Average customer rating:
- grim, dark, gripping
- Leave It to Beaver on Acid!
- Remarkable and somewhat overlooked masterpiece
- A classic!
- It cuts deep and it cuts true
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Revolutionary Road
Richard Yates
Manufacturer: Vintage
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Binding: Paperback
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The Collected Stories of Richard Yates
ASIN: 0375708448
Release Date: 2000-04-25 |
Amazon.com
The rediscovery and rejuvenation of Richard Yates's 1961 novel Revolutionary Road is due in large part to its continuing emotional and moral resonance for an early 21st-century readership. April and Frank Wheeler are a young, ostensibly thriving couple living with their two children in a prosperous Connecticut suburb in the mid-1950s. However, like the characters in John Updike's similarly themed Couples, the self-assured exterior masks a creeping frustration at their inability to feel fulfilled in their relationships or careers. Frank is mired in a well-paying but boring office job and April is a housewife still mourning the demise of her hoped-for acting career. Determined to identify themselves as superior to the mediocre sprawl of suburbanites who surround them, they decide to move to France where they will be better able to develop their true artistic sensibilities, free of the consumerist demands of capitalist America. As their relationship deteriorates into an endless cycle of squabbling, jealousy and recriminations, their trip and their dreams of self-fulfillment are thrown into jeopardy.
Yates's incisive, moving, and often very funny prose weaves a tale that is at once a fascinating period piece and a prescient anticipation of the way we live now. Many of the cultural motifs seem quaintly dated--the early-evening cocktails, Frank's illicit lunch breaks with his secretary, the way Frank isn't averse to knocking April around when she speaks out of turn--and yet the quiet desperation at thwarted dreams reverberates as much now as it did years ago. Like F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, this novel conveys, with brilliant erudition, the exacting cost of chasing the American dream. --Jane Morris, Amazon.co.uk
Book Description
With a new introduction by Richard Ford
"A deft, ironic, beautiful novel that deserves to be a classic." --William Styron
From the moment of its publication in 1961,
Revolutionary Road was hailed as a masterpiece of realistic fiction and as the most evocative portrayal of the opulent desolation of the American suburbs. It's the story of Frank and April Wheeler, a bright, beautiful, and talented couple who have lived on the assumption that greatness is only just around the corner. With heartbreaking compassion and remorseless clarity, Richard Yates shows how Frank and April mortgage their spiritual birthright, betraying not only each other, but their best selves.
In his introduction to this edition, novelist Richard Ford pays homage to the lasting influence and enduring power of
Revolutionary Road.
Customer Reviews:
grim, dark, gripping.......2007-09-04
Richard Yates' did not believe in the resiliency of the human spirit, and Revolutionary Road bears this out; Yates has some sympathy for his characters, but this does not prevent him from piling petty horror after petty horror upon them. Yates seems to say at the outset: these are the terms for life, and there is nothing you can do to surmount them; nothing in American works anymore and there is no way to gain a sense of authenticity or regenerate the self. Yates' world is Calvinistic without the religion. So, this novel is a grim catalog of redundant failure. The prose is precise and oddly dispassionate, so there is the impulse to keep turning the page, perhaps to see what horror will occur next. Revolutionary Road is a curious novel with a dark vision which most readers would never wish to possess.
Leave It to Beaver on Acid!.......2007-08-31
Richard Yates now gets his due. John Updike had ripped him off. Read Couples after Revolutionary Road and see what I mean, but let's face it: Yates is head and shoulders above the latest Post-Modern's whoever. No, Yates was a storywriter in the Realism School. He reminds me a bit of a contemporary, Walker Percy (The Moviegoer) Where Percy's character's find or at least try to find God in 1950's New Orleans's, Yates', April and Frank never actually get a foot into church. Their New York City Suburb is a purgatory of lawn mowers and suburban strivers. The 1950's dream, the migration into country homes, a cookie cutter cul-de-sac, it becomes The Hell. A bit romantic or over fevered this distrust of The American Dream? Yes, but it seemed so real in the dark crevices of the Eisenhower years. The intellectuals had read The Great Gatsby and Fitzgerald seemed to be a sage though his characters were definitely not the middle class. By the 50's there was the new weekend-leisure class, a poor cousin of Fitzgerald's protagonists. The wishful world envisioned by April (not unlike Gatsby's muse), a girl that just can't seem to get to that next level where art and life come together in exquisite excellence; the disillusioned mother won't bring a baby into the holocaust of husband, home, and Leave It to Beaver. Ten years later, everyone dropped acid and dropped out.
