A good account of the life of a man whose actions defined two of the world’s most important revolutions. One of the most interesting characters of both the American and the French Revolution.

Although the book is well written and documented, at times can be quite tedious to read due to the amount of pageantry and pomposity that dominated all the interactions in Lafayette life. The descriptions of receptions, ceremonies and public displays fill a significant part of the book. We are also subjected to an endless stream of letters between the Marquis and some of the main figures of the times such as Washington or Napoleon, filled with a degree of exaggerated adulation that is almost embarrassing to read.

This book also contains one of the best descriptions of the French revolution that I’ve ever read. It Details the events day by day while providing great insight into the underground currents that were stirring behind the scenes and how these currents were tapped and exploited by some of the main players to advance their own selfish interests.

Overall a good book to learn about the fascinating life and times of this incredible man.

An exceptional read to any lover of American and/or Military history. Harlow Giles Unger wonderfully weaves the life of Marquis de Lafayette through the various ages that he lived. His unbounded love for America and what she stands for, Lafayette was and forever will remain not only a Founding Father of our country, but a Patriot of Freedom for all mankind.

I might rate this closer to 3.5 stars, as there is (far too often) a deep time into too-much-minutiae territory. But what is made abundantly clear is that Lafayette is far more than an interesting footnote to the American Revolution. He is a fascinating, exceptionally courageous, loyal, loving patriot who dreamed of a world full of democratic rights and freedoms for all...and he did more than anyone until the 20th century to make it happen. He deserves far more respect and recognition that he currently receives...he has earned it.

I knew of the young Lafayette's exploits during the American Revolutionary War and his return to the US for his "Grand Tour" in 1824, but I had no idea of his exploits in France in the interim. I was unaware of his involvement in the French Revolutions, of his capture and imprisonment in Austria, and his short stays as head of the French government.

I was a little bothered by the slightly breathless tone with which Unger often wrote about Lafayette- he came off a bit like an adolescent writing about his first crush, rather than a serious biographer. I also noticed some minor incorrect details here and there, including some unverified facts, and some cases of simplistic wrapping up of complicated issues. On the whole, not a bad biography- just not an outstanding one, though it had some inspiring moments.

A great read about a great man. His conviction to do what is right really stands out. He's an historical figure I was familiar with, but the detail added here really make him jump off the page. I hadn't realized, for instance, that he was a Mandela-type figure - jailed for years for his beliefs, with nations working to free him and failing to do so...despite being the hero of two nations.

I highly recommend this well-researched and excellently written biography of Lafayette. A fascinating man throughout his life who fought for American independence then spent decades trying to help France embrace constitutional governance.

I wanted to like this book, and maybe I should have given it another star, but in the end it was one more breathless, uncritical Lafayette biography. I've been looking for a good Lafayette bio for years, and when I found this one in a bookstore at Yorktown I thought that it might have been what I was looking for. Unfortunately Unger overpraises Lafayette and often overlooks his faults. He portrays him as a devoted husband in spite of his womanizing, for instance, while the language he uses overly effusive language to praise his virtues. A biography of Lafayette does not need to do this. The young revolutionary was a brilliant, forward-thinking man, and I would love to read a good, balanced, biography. Yet the obvious winsomeness of Lafayette's character seems to cause his biographers to lose their objectivity. I have put down bios of him after only a few chapters because of this very problem. At leas Unger writes well enough that I read the book through the end.

Over the course of the book Unger frequently crosses the line from historian to propagandist. For instance, he seems to link Marat's viciousness with is height, calling him an "ill-kept Swiss dwarf" (249) and says, in an amazing sentence, "The ugly dwarf Marat sought a dictatorship--his own--and a crowd of equally misshapen idolaters shrieked their approval." (274) While I agree that Marat was a singularly wicked person, I found this conflation of his appearance, particularly his height, and his character disturbing. I was also bothered by Unger's frequent implication that the French people were of a naturally lower character than Americans.

The reason I may be underrating this book is because, as I said earlier, it is well written. Unger includes vivid details of the excesses of the French Revolution and tells a compelling story of Lafayette's imprisonment in Moravia after the Emperor Joseph, blaming Lafayette for beginning the troubles that led to his sister, Marie Antoinette, being guillotined, refuses to help him. He describes the sickeningly squalid conditions in the prison, how his wife, Adrienne, and their two daughters joined him there, and the awful toll this took on the family.

