensian epic. So I abandoned ship.
July 5, 2022
This could have been a great book, the tale has too many unbelievable occurrences to seriously add to our understanding of the War of Independence. The characters, who the author tries to make complex, seemed cartooonish to me.
October 27, 2019
A mildly amusing alternative view of the American Revolution.
January 24, 2011
In a time of struggle, Patrick Henry once said: “ The distinction between Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers and New Englanders are no more. I am not a Virginian – I declare as an American.” This a nation and in turn its people were born. But this momentous event takes place on page 124, well into the story; before this there is much to be revealed about the events leading up to America’s declaration of independence.
The Last Refuge of Scoundrels: A Revolutionary Novel” by Paul Lussier tells the story that has never been told before. It talks of war and revolution, of fighting, death and struggle – just like any good history book – but it also talks of brilliant men like George Washington and John Hancock, acting like children. While John Hancock apparently had a penchant for smashing expensive china to relieve stress and anger, and George Washington was actually not too bright and supposedly had to excuse himself often due to his small bladder.
Researching for ten years, Lussier has taken notes from disregarded oral histories, diaries and personal letters, weaving these unheard tales into the charging revolution for American independence. Lussier’s cast features a host of renowned names: Samuel Adams, John Hancock, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton and George Washington. There are also two lesser known figures: John Lawrence and Deborah Simpson, who play the main characters, controlling the revolution, making it run, orchestrating its major characters into making a country of sovereignty. Lussier delves into events like the Boston Massacre, with the “true” viewpoint of the event, being that of a silent affair; the Boston Tea Party, which is where one gets the first sense of an America; the Minute Men, “the youngest and strongest militia boys trained to be called out on a minute’s notice”; the beginning of the Revolutionary War on April 18 and 19, 1775; the Battle of Bunker Hill, which took place on Breed’s Hill nearby.
At certain pivotal points during the book, Lussier uses a method of relaying the historical knowledge of a specific event, and then revealing the actual circumstances that took place. This presents an interesting and often amusing insight into this period that is celebrated in the founding of this country.
On the whole, The Last Refuge of Scoundrels is a very entertaining read, for not only does it provide historical knowledge that we can all use, but it gives the reader little trinkets of detail that one could always find use for at some public event to enlighten the audience with.
Originally published on February 26 2001 ©Alex C. Telander.
For over 500 book reviews, and over 40 exclusive author interviews (both audio and written), visit BookBanter.
The Last Refuge of Scoundrels: A Revolutionary Novel” by Paul Lussier tells the story that has never been told before. It talks of war and revolution, of fighting, death and struggle – just like any good history book – but it also talks of brilliant men like George Washington and John Hancock, acting like children. While John Hancock apparently had a penchant for smashing expensive china to relieve stress and anger, and George Washington was actually not too bright and supposedly had to excuse himself often due to his small bladder.
Researching for ten years, Lussier has taken notes from disregarded oral histories, diaries and personal letters, weaving these unheard tales into the charging revolution for American independence. Lussier’s cast features a host of renowned names: Samuel Adams, John Hancock, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton and George Washington. There are also two lesser known figures: John Lawrence and Deborah Simpson, who play the main characters, controlling the revolution, making it run, orchestrating its major characters into making a country of sovereignty. Lussier delves into events like the Boston Massacre, with the “true” viewpoint of the event, being that of a silent affair; the Boston Tea Party, which is where one gets the first sense of an America; the Minute Men, “the youngest and strongest militia boys trained to be called out on a minute’s notice”; the beginning of the Revolutionary War on April 18 and 19, 1775; the Battle of Bunker Hill, which took place on Breed’s Hill nearby.
At certain pivotal points during the book, Lussier uses a method of relaying the historical knowledge of a specific event, and then revealing the actual circumstances that took place. This presents an interesting and often amusing insight into this period that is celebrated in the founding of this country.
On the whole, The Last Refuge of Scoundrels is a very entertaining read, for not only does it provide historical knowledge that we can all use, but it gives the reader little trinkets of detail that one could always find use for at some public event to enlighten the audience with.
Originally published on February 26 2001 ©Alex C. Telander.
For over 500 book reviews, and over 40 exclusive author interviews (both audio and written), visit BookBanter.
December 31, 2016
Paul Lussier does a good job of bringing the Founding Fathers down from their glorious pedestal by portraying them as really despicable and cowardly men. I feel that he assuredly overexagerates much of his degrading descriptions. (I'm sure Ben Franklin wasn't near as bad as he seems from this book, but even Hancock and the Adams cousins must have been better than the slimeballs portrayed here).
While this book was fun to read and provides a very different perspective on the American Revolution, at least from a political perspective, its also confusing in that you don't really know what to take seriously and what is purely fiction. I'd say most of it is purely fiction (at least I hope so). The main story is told from the perspective of a young man who finds himself fighting for a revolution (that he doesn't care about) and in love with a woman (who is also a whore). The book takes you through all that happens to this guy and at the same time progresses through key occurances of the Revolution. Along the way, the Founding Fathers are portrayed as complete bufoons with no interest except their own petty wants. The British are made to look like they never really knew what was going on and the F. Fathers to incite a Revolution without ever really meaining to (which may very well be true?). I mean, I'm sure that the people of the time may not be as great as they are made out to be in middle school textbooks, but this book takes it a little (or a lot) over the top.