Remarkable and somewhat overlooked masterpiece.......2007-08-23
This is a work of stunning excellence. A remarkable portrait of American middle class life which, although set in the 1950's, has perhaps even greater relevance for our own time. This dark and disturbing novel reveals the spiritual poverty of life in our middle-class, consumer society and provides many, many opportunities for self examination. This is a work that invites re-reading again and again.
A classic!.......2007-08-23
I bought this book after hearing a review of it on NPR. I found the writing very insightful and feel that, in spite of it being set in 1955, it resonates with suburban life today. It is very powerful and is highly recommended.
It cuts deep and it cuts true.......2007-08-23
On the surface Revolutionary Road might appear dated - the pre-dinner cocktails, everyone smoking, Frank works for a company that is about to embark on making...computers! - but dig a little deeper, and you will find that this novel is timeless. Yates unflinchingly peels apart what it is like to be in your thirties, unsure of who you are and what you're supposed to be doing, convinced that you're not living the life you were intended to lead. The novel is also a brilliant character study of two people trapped in a marriage and in a life that neither wants, and how their self-deception leads to self-destruction. The writing here is fantastic - it's urbane and cuts deep, yet is completely accessible and is full of sharp, caustic wit. The novel's plot and themes are largely bleak and dark, but it's impossible to read Revolutionary Road and not find some light creeping in. Recommended for anyone in their late twenties or thirties.
Amazon.com
Most of us are familiar with the role that North and South Carolina played in the American Civil War: if nothing else, every grade-schooler knows the significance of the 1861 bombardment of Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. But to popular historian John Buchanan, "that tragedy is of far less interest than the American Revolution. The Revolution was the most important event in American history. The Civil War was unfinished business." And the Carolinas, Buchanan convincingly argues, were the most critical theater in that conflict, with their wild Back Country seeing "a little-known but savage civil war far exceeding anything in the North."
The Road to Guilford Courthouse is no less than a tour de force of pop military scholarship, an exhaustive battle-by-battle account of the Crown's grinding march to wrest the Carolinas from the resourceful Rebels. Beginning with Colonel William Moultrie's valiant defense atop the palmetto ramparts of Fort Sullivan against an outnumbering force of British men-of-war to the final "long, obstinate, and bloody" exchange at Guilford Courthouse, Buchanan meticulously recounts each skirmish, battle, and shift of strategy in the campaign. Relying on copious primary and secondary sources, he brings the combatants to life, from the worthy but somewhat obscure, such as Nathanael Greene, whom George Washington considered to be his successor should he fall, to soon-to-be legends such as Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox. --Paul Hughes
Book Description
A brilliant account of the proud and ferocious American fighters who stood up to the British forces in savage battles crucial in deciding both the fate of the Carolina colonies and the outcome of the war.
"A tense, exciting historical account of a little known chapter of the Revolution, displaying history writing at its best."—Kirkus Reviews
"His compelling narrative brings readers closer than ever before to the reality of Revolutionary warfare in the Carolinas."—Raleigh News & Observer.
"Buchanan makes the subject come alive like few others I have seen." —Dennis Conrad, Editor, The Nathanael Greene Papers.
"John Buchanan offers us a lively, accurate account of a critical period in the War of Independence in the South. Based on numerous printed primary and secondary sources, it deserves a large reading audience." —Don Higginbotham, Professor of History, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Customer Reviews:
A Stunning historical achievement!.......2007-05-18
Lexington...Yorktown...Saratoga. These are some of the most popular battles fought during the American Revolution. However, John Buchanan offers an extremely valuable account of the southern theater of operations during the war.
By the fall of 1779, the war in the north had come to a grinding halt, forcing General Sir Henry Clinton to try another approach in his war against the rebels. Based on the notion that the southern portion of America held more Tories than the north, he chose to invade Charleston in late 1779 and move north.
