The Marquis
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
Flip to back
Flip to front
The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered Hardcover – Deckle Edge, October 14, 2014
See all 4 formats and editions
Hide other formats and editions
| Amazon Price | New from | Used from |
|
Audio CD, Audiobook, CD, Unabridged
"Please retry"
|
$28.79 | $42.16 |
 |
$22.87
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Gift-wrap available.
NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE
Start reading The Marquis on your Kindle in under a minute.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Step right into Neil Patrick Harris's shoes in an exciting, interactive autobiography that places the reader squarely in the driver's seat. Learn more
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?.
|
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
One hundred and eighty years after his death, Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, remains a fascinating but elusive figure. He was hailed and idealized by Americans as a stalwart champion of liberty for his role in both the American and French revolutions, and his legacy and achievements are far less celebrated in his native France. Auricchio admirably separates the man from the myth while examining some of the elements used to build the myth, at the same time often sympathetic and attracted to her subject’s laudable qualities. Lafayette, the scion of one of the oldest French aristocratic families, arrived in America as a 19-year-old youth imbued with Enlightenment ideals concerning political liberty and a thirst for glory. He quickly established an enduring father-son relationship with George Washington and served him and the American cause with distinction. Returning to France, he was caught up in revolutionary politics but often seemed befuddled by France’s fast turn to radicalism and violence, and he eventually ran afoul of the Jacobins and, later, Napoleon. This is a fine reexamination of both the character and career of a compelling, but in some ways a sad, historical figure. --Jay Freeman
Review
Praise for Laura Auricchio’s
THE MARQUIS
“Provincial aristocrat, American warrior, and primary author of the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man, the Marquis de Lafayette is among the most fascinating characters to come of age during the era of Revolutions. In her engrossing biography of Lafayette’s bi-continental career, author Laura Auricchio is as adept at recounting the Marquis’s first, awkward moments negotiating the subtleties of Versailles as she is bringing to life his seemingly father-son relationship with George Washington. An impeccably researched and compelling portrait of a man whose complex legacy is still seen very differently on both sides of the Atlantic.”
-Andrew Curran, Dean of the Arts and Humanities, Wesleyan University
“In a sharp and moving biography, Auricchio captures the essence of the ‘French hero of the American Revolution—the Hero of Two Worlds, the Apostle of Liberty.’”
-Kirkus (Starred Review)
“Laura Auricchio has managed to bring the Marquis de Lafayette back to life, replacing the rather wooden figure of legend with the real man, a hero of two great revolutions, the American and the French, and man of great complexity and unfailing courage. An immensely rewarding book.”
—Michael Korda, author of Clouds of Glory
“[A] fine biography. . .Lafayette still deserves more attention in France, but he’s found just the right American biographer in Auricchio.”
-Publishers Weekly
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By
CGScammell
TOP 1000 REVIEWER on October 8, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Vine Customer Review of Free Product
(
What's this?
)
Comment
Sending feedback...
This is an extremely well-researched and very readable scholarly work that shows the transformation of the Marquis de Lafayette from a zealous, idealistic young man fighting for freedom and personal liberties who slowly became more conservative as he matured and gained wealth and prestige in his native France.
Writing something on this level is not easy, as it is often interjected with citations and quotes. There are 52 pages of notes and 15 pages of bibliography to support this work, taken from American and French sources.
What Laura Auricchio has done is portray the Marquis de Lafayette in an unbiased way as much as possible. He certainly had his contradictions. Seen as an American Patriot who admired George Washington, he was also seen as a French Reformer, even though the reforms he wanted were not as extreme as the final outcome of the French Revolution.Lafayette wanted stronger provincial bodies with broader representation, and he wanted eligible male voters to earn at least 100 livres and not 600 livres as proposed by the assembly he was invited to before things went contrary to plan. He also wanted the provincial assemblies to grant the clergy and the nobility more authority than commoners, which seems to contradict what he fought for in the American Revolution. He supported a constitutional monarchy for France, and for that he fell out of favor in French history. This is all very well documented in the last part of the book, Part Four, "Between Two Worlds."
There are many photographs, maps and etchings to accompany the text.
Highly recommended for the French history aficionado.
Writing something on this level is not easy, as it is often interjected with citations and quotes. There are 52 pages of notes and 15 pages of bibliography to support this work, taken from American and French sources.
What Laura Auricchio has done is portray the Marquis de Lafayette in an unbiased way as much as possible. He certainly had his contradictions. Seen as an American Patriot who admired George Washington, he was also seen as a French Reformer, even though the reforms he wanted were not as extreme as the final outcome of the French Revolution.Lafayette wanted stronger provincial bodies with broader representation, and he wanted eligible male voters to earn at least 100 livres and not 600 livres as proposed by the assembly he was invited to before things went contrary to plan. He also wanted the provincial assemblies to grant the clergy and the nobility more authority than commoners, which seems to contradict what he fought for in the American Revolution. He supported a constitutional monarchy for France, and for that he fell out of favor in French history. This is all very well documented in the last part of the book, Part Four, "Between Two Worlds."
