Lafayette: A Hit Abroad! & A Miss at Home!

Would you listen to Marquis again? Why?

Yes! Because I am a history buff and I like to think what might have been if this or that had changed.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Adrienne Lafayette: She demonstrated remarkable fidelity, loyalty, and courage in the face of adversity.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Lafayette guided the Queen of France out onto the balcony at Versailles and with a bit of political theater of kissing her hand held out the prospect of a peaceful resolution and avoided a full scale bloodbath.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reaction. No laughter or crying. I do think that if men had behaved better and allowed Lafayette's conciliation to work a constitutional monarchy rather then a bloodbath could have emerged.

Any additional comments?

The following are my general impressions of the insights I gained after listening to this book. Obviously there is more of value to harvest then what I can covey in these few fleeting paragraphs. In this impressionistic approach I choose not to cover all the details in the book. I hope to give you an appetite to know more about this complex man by hitting these few highlights. I highly recommend that you give it a good listen or read.

General, Marquis de Lafayette is remembered in the United States with public parks, equestrian statues, and public building / street named after him too numerous to count. He is an interwoven part of our national fabric. However, in France, his birth place and home his honor is a nul, a zero, a rien. There is only one bust hidden away in the dark recesses of the Palace of Versailles to mark his place on French history. This mystery of two different perceptions of a good man’s life work is the motivating force for Ms. Auricchio biography.

As a 19 year old nobleman, Lafayette was considered much too unsophisticated to really fit in at the Royal Court in Versailles. Having his future prospects for advancement at court blighted by a lack in the social graces and connections what is a young ambitious nobleman from a proud old military family to do? Why go where the action is and make his name and fame. The action was in America; so that is where he took himself. He outfitted transportation at his own expense, raised and paid for a military unit, and presented himself and his unit to Congress in Philadelphia asking that he be commissioned a General in the revolutionary army. One thing the folks in Congress knew on sight was a bargain. Plus he also came with fresh news from the continent and back channel connections to the French aristocracy and government. What a bargain! Make him a General, why not?

Congress appointed Lafayette a General and sent him off to General Washington to see if he has any use for this untried warrior. Fortunately, General Washington knew raw talent and made him his aid de camp and member of his staff. Under such tutelage Lafayette’s pent up nascent military talent burst into bloom and bore good fruit. The give and take between these two dynamic personalities evolved into a pseudo father and son relationship; this is evidenced by Lafayette naming his actual son after his beloved benefactor.

His backchannel contacts to the French aristocracy proved valuable to other revolutionaries like Franklin and Madison. These relationships and bonds so closely forged in service to the American revolutionary elite in this country, will eventually help save his bacon when he ends up on the wrong side of the fence of the French revolution.

In France, Lafayette was a moderate conciliator in a time of extremes; he supported a constitutional monarchy; he wanted to serve as a bridge of understanding and enlightenment between the seething masses and out of touch elite like Louis XVI. He might have pulled this role of conciliator off had it not been for the ill-fated decision of Louis XVI to try and escape France when he was technically under guard and the protection of Lafayette at the Tuileries Palace following the march from the fallen Bestial to Versailles. It was there that Lafayette had gained acclaim by persuading the monarchs Louie and Marie to return to Paris under his protection and guard. However, when the King and Queen took a powder it left Lafayette with egg on his face and his credibility with the public in tatters in the metaphorical bag they left him holding. No one believed Lafayette was not in on the failed escape plan. The decision to run eventually cost the monarchs their heads.

The forces tarring France apart, stoked by blind admission of lesser men, were too powerful to contain through moderation and in the end Lafayette satisfied neither side and failed. When the scamming plots of others further damaged his credibility and it was clear he and his families lives were endanger, it was then that he left France one step ahead of the Guillotine. Once he crossed the border into Belgium he was perceived by the counter revolutionary monarchist’s relatives of Louie XVI as a traitor to his class and clapped away safely in prison to languish away and die.