I can't recommend this book as a solid history, because its breathless style left me with the impression that I wasn't getting the whole story. It is, however, an interesting tale, particularly as it deals with the French Revolution. If you read it, just be aware of the author's bias.

When I started reading this book, I already had a great respect for the Marquis de Lafayette. Upon conclusion, that respect has now grown into admiration. Here was a man, maybe the last true knight, who defied his king and came to fight in America in our revolution... not for fame and glory but because he truly believed in our glorious cause. He demanded no compensation for his service.

When General Washington took him to the army camp for the first time, Washington apologized for its squalor condition. Lafayette replied, "I have come here to learn, mon general, not to teach."

Lafayette would be wounded in his first battle at Brandywine Creek. As he was departing the army to recover from this wound, he overheard Washington tell the doctor, "Treat him as if he were my own son." The two patriots would form a father-son relationship that would last through both lifetimes. And he would be made a citizen of the US by an act of Congress following the war.

It would be General Lafayette that would stalk British General Cornwallis through Virginia and trap him at Yorktown for the American victory and possible conclusion of the war.

Lafayette would return home a hero to his people and country. Great celebrations lit up Paris for the American victory. But Lafayette brought back the principles of that revolution which would end up throwing France into chaos and him into an Austrian prison. Several times, in the early days of the French Revolution, the people tried to give him power. He stayed true to republican principles and declined. Even later in life, they tried once again, but again he declined. In 1824/25, he would visit America for the first time since it had drafted the Constitution... something he called for long before anyone was doing so in the country as the states had to be unified. Every city he visited (and he visited every state), greeted him with massive crowds and great celebrations. Nothing was too good to honor our last revolutionary general.

Throughout his life, he lived by the republican principles he fought for in his adoptive country. When there was a food shortage in Chavaniac, he ordered his food stores to be opened and food to be dispensed to the people free of charge. He fought for the end of slavery, the end of feudal laws, and popular elections open to all (including women). His wife and family were by his side the entire way.

Even to his dying day, he spoke up against autocratic rule and despotism. Though he was always in the minority, he never lost his spirit or the fight. He had fought and bled for republican values in a far off land, and he believed in them through every bit of his mind, body, and soul. And he always valued his adoptive America.

When he died there was barely anything of note in Paris or France. Even his funeral procession was bared from the public. In the US, the nation went into deep mourning. Flag flew at half staff, Congress was draped in black bunting, bells tolled and ships saluted. He was the last of his kind and now he was gone... buried in Picpus Cemetery by his beloved wife under soil from both France and America (soil taken from Bunker Hill during his tour). Even President Andrew Jackson ordered the same military honors for Lafayette that had been awarded to George Washington when he had died.

Former-President and then current-Representative John Quincy Adams gave the official eulogy.
"Pronounce him one of the first men of his age and you have yet not done him justice... Turn back your eyes upon the records of time; summon from the creation of the world to this day the mighty dead of every age and every clime-- and where, among the race of merely mortal men, shall one be found, who, as the benefactor of his kind, shall claim to take precedence of Lafayette.

In 1917, US General Pershing sent his aide Colonel Charles Stanton to Picpus Cemetery to replant the American flag at Lafayette's grave. In a ceremony on July 4,, Stanton saluted him, "Lafayette, we are here." An American flag has continuously been at Lafayette's grave. Not even Hitler removed it.

He is a man of two worlds... old and new. In France, there is not a lot of respect for the man who brought about the end of the monarchy and the start of the French Revolution. But in America, he is the knight who came to fight for our cause and lived his life by it. He is a hero. He is "our Marquis," and he always will be.

I have read a lot of history about this time and most gloss over this man and his amazing contributions to history, the wars and changes in the world. Wow. A truly amazing man, so glad I read about him, will read more.

It's always great to read a bio of someone so passionate about his beliefs.

Now, I admit, a lot of this was written in the best possible light. It turns out Lafayette trying to bring democracy to France touched off the Red Terror. He definitely paid the price for being political.

I do recommend the book. I learned a lot.

solid biography, although a bit hero-worshippy throughout. could do more to draw lessons from
the failures of Lafayette's idealism in France. but well written and engaging overall.