Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution
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- Create Date：2022-09-24 12:16:47
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Mike Duncan
- ISBN：1541730348
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Summary
From the bestselling author of The Storm Before the Storm and host of the Revolutions podcast comes the thrilling story of the Marquis de Lafayette’s lifelong quest to defend the principles of liberty and equality
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A #1 ABA INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE BESTSELLER
Few in history can match the revolutionary career of the Marquis de Lafayette。 Over fifty incredible years at the heart of the Age of Revolution， he fought courageously on both sides of the Atlantic。 He was a soldier， statesman， idealist， philanthropist， and abolitionist。
As a teenager， Lafayette ran away from France to join the American Revolution。 Returning home a national hero， he helped launch the French Revolution， eventually spending five years locked in dungeon prisons。 After his release， Lafayette sparred with Napoleon， joined an underground conspiracy to overthrow King Louis XVIII， and became an international symbol of liberty。 Finally， as a revered elder statesman， he was instrumental in the overthrow of the Bourbon Dynasty in the Revolution of 1830。
From enthusiastic youth to world-weary old age， from the pinnacle of glory to the depths of despair， Lafayette never stopped fighting for the rights of all mankind。 His remarkable life is the story of where we come from， and an inspiration to defend the ideals he held dear。
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A #1 ABA INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE BESTSELLER
Few in history can match the revolutionary career of the Marquis de Lafayette。 Over fifty incredible years at the heart of the Age of Revolution， he fought courageously on both sides of the Atlantic。 He was a soldier， statesman， idealist， philanthropist， and abolitionist。
As a teenager， Lafayette ran away from France to join the American Revolution。 Returning home a national hero， he helped launch the French Revolution， eventually spending five years locked in dungeon prisons。 After his release， Lafayette sparred with Napoleon， joined an underground conspiracy to overthrow King Louis XVIII， and became an international symbol of liberty。 Finally， as a revered elder statesman， he was instrumental in the overthrow of the Bourbon Dynasty in the Revolution of 1830。
From enthusiastic youth to world-weary old age， from the pinnacle of glory to the depths of despair， Lafayette never stopped fighting for the rights of all mankind。 His remarkable life is the story of where we come from， and an inspiration to defend the ideals he held dear。
Reviews
Charles Korb
，
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a politician in the 18th and 19th centuries。 So many things that are antithetical to my values were established practice or law。 How could I work to change that？ Even if I couldn't get a law to outlaw slavery passed， maybe I could get a law to improve the treatment of slaves？Turns out， close to the model of that is Lafayette， at every turn he's pushing people to be better， across a whole host of causes， some of which we are still working on today。 I Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a politician in the 18th and 19th centuries。 So many things that are antithetical to my values were established practice or law。 How could I work to change that？ Even if I couldn't get a law to outlaw slavery passed， maybe I could get a law to improve the treatment of slaves？Turns out， close to the model of that is Lafayette， at every turn he's pushing people to be better， across a whole host of causes， some of which we are still working on today。 It's fascinating to read about someone who worked so hard to change the system， seeing its fundamental flaws while also trying to stay within it。 Duncan also takes a clear eyed view of the founding fathers and their approach to slavery and Native Americans， not because it is wrong from modern ethics （though it is） but because Lafayette called them out it at the time。However， it doesn't hold Lafayette up as a paragon of virtue either， Duncan is willing to call out where Lafayette made mistakes and where he didn't live up to his own principles。 On the book tour Duncan said someone asked him if he had written a "great man" biography of Lafayette and he said that he had not， he had written a "pretty good guy" biography。 That tracks with my read of the book， Lafayette was far better about many issues than many of his contemporaries but didn't always do the right thing。 。。。more
Peter
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Enjoyable read。 Well written。 Presents the strengths and faults of LaFayette。
Jared
