Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution
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- Create Date：2021-10-02 17:21:07
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Mike Duncan
- ISBN：B08TKXTKVY
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Susan Long
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What was so outstanding about this book was how the author wove Lafayette’s incredible life through all those people he interacted with。 You definitely got an insight into those remarkable times。 Just visiting Montpelier， home of James Madison， I had a whole new perspective after reading this book。
Matt Potter
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The strength of this work is that it is， first and foremost， a super accessible historical look at Lafayette。 Being familiar with Mike Duncan‘s work on his Revolutions podcast， I was surprised at the wealth of information that was added by following Lafayette from birth， through two revolutions and to his death and legacy。 Duncan does a good job of separating nostalgic reconstruction and self-aggrandizing from historical reality without abandoning the task of telling a compelling story。
Francisco Vazquez
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This is Mike Duncan at its best， with a clear prose that remains factual throughout the book -perhaps too factual， as Duncan clearly avoids speculating about what’s going on in Lafayette’s mind at crucial points of his life。I recommend this book， but readers need to know that it is a praise of Lafayette， though Duncan tries to temper his bias in favor of the Marquis。
Ian Williamson
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 One of the historical figures that seems to pop up in every single historical event in his era。 Raised like Bruce Wayne， rich orphan style， then running from France to fight under Washington in American revolution as a teen。 Then comes back to France to help spark the French Revolution。 Imprisoned and barely surviving the Reign of Terror， he is broken out of prison by a young Napoleon。 He then again opposes the French throne both king and emperor， in favor of a constitutional government。 Fails a One of the historical figures that seems to pop up in every single historical event in his era。 Raised like Bruce Wayne， rich orphan style， then running from France to fight under Washington in American revolution as a teen。 Then comes back to France to help spark the French Revolution。 Imprisoned and barely surviving the Reign of Terror， he is broken out of prison by a young Napoleon。 He then again opposes the French throne both king and emperor， in favor of a constitutional government。 Fails again， returns to America to try to help with the abolishment of slavery。 Returns to France for yet another coup and replacement of the throne。 60+ years fighting in every theatre of the revolutionary era。 Mike Duncan makes history seem so real， favorite nonfiction author by far。 。。。more
Graham Podolecki
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A superb easy-to-access account of the life of the Marquis de Lafayette， a man whose life span such an amazing set of events and seemingly crosses the paths of so many of the great historical figures of the late 18th and early 19th century。 Mike Duncan once again is an engaging and entertaining guide through this great man’s life。
Alexander
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This was a fantastic biography。 It worked for me on two reasons 1） Duncan makes no apologies for outdated beliefs Lafayette held but thoughtfully traces his evolution towards democracy and abolition。 2） I was only familiar with Lafayette - “America’s favorite fighting Frenchman” and not his subsequent life during the French Revolution， imprisonment and life navigating Napoleonic/post-Napoleonic France。 I would argue Lafayette in France was the most interesting part of the book。 Far from laudator This was a fantastic biography。 It worked for me on two reasons 1） Duncan makes no apologies for outdated beliefs Lafayette held but thoughtfully traces his evolution towards democracy and abolition。 2） I was only familiar with Lafayette - “America’s favorite fighting Frenchman” and not his subsequent life during the French Revolution， imprisonment and life navigating Napoleonic/post-Napoleonic France。 I would argue Lafayette in France was the most interesting part of the book。 Far from laudatory this biography， it felt like a very human portrait of a rather favorable historical figure。 His machinations on behalf of his beliefs—democratic rights for the French， abolition of slavery both in France and the US are both admirable and disappointing。 As a skilled politician he navigated the turmoil in France quite well but deeply influenced by Washington it’s clear his view of himself （the hero riding upon a white horse） polarized many contemporaries。 One wonders what important allies could’ve joined his cause had that not been the case。 Duncan has a wonderful line about when reading history one doesn’t need to admire the person to admire their ideals。 Hero of Two Worlds illustrates the important reminder today that you can admire politicians’ ideas rather than deifying the individual。 。。。more
Nancy
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Loved following historic events through the path of Marquis de Lafayette。 Having obsessed over the French Revolution， I really appreciated how this book offers medium doses rather than an avalanche。 Other topics were well delivered—his veneration of America （distilled in his framing of the Declaration of Independence next to a blank frame awaiting France’s version）， fatherhood of a young family and entire political movements， and his devotion to two countries but one overall vision。
A-ron