Buchanan documents this tactic and strategy in great detail, mainly focusing on the war in the Carolinas under the leadership of General Charles, Lord Cornwallis. The amount of research the author exhibits is obvious as Buchanan goes into excruciating detail, offering the reader ample background information and individual vignettes on the major characters. Leaders such as Charles Cornwallis, Francis Marion, Banastre Tarleton, Daniel Morgan, and Nathaniel Greene are discussed in great detail. Furthermore, their individual tactics are thoroughly written upon as well as the battles in which they fought in.
Buchanan's focus is NOT a historical survey of the entire southern war, but rather the events which took place from 1780 on. Having said that, he delivers an amazingly-concise account that illustrates the valuable contribution the southern war played in America's eventual victory.
Quite good.......2007-04-02
The book has three facets that highly recommend it. First, the author has a mature intelligent voice that comes through in his writing enabling him to depict events with empathy and depth. Secondly, the work is comprehensive, describing small partisan actions that otherwise get short shrift. Third, I enjoyed his choice of assessing the command skills of the various combatants. His reasoning is sounds and buoyed well by the facts as he, admittedly, presents them. I also found his prose style engaging.
My only criticism is that he gives equal time to minor engagements and major battles. He also describes so many skirmishes that without maps or illustration they tend to dissolve into one another. Furthermore, it would have been nice if he had chosen to chronicle the remainder of the campaign. Of course, my desire for the book to be longer only demonstrates my appreciation of it.
I recommend it.
Good but not Great.......2007-03-27
In reading "The Road to Guilford Courthouse: The American Revolution in the Carolinas", I found it to be a good overview of the revolution in the South where my ancestors fought. I would have found it to be much better for my needs in researching family history if the book had more maps and a much better index. I would have preferred more maps and fewer pictures of the combatants.
Mixed feelings.......2006-11-13
I have mixed feeling towards John Buchanan's book "The Road to Guilford Courthouse--The American Revolution in the Carolinas" because although the author seems to have a good grasp of the subject and has a relatively easy-to-read writing style, he frequently gets caught up in the myriad of less relevant battle and personnel details. This makes getting through the book a grind.
Having said that, it was definitely fun to learn about some of the characters that played significant roles during the stage of the Revolutionary War that took place in the Carolinas. This is a part of the war that doesn't get much attention even though it is where the war was won, where the tides were turned. The British make a decision to get out of Philadelphia and finish up their conquest by invading through the Loyalist populated South, and then all of a sudden wind up surrendering at Yorktown. I was missing something before reading this book.
Coming from Rhode Island and being an early American history buff, I was a little disappointed that Nathanael Greene didn't get more coverage, but it appears that most of the fighting in the Carolinas was done by others, who do get their due in the book. Particularly, with regards to unknowns getting their due, it was especially fun to learn about Daniel Morgan and Banastre Tarleton, but also Thomas Sumpter and the Battle of Kings Mountain. It was interesting to get a taste of how a war was fought in the swamps of Carolina. Buchanan does do a particularly good job of quoting frequently from primary source material--this really helped to bring the 225 year old story alive.
In the end, the book could have summarized more in some areas and delved more deeply into others. Also, note that the book ends with the battles of Cowpens and Guilford Courthouse and doesn't cover the war through Virginia and the eventual surrender at Yorktown.
Finally, one very, very important problem with the book--the maps and illustrations used are totally inadequate. This makes understanding the action very difficult. Very frustrating!!