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What a fantastic read。 You have to be a history nerd。 But what a fantastic read。I know Mike Duncan well， having listened to 179 episodes of his The History of Rome podcast。 Mike Duncan's strength is his ability to take potentially dry or complex historical events and make them easily digestible （and fun）。Duncan's other strength is how he uses understatement and irony to give his narration a modern flair。 The Marquis de Lafayette is an 18th- and 19th-century figure， sure， but you're reading t What a fantastic read。 You have to be a history nerd。 But what a fantastic read。I know Mike Duncan well， having listened to 179 episodes of his The History of Rome podcast。 Mike Duncan's strength is his ability to take potentially dry or complex historical events and make them easily digestible （and fun）。Duncan's other strength is how he uses understatement and irony to give his narration a modern flair。 The Marquis de Lafayette is an 18th- and 19th-century figure， sure， but you're reading this from a 21st-century perspective。 Duncan knows that and you know that， and he occasionally breaks the fourth wall to let you know he knows。 But with subtlety。Mainly， I loved this book because it gave me a HUGE new appreciation for the Marquis de Lafayette。 I knew the Marquis' contribution to the American Revolution。。。 to some degree。 But I'd never fully understood that contribution， nor had I known what the Marquis did in France after the Revolution。 Consider me educated now。 。。。more
Nicole
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Really enjoyed this， especially the first half。 The details on Lafayette’s early life and upbringing were fascinating， and it was nice to do a deep dive into his role in the American revolution。 The book did a great job of illuminating his relationships with other key figures he was close to， like Washington and some of the other founding fathers。 The second half was good too， and I appreciate that it moved briskly through the weedier bits of French history。 He proved steadfast in his principles Really enjoyed this， especially the first half。 The details on Lafayette’s early life and upbringing were fascinating， and it was nice to do a deep dive into his role in the American revolution。 The book did a great job of illuminating his relationships with other key figures he was close to， like Washington and some of the other founding fathers。 The second half was good too， and I appreciate that it moved briskly through the weedier bits of French history。 He proved steadfast in his principles throughout his life， if somewhat astonishingly politically inept。 Really amazing how someone in that period could—or even have an opportunity to—play such an important role in two pivotal historical movements。 Also kind of amazing that he made it back to America before he died， to universal acclaim。 Minus one star for the strange moralizing asides from the author。 。。。more
Jesse Kaylor
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 DNF - Read the first 169 pages which dealt with Lafayette’s obsession with early America’s break with Britain。 His enamored view of General Washington which he literally transformed to a genuine， （as the book describes） a father/ son relationship。 It’s made clear George Washington didn’t much care for French fighters coming over seas to the colonies。 Most would boast/ inflate their military rank。 So it was no easy feat that some extremely rich kid from France sailed all the way over， making not DNF - Read the first 169 pages which dealt with Lafayette’s obsession with early America’s break with Britain。 His enamored view of General Washington which he literally transformed to a genuine， （as the book describes） a father/ son relationship。 It’s made clear George Washington didn’t much care for French fighters coming over seas to the colonies。 Most would boast/ inflate their military rank。 So it was no easy feat that some extremely rich kid from France sailed all the way over， making not only a legitimate influence on founding fathers like Washington and James Madison but insisting he fight at the front and getting shot in the leg。 A lot of interesting gems concerning: French involvement， hypocrisy of slave owners， how other countries viewed Britain as colonizers， and thus globally people rooting for early Americans。 I might pick this book up later and finish but chapter 9 ends in 1888 with Lafayette saying goodbye to Washington for the last time。 Great book。 The thing that bothered me was the extravagant titles these French nobles had which of course are in French。 They are lengthy， silly， and made reading， at least personally， cumbersome and slow。 Fascinating character Lafayette。 If he was covered in say a podcast like Hardcore History or The Rest is History I’d be more inclined to learn more。 Let them stumble over goofy sentence long French titles。 。。。more
Linus
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Excellent read by the legendary Mike Duncan， of History of Rome Podcast fame。 Highly recommended to anyone interested in American or European history！
Aron
，
Great read。 Duncan is a great story teller， and Lafayette is a fascinating character。 One star less for not having a chapter on how Lafayette was viewed over time and his long term impact。 While discussed in various places， these topics deserve a more in depth look。
Luka Haeberle
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Quizás Mike Duncan aprecia en exceso a Lafayette， lo que explicaría que no resalte suficientemente las contradicciones en sus posturas。 Sin embargo， es evidente que el libro es el producto de muchísimas horas de trabajo。 Tanto la prosa como la investigación detrás del libro son bastante buenos。
Lindsay McBride
