For Liberty and Glory: Washington, Lafayette, and Their Revolutions

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From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In this absorbing and learned study, Gaines (Evening in the Palace of Reason) chronicles the friendship of two great generals along with the American and French Revolutions, bringing great insight to both. He questions the standard theory that Lafayette and Washington had a father-son relationship and argues that the two men were the founding fathers of the centuries-long political alliance between France and America. This book is distinguished as much by the writing as the argument. Gaines's fresh narrative of the very familiar late–18th-century revolutions is exemplified by his exploration of the important role the playwright Beaumarchais played in French politics. With his typical flair for including perfect, cunning details, Gaines points out that Beaumarchais's nickname, fils Caron, sounded remarkably like the name of his theatrical hero Figaro. Thus, when Figaro debuted in the radical play The Barber of Seville, the self-consciously savvy audience knew exactly who they were watching on stage. Gaines also captures the drama of tense moments, such as Lafayette's public call for a convocation of the Estates-General. This winning volume will likely overshadow David Clary's Adopted Son. (Sept.)
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From Booklist
The American and French revolutions were inseparably linked. French financial and military support for the American cause helped bankrupt France's treasury, precipitating the financial crisis that began the slide into revolution. On a deeper level, both American and French revolutionaries took their inspiration from icons of the Enlightenment, including Locke, Voltaire, and Rousseau. Gaines, former editor of Time and People magazines, has written an excellent examination of both revolutions and the men and times that spawned them. At the heart of his story is the complicated relationship between George Washington and Lafayette, the young French aristocrat with republican ideals who came to serve both Washington and the American cause. Gaines shows their relationship as nuanced: both sharing a tendency toward vanity, a thirst for glory, and a need to stand apart from their peers. Although Gaines provides some useful insights into the commonalities of the revolutions, he is at his best in illustrating how and why the French Revolution evolved so differently. Freeman, Jay

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