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Mike Duncan has chosen an excellent focal point to take us through one of the most tumultuous times in European history。 Lafayette was front and center in no less than three revolutions， and no matter his position in life， he stuck to his morals。 He led a fascinating life and it was a pleasure learning more deeply about this hero beloved in both the US and France。 I consumed this in audiobook format （Duncan is most known for his podcast work）， which I felt was a good fit， since if I’d read it in Mike Duncan has chosen an excellent focal point to take us through one of the most tumultuous times in European history。 Lafayette was front and center in no less than three revolutions， and no matter his position in life， he stuck to his morals。 He led a fascinating life and it was a pleasure learning more deeply about this hero beloved in both the US and France。 I consumed this in audiobook format （Duncan is most known for his podcast work）， which I felt was a good fit， since if I’d read it in book form it would be his voice I’d hear in my head anyway。 Recommended for history lovers。 。。。more
Santiago
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I could say that my opinion it's a little bit biased since I've been listening to Mike Duncan's podcasts for 10 years now。 However， this book confirms something that I already knew: Mike Duncan is a great story teller。 He knows how to narrate an history and make it not only entertaining but completely engrossing。 The history of this French fellow is really attractive for me， not only the French and the American are in my Top 3 favorite revolutions （the other one being the one from my natal Colom I could say that my opinion it's a little bit biased since I've been listening to Mike Duncan's podcasts for 10 years now。 However， this book confirms something that I already knew: Mike Duncan is a great story teller。 He knows how to narrate an history and make it not only entertaining but completely engrossing。 The history of this French fellow is really attractive for me， not only the French and the American are in my Top 3 favorite revolutions （the other one being the one from my natal Colombia）， but I must confess that I love the Lafayette character in Hamilton: The Musical （Daveed Diggs knows how to rap！）。 But taking all that aside， it's really Mike Duncan's narrative style that captivated me and made me devour this book。Thanks Mike for a great read and the many hours of podcasting delight。 Looking forward for your next project， whatever form it takes！ 。。。more
Dawn Dexter
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Not my interest。 Stopped reading。
Kyle
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While I knew the outlines of the Marquis de Lafayette's life before reading this book， this volume did an excellent job of filling in the details。 I knew of Lafayette mostly from US history （though I knew a bit of his history in France thanks to Duncan's podcast series on revolutions）， and I thought the book did a great job of explaining how Lafayette stayed true to his principles， as he saw them， throughout his life without overly lionizing the "Hero of Two Worlds。" Duncan leads you through the While I knew the outlines of the Marquis de Lafayette's life before reading this book， this volume did an excellent job of filling in the details。 I knew of Lafayette mostly from US history （though I knew a bit of his history in France thanks to Duncan's podcast series on revolutions）， and I thought the book did a great job of explaining how Lafayette stayed true to his principles， as he saw them， throughout his life without overly lionizing the "Hero of Two Worlds。" Duncan leads you through the American and French Revolutions through the life of Lafayette （and Lafayette's wife Adrienne， whom I had no real knowledge of before this book）。 He points out the hypocrisies and flaws of Lafayette when they appear， but is mostly sympathetic to Lafayette throughout （and while Lafayette was not perfect， he was clearly a man ahead of his time on issues of freedom and slavery）。If you'd like to know more about an interesting life that spanned two important revolutions and about the person who had important contributions to both， then this will be a good volume。 The prose is easy to read and the story goes along at a good pace but not so fast that you feel that details are missing。 I also didn't think it read as too academic/dry， but I have a high tolerance for such writing。 I very much enjoyed this biography。 。。。more
Jeff J。
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A comprehensive and well-researched biography of Lafayette。 Recommended。
Pete
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I learned so much from this book。 Lafayette was like Forrest Gump of the 18th and 19th Century。 He was there when so many things happened and often was the cause of it。 The French tri-color -yep， suggesting a national assembly- yes， Yorktown （and like playing can and mouse with Cornwallis until the French Fleet bottled them up- yep， BFFs with what's his name man？ Alexander Hamilton， yep。 Hugging Walt Whitman on his grand tour of the US in the 1820s， yes。 and on and on！ Great book although not as I learned so much from this book。 Lafayette was like Forrest Gump of the 18th and 19th Century。 He was there when so many things happened and often was the cause of it。 The French tri-color -yep， suggesting a national assembly- yes， Yorktown （and like playing can and mouse with Cornwallis until the French Fleet bottled them up- yep， BFFs with what's his name man？ Alexander Hamilton， yep。 Hugging Walt Whitman on his grand tour of the US in the 1820s， yes。 and on and on！ Great book although not as good as Duncan's last book Storm before the Storm in my opinion。 。。。more
Kit Wren