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This book was incredible。 I love how Mike Duncan writes with intrigue and every chapter ends with a cliff hanger so you want to keep reading。 I felt sucked into the story like I was following the Marquis de Lafayette around on his incredible journeys。 He is a fascinating figure in history — complex in his ideologies and decisions and instrumental in so many pivotal points in world history。 I loved how Duncan showed both the inner workings of Lafayette’s mind as well as the ways in which others p This book was incredible。 I love how Mike Duncan writes with intrigue and every chapter ends with a cliff hanger so you want to keep reading。 I felt sucked into the story like I was following the Marquis de Lafayette around on his incredible journeys。 He is a fascinating figure in history — complex in his ideologies and decisions and instrumental in so many pivotal points in world history。 I loved how Duncan showed both the inner workings of Lafayette’s mind as well as the ways in which others perceived him。 Like all people he had flaws， but his steadfast determination to promote liberty in all facets of life is remarkable。 I loved how Duncan showed how he could be so hated and so loved at the same time but help me to see how important he was to history。 。。。more
Luke
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I started this book with a desire to understand how the Marquee de Lafayette formed his ideas， from his political philosophy to his larger world views including abolitionism。 I tightly associated him with US founders in my mind， so basically， I wanted to understand how freedom views and activism grew in France as opposed to what I’m used to reading about， that is， how they grew in America。I was a bit misguided in my expectations， but ended up being pleasantly surprised by this book。 Lafayette is I started this book with a desire to understand how the Marquee de Lafayette formed his ideas， from his political philosophy to his larger world views including abolitionism。 I tightly associated him with US founders in my mind， so basically， I wanted to understand how freedom views and activism grew in France as opposed to what I’m used to reading about， that is， how they grew in America。I was a bit misguided in my expectations， but ended up being pleasantly surprised by this book。 Lafayette is not overly philosophical as opposed to someone like Jefferson， his story is not typical for the enlightened Frenchmen， and his intellectual journey was not the focus of the book， instead， it revealed itself organically from the extraordinary events and activities in his life。 But I ended up learning a great deal about major events of the French revolutions， through the lens of General Lafayette， whose journey is nothing short of astounding。 His path in advocating for freedom in France was fraught with impossible obstacles and seemingly necessary compromises… what a different revolution it was across the ocean！The last portion of the book， starting with the death of his wife， seemed a bit compressed， but overall I highly recommend this book to learn about the General and the French Revolution。 。。。more
Cynthia Marcus
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This is an outstanding biography of the Marquis de La Fayette。 It is well researched， well organized， and easily digested。 The writing is solid and complicated historical events like the French Revolution and the reign of Napoleon are explained simply and concisely。Lafayette led a fascinating， exciting， controversial life and this book discusses all of it --- the good， the bad and the ugly。 A wonderful read。
Matthew Sartor
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A successful biography， for me， is presenting the subject with both their positives and negatives while also helping explain the times or activities they were in。 This book does this extremely well， as the Marquis’ life was such a great connective thread through the Atlantic world revolutions。 I felt like I got a deeper understanding of him and had the mist of character taken away while also appreciating him more。 I also appreciated that this book was not a rehash of the Revolutions Podcast， but A successful biography， for me， is presenting the subject with both their positives and negatives while also helping explain the times or activities they were in。 This book does this extremely well， as the Marquis’ life was such a great connective thread through the Atlantic world revolutions。 I felt like I got a deeper understanding of him and had the mist of character taken away while also appreciating him more。 I also appreciated that this book was not a rehash of the Revolutions Podcast， but a worthy capstone。 。。。more
Jadwiga M
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🔥🔥🔥
John