Enter Lafayette’s wife Adrienne onto the stage of history. Until that point her only significant contribution was the barring of Lafayette’s four children. Lafayette’s friends in America and else ware were sufficient to see that he was not outright killed by the monarchist. However, a fragile new American country did not have the pull to spring him free from jail without risking a war. Adrienne after first seeing that her children were placed safely with others for their care, petitioned the Austrian Emperor to join her husband in prison. As she and her beloved languished in prison and she became ill, she also became a cause celeb in the salons of Europe resulting in both his and her release. In this way, with these courageous actions she shamed Lafayette’s friends and contacts into action thus saving her husband’s bacon. The monarchist might have been quite content to allow a man out of favor to languish, sicken, and die in prison but to condemn such a noblewoman to the same fate would have been a scandal and a blot on their honor. Having been weakened by her prison illnesses Adrienne preceded her husband in death at age 48 while he lived on to age 77.

16 people found this helpful

A Bit Dry For My Taste

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend this book only to the most die-hard fans of the American or the French Revolution. The Marquis is one of my favorite characters from history. He has a very rich and eventful life. Perhaps too much for one book. Trying to cover it all, as this one does, doesn't allow for any rumination. It clips through his life at such a speed, it more resembles a history book than a biography.

Would you be willing to try another book from Laura Auricchio? Why or why not?

Only on someone who I trust's recommendation. I never felt like I got to know the Marquis. I know his life from beginning to end, but not the man himself -- which is very much the opposite reaction I have when I read a David McCullough book. By the end of JOHN ADAMS, for example, I felt like I had spent time with John, got to know him, what made him tick. I need Mister McCullough to write a book about Lafayette.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The performer did well with what they were given.

Do you think Marquis needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yes. We need books about the Marquis' life. Books that delve into his relationship with Washington. Books exclusively about his time in the American Revolution. And then books exclusively about his time with the French Revolution. The definitive Lafayette book is yet to be written.

8 people found this helpful

good book, terrible French pronunciations

A worthwhile listen, admirably recounting the life of a great historical figure. My only complaint is that the audio features unskilled pronunciation of French names and terms in a book filled with French nouns. Francophones beware, this will prove a constant irritant for some.

2 people found this helpful

The epitome of and-then story telling.

If you want someone to read you a boring history text, in a dry voice, get this book. If you like and-then story telling, get this book. If you like when people use forign word and don't explain them, get this book.

2 people found this helpful

good parts and bad parts

I liked the information in the book, but there were several places where it really dragged. It was a slog to get through it, even though I am a big fan of Lafayette.

1 person found this helpful

Another hero bites the dust

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely recommend this book because I'm all about historical accuracy. Lafayette had long been a hero of mine, so I knew it was going to be difficult to read that someone who was so instrumental to the American Revolution worked against the French Revolution. There's lots of good information about both in this book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Marquis?

It was difficult listening to the chivalric aspect of Lafayette's pursuits. He comes across as a quixotic character desperately seeking fame and glory. However, this is the part that interested me most and piqued my interest in the subject of chivalry and medieval history.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Chivalric feet of clay.

1 person found this helpful

A good summary

This is a good short summary of Lafayette's life. at times it dwells too much on extra historical events that only need to be touched on and doesn't dive as deep as it could have on the life of Lafayette.
overall a good place to start but not to end your study of a great man who needs many many many more pages to know and learn from.

Good book

Enjoyed the telling of history and the history of the Marquis. Well written and a very good reader

Honored in the United States, disliked in France

Odd to think how Lafayette is revered here, but disliked and despised in France. His service in the Revolutionary War was interesting. I didn't realize he was wounded at Brandywine. I enjoyed the history of the French Revolution and how Lafayette worked to suppress the violence. The author spent too much time on the pornographic images used to discredit Lafayette during the French Revolution. His wife Adrienne was an amazing woman keeping the home, raising the children, and destroying her health by joining Lafayette in prison.

Well Worth A Listen

Well narrated and well written. The book was easy to follow and engaging. An interesting book on a lesser known American (French) hero.