There are many photographs, maps and etchings to accompany the text.
Highly recommended for the French history aficionado.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By
wogan
TOP 100 REVIEWER on September 26, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Vine Customer Review of Free Product
(
What's this?
)
Comment
Sending feedback...
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette was a hero in America, not so in France, remembered simply as Lafayette. He is honored in American history and the park that bears his name and his statue overlooks the White House.
In France he wished the monarchy to be restructured, but not eliminated. He never faltered in his beliefs and love of his country and that of America.
Laura Auricchio gives a detailed history of this man, including an introduction that explains and embodies her goals in writing his biography. This history of Lafayette explains his life and motivations, both in the American Revolution and during the French Revolution. The cost to him personally, during the French Revolution was high, he was jailed and close relatives sent to the guillotine. His rise and fall as first a leader in France and his fall is explained. Illustrations and maps are included and the revolutions are described step by step.
The examination of the variations in his status and the regard in which he was held and the explanations of why are well analyzed.
This story of Lafayette is extremely readable and should be of interest to those who enjoy history. Lafayette's life and story, with the exception of his time in America is not well known. This biography fills the hole in his life story.
In France he wished the monarchy to be restructured, but not eliminated. He never faltered in his beliefs and love of his country and that of America.
Laura Auricchio gives a detailed history of this man, including an introduction that explains and embodies her goals in writing his biography. This history of Lafayette explains his life and motivations, both in the American Revolution and during the French Revolution. The cost to him personally, during the French Revolution was high, he was jailed and close relatives sent to the guillotine. His rise and fall as first a leader in France and his fall is explained. Illustrations and maps are included and the revolutions are described step by step.
The examination of the variations in his status and the regard in which he was held and the explanations of why are well analyzed.
This story of Lafayette is extremely readable and should be of interest to those who enjoy history. Lafayette's life and story, with the exception of his time in America is not well known. This biography fills the hole in his life story.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By
Wilhelmina Zeitgeist
VINE VOICE on September 21, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Vine Customer Review of Free Product
(
What's this?
)
Comment
Sending feedback...
"The Marquis: Lafayette Reconsidered" by Laura Auricchio was truly an ambitious biography to take on. No doubt about it, Auricchio took it on and did a brilliant job of writing a magnificent book.
Well researched, developed, and executed we are given the true story of a major player in the early history of the United States of America. Written with excellent flow, I found the book to be quite the enjoyable read. There is so much history I was unaware of and loved learning so much. Without this book, there's a whole section of American History I would still be unaware of.
The name, Lafayette, I knew. Who he was and exactly what he did, not a clue. I'd heard the name bandied about with regards to the Revolutionary War and some association with George Washington but, of the details, I was clueless. I was surprised by so much about this man including his connection with Paris and relationship with Marie Antoinette.
A must read for anyone who loves the study of history and primarily American History. I'm astounded by how well written and engaging this book is considering the wealth of research that went into it. Auricchio is not only a notable historian, but a gifted writer as well. She brings the Marquis to life!
Well researched, developed, and executed we are given the true story of a major player in the early history of the United States of America. Written with excellent flow, I found the book to be quite the enjoyable read. There is so much history I was unaware of and loved learning so much. Without this book, there's a whole section of American History I would still be unaware of.
The name, Lafayette, I knew. Who he was and exactly what he did, not a clue. I'd heard the name bandied about with regards to the Revolutionary War and some association with George Washington but, of the details, I was clueless. I was surprised by so much about this man including his connection with Paris and relationship with Marie Antoinette.
A must read for anyone who loves the study of history and primarily American History. I'm astounded by how well written and engaging this book is considering the wealth of research that went into it. Auricchio is not only a notable historian, but a gifted writer as well. She brings the Marquis to life!
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By
Katy Lake
VINE VOICE on October 12, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Vine Customer Review of Free Product
(
What's this?
)
Comment
Sending feedback...
It amazes me so many Americans are ignorant about a man who had so much to do with the beginnings of this nation. The Marquis de Lafayette was an incredible man, and Laura Auricchio details his life and the impact he had in a great book. The story is detailed and requires some effort; this isn't a light, quick read, nor should it be. Lafayette was a man of honor and great complexity, and Auricchio's tales does him justice.
What's interesting to me is Lafayette's life after the American Revolutionary War - that is, how he endured the French Revolution. The two 'revolutions' could not have been more dissimilar: the American venture ended in a nation, the French overthrow ended in the guillotine. Lafayette's survival of the French debacle makes for a very interesting and enlightening read.
For students of history and human nature, I can't recommend this book highly enough.
What's interesting to me is Lafayette's life after the American Revolutionary War - that is, how he endured the French Revolution. The two 'revolutions' could not have been more dissimilar: the American venture ended in a nation, the French overthrow ended in the guillotine. Lafayette's survival of the French debacle makes for a very interesting and enlightening read.
For students of history and human nature, I can't recommend this book highly enough.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Most Recent Customer Reviews
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