Brings His Historical Characters Back to Life.......2006-10-21
Buchanan has done a remarkable job of bringing to life the key Revoluntionary War characters and events of 1780-81 in the Carolinas. His masterful interpretation of personalities and their motives provides insight into the critical battles of the southern war. He moves back and forth between the major antagonists on both sides to develop the background for understanding the brilliance of the rebel strategy and the British arrogance that lead to their eventual loss in the south. Not only do we learn about famous personalities such as Francis Marion, Daniel Morgan, Nathanael Greene, Lord Cornwallis and Banastre Tarleton, but we gain an understanding of the anonymous mortals without whom the Revolution would have been lost: the individual militia men from the back country of the Carolinas. Buchanan has an uncanny ability to explain in simple language the complexities of the troop placement and individual unit actions that occurred in the various battles. However, his book would be immensely improved if he had provided maps of the region and of the battlegrounds he described. Like many biographers, Buchanan grows to have an attachment (or detachment) for the people he has so painstakingly researched, which I find of great interest. One must be aware of some of the potential bias that might creep in with any biographical interpretation, including his. I recently finished biographies on Daniel Morgan and Nathanael Greene, yet discovered new information about each man in Buchanan's exposition. A very thorough job, indeed. One caveat: one should probably have read somewhat extensively regarding the Revolution to fully enjoy and understand Buchanan's book. He occasionally assumes some prior knowledfge of events and people.
Book Description
Based on soldiers' and civilians' vivid accounts--many uncovered for the first time from private collections--the story of the compelling fight for independence reaches its most desperate moments. This second in a two-volume set follows the saga from Cornwallis's triumphal march of his British and Hessian troops into Philadelphia in late September to Washington's movement of the weary Continental forces to camp at Valley Forge in December.
Defeated at Brandywine, the Continental forces were worn out and ill equipped. Yet on October 4, Washington embarked on his first major offensive of the war--a surprise attack at dawn on Howe's main camp at Germantown. Only narrowly defeated, the Continentals gained valuable experience and new confidence in the possibility of victory. The seige of the Delaware River forts--one of the bloodiest and prolonged battles of the war--ended with British success in mid-November, but still Howe failed to end the war. He tried unsuccessfully to draw Washington from the fortified hills of Whitemarsh. As the Continental forces moved to Valley Forge for the winter, they would have to face their greatest challenge--survival.
Customer Reviews:
Best Campaign History Available.......2007-09-30
If you have only limited space for Revolutionary War Campaigns this shOULD be in your library along with volume one on the PHILADELPHIA Campaign. its one of the best That is available and is marked by solid research and good writing. Many new manuscript sources were used. The author knows his subject matter intimately.
Book Description
Blood Road is a complex mix of social history, literary analysis, political biography, and murder mystery. It explores and analyzes the social and cultural dynamics of the Chinese revolution of the 1920s by focusing on the mysterious 1928 assassination of Shen Dingyi--revolutionary, landlord, politician, poet, journalist, educator, feminist, and early member of both the Communist and Nationalist parties.
The search for Shen's killer details the contours of revolutionary change in different spatial contexts--metropolitan Shanghai, the provincial capital Hangzhou, and Shen's home village of Yaqian. Several interrelated themes emerge in this dramatic story of revolution: the nature of social identity, the role of social networks, the political import of place, and the centrality of process in historical explanation. It contributes significantly to a new understanding of Chinese revolutionary culture and the 1920s revolution in particular. But Blood Road remains at base a story of people linked in various relationships who were thrust, often without choice, into treacherous revolutionary currents that shaped, twisted, and destroyed their lives.
Book Description
To revolutionary France and the rest of the world, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette presented a face of accommodation. They had to; they knew their lives depended upon it. Yet, they also realized that they were living on borrowed time, so they decided to act. Using their mysterious ambassador, Baron de Breteuil as go-between, they secretly tried to arrange an invasion of France by the Allied Powers. Through previously undiscovered docu-ments, historian Munro Price sheds new light on the true motives of the royal family and provides answers to questions that have beguiled historians for centuries.
Customer Reviews:
Insight into the Royals.......2005-12-07
I got this book to learn a little about a topic I didn't know that much about. That I came away feeling that I was well-versed in the most esoteric of historical controversies is a testament to the quality of the work. The author has painstakingly researched the issues involved in the French Revolution. Everywhere in the book where a controversy is discussed, the author makes his conclusion, provides the evidence for his conclusion, and why he doesn't believe in alternative explanations. This comprehensive approach allows the reader to understand history not from the usual "because I say, it is so" approach, but to have a sense of how other theories might co-exist.