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A lovely bit of pop-history that follows all of Lafayette's life instead of just his time with the continental army， the only unquestionable success in a complicated life led by principles first。 Mike Duncan， the host of the Revolutions podcast， smartly chose a subject that lets him touch on three of the revolutions he covers in audio form， as Lafayette is an important part of the American Revolution and two separate French revolutions （the big one， and the July revolution that deposed Charles X A lovely bit of pop-history that follows all of Lafayette's life instead of just his time with the continental army， the only unquestionable success in a complicated life led by principles first。 Mike Duncan， the host of the Revolutions podcast， smartly chose a subject that lets him touch on three of the revolutions he covers in audio form， as Lafayette is an important part of the American Revolution and two separate French revolutions （the big one， and the July revolution that deposed Charles X）。 The writing is plainspoken but wry， and if you're familiar with Duncan's speaking voice you can hear the pregnant pauses and foreshadowing namedrops; you're almost half-waiting for the Casper ads to pop up in the text。 Though filled with fondness for Lafayette， there's also a clear-eyed look at what I guess one could call his naivete and disregard for situational strategy， and the Founding Fathers， in their admiration for and equivocation in the face of Lafayette's abolitionism， sound not like the cruel twisted people the word slaveowner implies， but a lot like the modern moderate， content to hashtag and show sympathy but taking issue with words like defund。 A solid， relevant， thorough history， easy to read and easy to make leaps from。 。。。more
JMA
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Hugs and kisses for Citizen Lafayette and M Duncan。
Andrea Waugh
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Wonderful as always。 Duncan has his history right， his theme grounded， and his sense of humor at the ready。
Henry Kline
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I have read a good amount about both the French and American revolutions。 However， following these events and those around them by following the life of Lafayette givens a new view of those events along with the life of a great man。
Howard
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Duncan is good storyteller making Lafayette's involved， convoluted life interesting and easy to follow。 Duncan is good storyteller making Lafayette's involved， convoluted life interesting and easy to follow。 。。。more
Deborah
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Fascinating presentation of someone whom I'd always heard about but never really known。 So interesting to view the period of 1780s - 1830s in the States and France through the perspective of a stalwart champion of liberty。 Perhaps the author is very much a fan， but he makes a great case。 Fascinating presentation of someone whom I'd always heard about but never really known。 So interesting to view the period of 1780s - 1830s in the States and France through the perspective of a stalwart champion of liberty。 Perhaps the author is very much a fan， but he makes a great case。 。。。more
Burak Bayrakdar
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What a life Monsieur Lafayette had， and how ignorant I was to his illustrious achievements up until I picked up this masterpiece by Imperator Mike Duncan。 It is such a joy to learn so much about a gentlemen revolutionary from a gentlemen historian。 Book has great insight， and detail， while being easy to consume with Duncanian humor and wit。 Write more of these， Mike！
Nathan
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One of my favourite experiences when reading history is a book on a topic that holds no interest for me initially， which completely pulls me in and makes me an obsessive about that particular topic。 This is certainly a shining example of exactly such a book。 Delivered with Duncan's marvelous conversational tone， the book contains a riveting story about a fascinating man。 Our world is lacking in heroes， and as society is occupied with pulling every hero they can from a pedestal， it was a delightf One of my favourite experiences when reading history is a book on a topic that holds no interest for me initially， which completely pulls me in and makes me an obsessive about that particular topic。 This is certainly a shining example of exactly such a book。 Delivered with Duncan's marvelous conversational tone， the book contains a riveting story about a fascinating man。 Our world is lacking in heroes， and as society is occupied with pulling every hero they can from a pedestal， it was a delightful change to read the story of a man who， while he has his stains， can be placed in position of hero。 The title， indeed， is apt。 Tone is perfect， research is expansive and detailed， and the subject is enthralling。 Read this book！ 。。。more
Alberto
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Better than Storm Before the Storm。 The research is more thorough， the writing is crisper。 Solid。
Brendan Crowley
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What a sensationally good book this is。 The perfect combination of subject and biographer。 One of the most interesting men of any time and a writer who brings history alive， makes it readable and so entertaining。 An absolute pleasure to read。
Sascha
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Seeing such a confusing moment in history through a single person's life is worthwhile， and Lafayette's life dovetailed so well with the era that the biography format fits even better。 But， sadly， biographies are still not my favourite format， I can't think of anything I would change， so perhaps this is my favourite biography for what it's worth。 Seeing such a confusing moment in history through a single person's life is worthwhile， and Lafayette's life dovetailed so well with the era that the biography format fits even better。 But， sadly， biographies are still not my favourite format， I can't think of anything I would change， so perhaps this is my favourite biography for what it's worth。 。。。more