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Hard to be objective here because I'm such a fan of the Revolutions podcast。 But I really enjoyed it。 Duncan just has a gift for story telling and narrative - and I didn't realize how little I knew about Lafayette。 This isn't an academic biography in that I'm not sure how much new ground he's breaking with new primary sources， etc。 But it's an excellent synthesis and Duncan's writing skill makes you want to keep reading。 Like the podcast though， you will also get insight into broader historical Hard to be objective here because I'm such a fan of the Revolutions podcast。 But I really enjoyed it。 Duncan just has a gift for story telling and narrative - and I didn't realize how little I knew about Lafayette。 This isn't an academic biography in that I'm not sure how much new ground he's breaking with new primary sources， etc。 But it's an excellent synthesis and Duncan's writing skill makes you want to keep reading。 Like the podcast though， you will also get insight into broader historical and underlying economic/social/political forces driving a lot of the individual events。 。。。more
Edward Weiner
，
Great audiobook。 Let me repeat -- GREAT！ I have listened to most of Mike Duncan's podcasts/books and he has yet to get less than five stars。 Great audiobook。 Let me repeat -- GREAT！ I have listened to most of Mike Duncan's podcasts/books and he has yet to get less than five stars。 。。。more
Joanne
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A marvelous "two-fer" （another GR's reviewers description of the book， and I loved it， so I stole it）。 With this book you get a comprehensive biography of Lafayette AND an excellent account of The French Revolution。 I picked up the book because I had done some reading on the American Revolution earlier this year and wanted to know more about this man。 I got every thing I needed to know about the man， and perhaps the best explanation of how and why the French revolted shortly after the Americans。 A marvelous "two-fer" （another GR's reviewers description of the book， and I loved it， so I stole it）。 With this book you get a comprehensive biography of Lafayette AND an excellent account of The French Revolution。 I picked up the book because I had done some reading on the American Revolution earlier this year and wanted to know more about this man。 I got every thing I needed to know about the man， and perhaps the best explanation of how and why the French revolted shortly after the Americans。 Like the Americans。 the French spent years fighting to gain basic freedoms and Lafayette was at the heart of all of it。I learned so many things about this man's amazing long life。 I had no idea he had spent 5 years in an Austrian prison。 The last of of those years in solitary confinement。 For him to survive this and then live into his late 70's， just amazing。 Another thing that surprised me: George Washington sheltered Lafayette's son for 2 years to keep him out of harms way。 Many books gloss over the facts of the friendships that Lafayette forged during his time in America。 Not only Washington， but Hamilton， Monroe， Jefferson， these men and many more all were lifetime friends of Lafayette。For a book like this the research has to be impeccable， and it is。 Excerpts from letters between Washington and Lafayette and also those written to and from his family are found throughout。Highly recommended 。。。more
Marlowe Doman
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A sensational read！ One of the most moving and fast paced biographies I’ve ever read。
Tyler Talley
，
A definitive biography。
Brett's Books
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Good Introduction to Lafayette， a solid recommend with a couple of caveats。 A history of an era or a person is in some respects a mere recounting of the facts related to the subject; ah， but as we all know there is so much more to biography than mere recitation of facts。 Authors of histories make choices about which facts are emphasized and provide more or less editorializing as they deem appropriate。 Here， of all the facets of the Marquis de Lafayette the author choses to emphasis the Marquis l Good Introduction to Lafayette， a solid recommend with a couple of caveats。 A history of an era or a person is in some respects a mere recounting of the facts related to the subject; ah， but as we all know there is so much more to biography than mere recitation of facts。 Authors of histories make choices about which facts are emphasized and provide more or less editorializing as they deem appropriate。 Here， of all the facets of the Marquis de Lafayette the author choses to emphasis the Marquis life long development of political philosophy， from royal absolutist to somewhat favoring a liberal （classical liberal） constitution monarchy。 I found this an interesting choice given Lafayette's many military victories and the whos-who of his lifelong associations。 It allowed the author frame facts a certain way， and to editorialize those facts。 For example the author repeatedly finger wags over slavery （it was awful， no questions， but widespread during the era， and the historical failings of the men of time need not be endlessly recited）; but mentions nothing about the （essentially） religious genocide that took place as a consequence of the first French Revolution （intensifying during The Terror）， while mentioning France's liberalizing attitude towards Protestants during the era。 Another quirk， with modern historians is endless theorizing about sex， sexual orientation， who was sleeping with who， it's fine if such speculation is germane to the historical point， otherwise please spare me。 I can't say I agree with all of the author's framing and editorializing， however， he too is a product of an era and class that focuses on race， gender， and sex in outsized fashion。 So I took the good from his work and will forget the bad。 Still a recommend。 。。。more