The narrative shows how close run a thing the French Revolution was and how many directions it might have taken. It also shows the struggles of two highly flawed individuals (the irresolute King and his stubborn, crafty wife) placed in the most complicated of situations. Most importantly, it focuses on Mssr. Bretieul, a French noble, who steadfastly negotiated on their behalf among foreign capitals for many hopeless years.
The book differs from others in that it shows the Revolution from an almost exclusively Royal point of view. Those looking for an overview of the Revolutionary side will be sorely disappointed. But, those who want to see insight into the minds of the royals, who fumbled and bumbled into an escalation that destroyed the tradition of ages, will revel in the fascinating story.
Concise and excellent.......2005-08-24
This book is a true pleasure to read. It focuses on a relatively small number of personalities and describes what they did- always backed up with research- and the consequences of their actions. The author's style is crisp, focussed and dignified, bereft of obscure or uncommon words that save you the frustration of constantly referring to the dictionary. It makes the principal charcters come to life.
The narrative quality is consistent and sustains your interest throughout. It is neither exhaustive, nor exhausting to read. I recommend it highly.
Incredibly Researched.......2004-07-19
Author Munro Price has shown that intense research combined with informative speculation is consistent with successfully piecing together a very confusing and torrid sequence of events in Western European history. Price, through what appears to be pains taking information gathering, relays a brilliant account of the lives of some of the French Revolution's most influential players. He brings to light, to those not in the academic world, the Baron de Breteuil and his tremendous influence on the policy of counter-revolutionary France. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the recipients of the brunt of the Revolution, were shown both in their glory and in the flaws that led to their eventual demise. Price has not failed to impress with his clearly thought out formulations of the mindset and personal weaknesses of Louis XVI and, in contrast, the inner strength of Marie Antoinette. This book is easily followed and is difficult to put down. I recommend to anyone interested in this monumental period of political change in Europe.
Interesting history.......2003-07-25
This was an interesting and very readable book - I was sorry to see it end. It was obviously painstakingly researched and contains a lot of little known information about Louis and Marie-Antoinette and particularly their attitude toward the revolution which eventually killed them. It includes details about Marie-Antoinette's actions and attitudes that the general public may be surprised at - she was not just another pretty face who let events unfold - instead she apparently became stronger and took an active part in events.
Even though the death of the king and queen were inevitable I found myself rooting for their escape. The book almost reads like a novel, but is a true and absorbing story.
Good History.......2003-05-04
The Road from Versailles is more than another retelling of this laboriously studied part of the French Revolution. It is a well-written narration, with excellently crafted literary panache and skill that really translate into a rousing read for any reader. More than that however, author Munro Price offers some very good new sources that lend a lot to his ideas concerning the last days of the Bourbon monarchy. His interpretation avoids the trap of dry repetitive narration/research and instead relies on new sources of information to explain the authors somewhat unique viewpoint.
The Road from Versailles begins in familiar territory. As the reign of Louis XVI continued, France fell further and further into failure, both economic and militarily. France was reeling from numerous failures abroad, most notably the defeat at the hand of the British in North America during the French and Indian War. Economically, the country was an absolute disaster. Even the royal government itself was not sure of the nations finances, and the system was bleeding funds chronically. People wanted someone to blame for their conditions, and they found a good candidate in the Austrian princess Marie Antoinette. Her heritage and her penchant for finery quickly gained her the ire of the French public. As disasters mounted, the monarchy came under attack from all sides. It was clear that, politically, Louis XVI would have to alter his role. How to do this was the big question. Rapidly, the question became moot as the street violence exploded.
Munro concentrates on the minor, or supposedly minor, character of Breteuil, a royal minister. Using new documents, Munro suggests that Breteuil was much more involved than previously though, especially concerning the various royal plots to aid the royals in their escape from Paris. One of the best parts of the book is its emphasis on what was happening outside of France, as numerous plots were being hatched to either evacuate the royal government or to reestablish its power by military force. The decisions and actions made and taken by the royal family are also examined. Munro tries to explain Louis XVI inaction and floundering a little too much, I thought. I believe the simple answer is that Louis was a very foolish person, who had little political comprehension besides the absolutionist system he was born into. Marie is shown as quite active, but not as devious as proposed in the some other works. Munro does a great job of explaining his conclusions to the reader in a way that is accessible to both popular and academic readers. A very good work of history.