Derek
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This might be my favorite history/biography that I’ve ever read。 Mike does a fantastic job of bringing people and stories from two centuries ago to life。 His prose keeps you engaged throughout， and he does a great job of making events understandable for the historical layman。 Bravo， Mike！ Thank you for such a wonderful account of the life of Lafayette。
Ryan McDermott
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Another Excellent Read As always， Mike's ability to synthesize a vast amount of information and distil it into a form digestible by lay readers such as myself is remarkable。 The details of a history book， with the flow of a novel。 I can't wait for his next offering。 Another Excellent Read As always， Mike's ability to synthesize a vast amount of information and distil it into a form digestible by lay readers such as myself is remarkable。 The details of a history book， with the flow of a novel。 I can't wait for his next offering。 。。。more
Stephen Morrissey
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The Marquis de Lafayette occupies an almost singular place in revolutionary history: a fighter and champion of the American War for Independence， and then subsequently a force for change in Revolutionary France （albeit on a more limited platform than American republicanism）。 Outside of Thomas Paine， Simon Bolivar and Che Guevara， few personalities have left such an imprint on so many histories。 Lafayette was much more than a background character hopping across the scenes of momentous change， tho The Marquis de Lafayette occupies an almost singular place in revolutionary history: a fighter and champion of the American War for Independence， and then subsequently a force for change in Revolutionary France （albeit on a more limited platform than American republicanism）。 Outside of Thomas Paine， Simon Bolivar and Che Guevara， few personalities have left such an imprint on so many histories。 Lafayette was much more than a background character hopping across the scenes of momentous change， though; rather， he was integral in changing the course of events， steadfast in his beliefs， and forever tethered to a love of liberty and freedom。Mike Duncan's "Her of Two Worlds" is the ideal modern portrait of this French and American liberty-fighter。 In punchy prose and exquisite detail， Duncan charts Lafayette's path from a silver spoon-fed upbringing in France to Continental Army general under George Washington to a moderate-liberal force in the early days of the French Revolution。 Impressively， Duncan takes us beyond the usual end-point of Lafayette's tale: imprisonment。 Surviving many years in unsanitary prison conditions across Central Europe （ultimately ending up encased within Olmutz）， Lafayette emerges back onto the scene into Napoleonic France， hesitating to endorse the autocratic tendencies of the new Empire。 After Napoleon's downfall， Lafayette continues as an agitator for liberal reforms， fighting against the conservative backlash of the restored Bourbons Louis XVIII and Charles X， and ultimately helping Louis Philippe ascend to the throne。Lafayette is one of the rare characters in history with extreme ideas （relative to the times）， but wholly abstaining from extreme ends to achieve them。 Lafayette， as head of the National Guard， never consents to the terrorism of the Parisian mobs， always charting a course toward a constitutional order free from tyranny of one or the many。 This detachment ill serves Lafayette at many points， particularly in the French Revolution。 In following Washington's example of stoic， above-the-clouds leadership， Lafayette misses a vital point in most revolutions: bare-knuckled politics and brute force will win out over any idea， no matter how well-argued， reasoned for， and sought after。Duncan does well in tracing the ebbs and flows of many revolutionary events in America， France and beyond， but never loses the focus on Lafayette。 In concluding the book， Duncan excerpts a speech declaring Lafayette a tower amidst the waves， neither sinking nor rising with the passions of the moment。 If Lafayette deserves some scorn for lacking political realism， he deserves more praise as a constant friend of liberty， no matter the place nor the times nor the hardships of sticking his own neck out into the unknown tumults。 。。。more
Joseph Niver
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Mike Duncan does it again！
Abby
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An easy to read biography about a person who's name people may recognize but probably don't know that much about （I'll admit: I knew him mostly in regards to the American Revolution）。 I appreciated the fact that Duncan doesn't shy away from LaFayette's faults and mistakes， as is the want of many biographers。 LaFayette had strong principles and tried to do right by those principles， not always successfully。 I came away from this book with a much higher admiration of LaFayette and a better underst An easy to read biography about a person who's name people may recognize but probably don't know that much about （I'll admit: I knew him mostly in regards to the American Revolution）。 I appreciated the fact that Duncan doesn't shy away from LaFayette's faults and mistakes， as is the want of many biographers。 LaFayette had strong principles and tried to do right by those principles， not always successfully。 I came away from this book with a much higher admiration of LaFayette and a better understanding of France's tumultous history。 。。。more
Paul
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