Geoff
，
As a fan of Mike Duncan's podcasts， I went into the book expecting a certain flow， and Mike delivered。 It's not a flawless book， and Mike certainly takes some digs at some people without really discussing more， but the flow works well， the pages turn easy， and you learn a lot bot only about Lafayette， but about the history going on around him。I think there was a chance for a harder look at Lafayette's shortcomings when the book wrapped up， but it's an authors prerogative to make their book read As a fan of Mike Duncan's podcasts， I went into the book expecting a certain flow， and Mike delivered。 It's not a flawless book， and Mike certainly takes some digs at some people without really discussing more， but the flow works well， the pages turn easy， and you learn a lot bot only about Lafayette， but about the history going on around him。I think there was a chance for a harder look at Lafayette's shortcomings when the book wrapped up， but it's an authors prerogative to make their book read how they want。 Not enough to knock a star off for me。 。。。more
Becky Robison
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I’m a devoted listener of Mike Duncan’s Revolutions podcast， so I was excited to read his book about the Marquis de Lafayette—especially after I’d listened to him talk about writing it for so long。 I figured July was the right month for it—between American Independence Day and Bastille Day， both events in which Lafayette played an important role。 The book reflects Duncan’s gift for storytelling—this is not a boring recitation of facts by any means。 And he acknowledges Lafayette’s flaws as much a I’m a devoted listener of Mike Duncan’s Revolutions podcast， so I was excited to read his book about the Marquis de Lafayette—especially after I’d listened to him talk about writing it for so long。 I figured July was the right month for it—between American Independence Day and Bastille Day， both events in which Lafayette played an important role。 The book reflects Duncan’s gift for storytelling—this is not a boring recitation of facts by any means。 And he acknowledges Lafayette’s flaws as much as his triumphs。 I just wish I’d bought the audiobook instead！ It was weird to encounter Duncan’s words and cadence without hearing them。 But overall， I enjoyed it。 This review was originally published on my blog。 。。。more
Jamie Dacyczyn
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Is it normal to have a crush on an aristocratic dude with pomaded hair from like 250 years ago？ No， ok， then I definitely don't have a figurative crush of this historical figure。。。。。。 Is it normal to have a crush on an aristocratic dude with pomaded hair from like 250 years ago？ No， ok， then I definitely don't have a figurative crush of this historical figure。。。。。。 。。。more
Neith
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I have been working my way through this book for almost a full year。 Definitely a dense read， but fascinating insights into the human messiness of history and big societal changes。
JJ
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Like the man himself， too well intentioned to be dragged down by flaws。
Alex
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Engaging and well thought-out account of Lafayette and his involvement in the golden era of revolution。
Perry
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An excellent biography of my current city’s namesake。 It is amazing that he was involved in three major revolutions and managed to stay alive during some very dangerous times。 His abolitionism makes him look good in retrospect。 Despite his upper class upbringing， he seemed to care about people in general。 Quite rare。
Martine Lamour
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I have only given it a 4 stars because of the writing - I found the writing appalling and in need of a copy-editing check - repeat of some sentences - and also not sure if Lafayette was a really liked character but it seems from the book that most people he met liked him; it can be a bit too much - apart from that a very interesting subject
Peter
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I'll admit that reading any non-fiction is like "eating my veggies"。 It's always going to be an uphill battle for me， but Mike Duncan's writing makes it completely worthwhile。 Lafayette's journey through three revolutions is fascinating and is a great window to view the upheaval of the late 18th and early 19th centuries。 Highly recommended。 I'll admit that reading any non-fiction is like "eating my veggies"。 It's always going to be an uphill battle for me， but Mike Duncan's writing makes it completely worthwhile。 Lafayette's journey through three revolutions is fascinating and is a great window to view the upheaval of the late 18th and early 19th centuries。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Dale Wright
，
Mike Duncan delivers again！ This book is a highly engaging read。 The author provides excelent insight into not just the character and story of Marquis de Lafayette， but also the world he lived in。 I learned so much French history， particularly about the French Revolution， from this book。 Mike Duncan has a special talent of entertaining his audience while also be super informing。
Paddy Gillespie
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