Book Description
The Road to Mobocracy is the first major study of public disorder in New York City from the Revolutionary period through the Jacksonian era. During that time, the mob lost its traditional, institutional role as corporate safety valve and social corrective, tolerated by public officials. It became autonomous, a violent menace to individual and public good expressing the discordant urges and fears of a pluralistic society. Indeed, it tested the premises of democratic government.
Paul Gilje relates the practices of New York mobs to their American and European roots and uses both historical and anthropological methods to show how those mobs adapted to local conditions. He questions many of the traditional assumptions about the nature of the mob and scrutinizes explanations of its transformation: among them, the loss of a single-interest society, industrialization and changes in the workforce, increased immigration, and the rise of sub-classes in American society. Gilje's findings can be extended to other cities.
The lucid narrative incorporates meticulous and exhaustive archival research that unearths hundreds of New York City disturbances—about the Revolution, bawdy-houses, theaters, dogs and hogs, politics, elections, ethnic conflict, labor actions, religion. Illustrations recreate the turbulent atmosphere of the city; maps, graphs, and tables define the spacial and statistical dimensions of its ferment. The book is a major contribution to our understanding of social change in the early Republic as well as to the history of early New York, urban studies, and rioting.
Customer Reviews:
How to read this book.......2004-03-12
This is a very good book on riots. It does not include the riots from "Gangs of New York." If you are going to read this book, read Chapter 10 first. It will give you all the definations of the words the author uses like, magistrate, marshals, watchmen. This will help in knowing what these people are supposed to do in the book. I didn't do this and was wondering throughout the book exactly what these people were supposed to be doing to stop the riots. All the riots get a bit tedious after awhile, but there are some good parts. After you read the book you will sort of have the idea that is all the people in NYC did was riot.
Book Description
The question of why New Yorkers were such reluctant revolutionaries has long bedeviled historians. In an innovative study of New York City between 1763 and 1776, Joseph S. Tiedemann explains how conscientiously residents labored to build a consensus under difficult circumstances. New Yorkers acted the way they did not because they were mostly loyalist or because a few patrician conservatives were able to stem the tide of revolution but because the population of their city was so heterogeneous that consensus was not easily achieved. Differences within the city's pluralistic population slowed the process of hammering out a course of action acceptable to the large majority. The consensus that finally emerged had to be cautious rather than militant in order to unite as many people as possible behind the revolutionary banner. Ultimately, the time it took was far less significant, Tiedemann notes, than the fact that New York proceeded to declare independence, and went on to become a pivotal state in the new nation. In framing his argument, Tiedemann explains the limitations of interpretations offered by both progressive, New Left, and consensus historians. Citing the work of scholars as diverse as Walter Laqueur, Theda Skocpol, and Louis Kreisberg, Tiedemann pays close attention to the dynamics of British colonial rule and its impact on New York.
Average customer rating:
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GHOLSON ROAD: Revolutionaries and Texas Rangers
Donna Gholson Cook
Manufacturer: 1st Books Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1414004753 |
Book Description
Writer and artist Donna Gholson Cook's GHOLSON ROAD: REVOLUTIONARIES AND TEXAS RANGERS is an exciting and educational gallop through American history, beginning in early Virginia, trotting through Kentucky and Arkansas Territory and up to a hitching post in 1832 Texas. The book is not only for Gholson descendants, but for anyone who would like to learn more about the history of America and Texas and those who settled it.
GHOLSON ROAD is filled with highs and lows, prosperity and poverty. Many stories are reprinted exactly as told by the participants, including a rare account of the attempt to identify Cynthia Ann Parker after the Texas Rangers recaptured her from the Comanches, with whom she lived for 24 years.
Customer Reviews:
History by a storyteller.......2004-08-18
Donna Gholson Cook has written a book that is as readable as it is interesting. She discusses more than just Texas history. The book is sprinkled with photos from yesteryear and from the Gholson family, adding a dimension of reality to her stories.
