Publishers Weekly
08/12/2019
Through extensive reliance on Thomas Jefferson’s and the Marquis de Lafayette’s writings, along with their contemporaries’, Chaffin (Giant’s Causeway) burnishes his reputation as a popular historian with this compulsively readable deep dive into “the story of a single, and singularly extraordinary, friendship, and its role in the making of two revolutions—and two nations.” The two men met in 1781; Lafayette had been given a command by George Washington after allying himself with the American rebels and traveling to the colonies in 1777, and was dispatched to Virginia to help defend it from British attacks during Jefferson’s term as governor of that colony. That assignment began a friendship that deepened after the Revolutionary War’s end; Lafayette was able to facilitate Jefferson’s diplomatic efforts after Jefferson joined a delegation to Paris negotiating treaties with European nations. Lafayette sought to help resolve France’s fiscal crisis of 1787, the precursor to the French Revolution, and Chaffin is especially good at detailing Lafayette’s shifting roles during that tumultuous period. Noting that “cherished legends” concerning both men are more familiar than the “more complex, sometimes less ennobling, truths,” Chaffin successfully elucidates the latter, such as Jefferson’s hypocrisy regarding slavery and Lafayette’s “vacillations during the French Revolution.” This worthy history will deepen lay readers’ understanding of both men. Agent: Alex Hoyt, Alexander Hoyt Associates. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
Praise for Revolutionary Brothers:
"A gripping narrative that offers a revelatory perspective on the combined origins of two nations...compelling drama and instructive history." —Wall Street Journal
"Gripping...lively writing." —Colonial Review
“Rich in narrative detail…for those who enjoy their history chock-full of action and anecdotes.” —The American Scholar
“Chaffin has produced a comprehensive history of a long, mutually rewarding friendship…This exceedingly well-written chronicle will please all history lovers.” —Library Journal
"The period covered by this book was as momentous as any in the history of France or the US...an insightful dual biography." —Booklist
"Chaffin has emerged with a text packed with facts and insights into both men as well as the tumultuous times in which they lived. A must-have." —Kirkus Reviews
“Compulsively readable…[a] worthy history.”—Publishers Weekly
"A compelling narrative of an epic—and unlikely—friendship from the Enlightenment era, enlivened by bracing plot-turns and vividly-drawn characters...a fascinating read." —Walter S. Isaacson, bestselling author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
“A dual biography, exquisite in its execution, that opens wonderful old trapdoors connecting two great nations. In Chaffin’s deft hands, we see how this dynamic duo literally made history together, shaping the raw material of a young nation while testing the possibilities—and limits—of a trans-Atlantic friendship that was lasting and true.” —Hampton Sides, bestselling author of Blood and Thunder and On Desperate Ground
"Beautifully constructed and impressively balanced in its judgements on both men...a gripping read throughout.” —Munro Price, historian and award-winning author of The Road from Versailles
"A remarkable story of two men and two revolutions...original and important...written with flair and grace." —Frank Cogliano, professor and author of Empire of Liberty: Thomas Jefferson's Foreign Policy (Yale University Press)
“Tom Chaffin’s well-told tale of two revolutions centers on the fascinating, sometimes intersecting careers of Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de Lafayette...Chaffin is a reliable and engaging guide as he takes us on a page-turning journey through tumultuous times.” —Peter S. Onuf, Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor of History, Emeritus, University of Virginia
“The key roles of two men who helped launch two revolutions that reshaped the Atlantic world in 1776 and 1789 and their friendship over almost half a century have found a worthy historian in Tom Chaffin...[a] dramatic story.” —Professor James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom
Kirkus Reviews
2019-08-18
An examination of the strong bonds and rewarding exchanges between the Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson.
Their friendship was primarily based on correspondence, beginning in 1781. Chaffin (Giant's Causeway: Frederick Douglass's Irish Odyssey and the Making of an American Visionary, 2014, etc.) capably traces their parallel stories, presenting a wealth of information, personal and historical, not often included in biographies. Stories of Jefferson's governorship of Virginia, which represented the extent of his Revolutionary War activity after the Declaration of Independence, shows a man wholeheartedly devoted to Virginia. As the author clearly shows, Jefferson had little interest in military matters and generally stayed aloof from the war. Because he was unsure of what a 19-year-old Lafayette could bring to the table, George Washington accepted his offer to serve with great reservations. What Lafayette did have was enormous wealth, royal connections, and, in 1777, a ship loaded with men and materiel. He was determined to emulate his father, who died in the Seven Years' War, and become a great general. Furthermore, the American fight was a chance for Lafayette—and France—to get revenge for their horrible loss to England in that war. It was not until 1779 that France actually entered the war, bringing the fleet and support that turned the tide of the Revolution. Lafayette welcomed Jefferson's term in France as minister and (unofficial) consultant to Lafayette and his supporters. At the same time, he opened doors for Jefferson and helped him learn the ways of diplomacy. Lafayette's strength was in taking a middle road, protecting the king while aiming for something between the U.S. Constitution and Britain's arrangement by which the monarch and subject united into a single polity. Sifting through mountains of research material in both the U.S. and France, Chaffin has emerged with a text packed with facts and insights into both men as well as the tumultuous times in which they lived.
A must-have in the libraries of those who love this period and/or admire these two iconic historical figures.