This book was entertaining but not very informative about the true happenings of the American Revolution.
While this book was fun to read and provides a very different perspective on the American Revolution, at least from a political perspective, its also confusing in that you don't really know what to take seriously and what is purely fiction. I'd say most of it is purely fiction (at least I hope so). The main story is told from the perspective of a young man who finds himself fighting for a revolution (that he doesn't care about) and in love with a woman (who is also a whore). The book takes you through all that happens to this guy and at the same time progresses through key occurances of the Revolution. Along the way, the Founding Fathers are portrayed as complete bufoons with no interest except their own petty wants. The British are made to look like they never really knew what was going on and the F. Fathers to incite a Revolution without ever really meaining to (which may very well be true?). I mean, I'm sure that the people of the time may not be as great as they are made out to be in middle school textbooks, but this book takes it a little (or a lot) over the top.
This book was entertaining but not very informative about the true happenings of the American Revolution.
October 18, 2015
I see what the author was trying to do here. He was trying to get at the heart of the American Revolution, and what it means to be American.
Sadly, he failed. This book spends far too much time making fun of the founding fathers (and doing so in very well tread fashion, at that), and far too little time making sense.
We're to believe a prostitute named Deborah was every spy and master planner behind every good turn of the Revolution? Too silly.
Not to mention the fact that it claims to be Washington reclaiming 'George' instead of 'the General' on his death bed, yet 2/3 of the book takes place before Washington was even on the scene.
It's really a (highly fictionalized) story of Washington's aide John Laurens(Lawrence), who is the subject of a great many historical fictions, and thus, well tread ground. Not much to see here... feel free to give it a pass.
Sadly, he failed. This book spends far too much time making fun of the founding fathers (and doing so in very well tread fashion, at that), and far too little time making sense.
We're to believe a prostitute named Deborah was every spy and master planner behind every good turn of the Revolution? Too silly.
Not to mention the fact that it claims to be Washington reclaiming 'George' instead of 'the General' on his death bed, yet 2/3 of the book takes place before Washington was even on the scene.
It's really a (highly fictionalized) story of Washington's aide John Laurens(Lawrence), who is the subject of a great many historical fictions, and thus, well tread ground. Not much to see here... feel free to give it a pass.
May 20, 2008
"Last Refuge of Scoundrels" was sold to me quite well by the author. Its somewhat fictionalized tale of the American Revolution focuses not on the "greatness" of the men in our history books, but on the commoners upon whose backs the war was waged. The story line itself is fascinating to read, especially in the context of the author's notes at the back (which I recommend reading first). Unfortunately, even though Mr. Lusser has constructed an engaging story with interesting characters (albeit not fully fleshed), the story-telling itself is rather clumsy, frankly.
May 3, 2016
Not really an alternate history; more of a fictional re-telling of the story of the Revolutionary War from a completely different point of view. Let's just say that these are not your father's founding fathers.
It's well written and very amusing, but not a page turner. By the last 50 or 75 pages, I found myself kind of bogged down, not able to read more than a few pages at a time. But that's probably just me, and it's well worth sticking it out to the end, just to see how all these weird pieces fit together.
It's well written and very amusing, but not a page turner. By the last 50 or 75 pages, I found myself kind of bogged down, not able to read more than a few pages at a time. But that's probably just me, and it's well worth sticking it out to the end, just to see how all these weird pieces fit together.
September 11, 2012
This book is based on the premise that most if not all of the 'founding fathers' were much more focused on their own self interests than on those of the country. I think there is a good deal of truth to this (consider many of the Tea Party and other politicians of the present day); however, the author markedly overdoes it. Some of the characters are interesting (if not very believable) and there is a good bit of humor.
August 12, 2009
It fancies itself as blasting the myth that the American Revolution was the work of the Founding Fathers rather than everyday farmers & working-class Americans. It's an ineffective attempt to combine a light-hearted tone with heavy-handed ideology that doesn't work well as either literature or history.
October 13, 2014
I am a fan of history, and this sounded like it would be a nice saucy take on the revolution and its players. Lots of nice reviews on the back too. However, I found it only barely good enough to stick through it. As 2 stars suggest, it was just "ok".
September 26, 2015
I often enjoy reading about history. I found parts humorous, but frankly I really didn't enjoy reading it. I only completed it so I'd get credit in the reading challenge. That said my rating of one star is the best I could do.
August 1, 2015
Paul Lussier'sretelling of the beginnings of the Revolutionary War and its main characters is a wonderfully irreverent satire that will keep you intrigued, and laughing from start to finish. For all history lovers who also enjoy a little ribald humor.
November 16, 2010
I really wanted to like it.
April 15, 2015
Novel idea for a plot. It got tiresome halfway through the book. I plodded on to finish. I would not recommend to anyone I know.
April 7, 2015
Interesting, well written historical fiction that explores the American Revolution from different perspectives.
January 24, 2016
A very funny look at the revolutionary war with all the founding fathers being portrayed as rascals and scoundrels.
July 10, 2008
This book was a totally new twist on the Revolutionary war.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 21 reviews