Book Description
Acclaim for The Road to Valley Forge
"Buchanan is a master of the historical narrative . . . a host of new insights into George Washington as a leader of men."
-Thomas Fleming, author of Liberty!: The American Revolution
"The Road to Valley Forge is an effective operational history, clearly written, judicious in its judgments and based on a careful look at the war from both sides."
-Jeremy Black, author of War for America: The Fight for Independence, 1775—1783
"John Buchanan skillfully guides us through 1776 and 1777, the two most critical years of the Revolutionary War for George Washington as commander in chief. With a gift for finding the apt quotation and the telling anecdote, the author traces the growth of Washington as a commanding general and the professional development of the Continental Army."
-Don Higginbotham, Professor of History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The Road to Valley Forge tells the whole story of Washington's growth from inexperienced backwoods general to true Commander in Chief of a professional fighting force. This warts-and-all portrait of America's greatest hero reveals a courageous and intelligent man struggling desperately to learn from his mistakes, forge a motley assortment of militiamen into a real army, and demonstrate to all of his fellow Americans that they could, indeed, become masters of their own destiny.
Customer Reviews:
A Flowing Narrative.......2006-02-27
This is the second book I have read by author John Buchanan. I hardly expected this book to equal its companion, ROAD TO GUILFORD COURTHOUSE, but found THE ROAD TO VALLEY FORGE to be an equally compelling read. Buchanan's writing style is both fluid and succinct.
When the First Continental Congress met in 1775 to choose its military leader, it wisely chose George Washington, a veteran of the French and Indian War. Then it proceeded to make Washington's life miserable by denying him the resources needed to succeed. Perhaps the members of Congress recognized that Washington had the tenacity to withstand its seeming indifference to his success.
Buchanan's book covers the first eighteen months of Washington's command of the army, from the siege at Boston to the winter at Valley Forge. Some of this is quite painful to read as Buchanan has an art for depicting the misery it must of been for those involved, and for Washington himself to watch his miserable, tattered army suffer a series of defeats. Also recounted, is the betrayal of Washington by some of his closest aides, who wrote letters to Congress condemning his actions, decisions and leadership abilities.
THE ROAD TO VALLEY FORGE provides details of Washington's leadership and battles with enlightening explanations of 18th-century military technology. Washington knew, winning a revolution did not necessarily require battlefield victory, it required wearing down the enemies desire for victory. He kept his army alive, never allowing General Howe the opportunity to fully extinguish the smoldering remnants of the Continental Army.
In many ways, what Washington accomplished was exactly replicated 60 years later in Texas when the men at the Alamo bought enough time for Sam Houston to assemble a viable fighting force. However, Washington had no Alamo to buy him time, so he bought his own time by keeping his army just out of reach. When engagement was unavoidable, he sacrificed minimal loss while insuring the bulk of his fighting force lived to fight another day.
If you've read Guilford Courthouse, you know what to expect and will not be disappointed by this book. If you haven't read Guilford Courthouse, what are you waiting for? Buchanan is a fine author and has once again, written a wonderful account of American history.
Monty Rainey
www.juntosociety.com
A Good Narrative History .......2005-11-15
Having read "Road to Guilford Courthouse," I picked up "Road to Valley Forge" on the merits of the author alone, hoping it would be as enjoyable as the former. Buchanan again delivers a very good narrative history of the New York and Philadelphia campaigns of 1776-1777. His style reminds me of siting in a well taught college lecture, listening to an engaging teacher, without being distracting. Having read several books on the campaign and always on the alert for inacuracies, I found his work tight on details (when compared to other, more well know histories). Especially interesting is the attention paid to the actual military engagements. Many histories gloss over the martial aspects focusing more on the political/leadership, but Buchanan delivers both. An interesting read for those interested in the tactics of the campaign without being weighed down by too much "this unit went here, this one was behing this fence, etc." In my humble opinion, not as good as "Road to Guilford Courthouse," but a good read nonetheless.
Great read and insight into the ways and means of General Washington.......2005-09-21
Buchanan's previous "The Road to Guilford Courthouse" was an assigned text for a course on the American Revolution. After reading "The Road to Valley Forge," the latest of Buchanan's works, I'm completely attracted to his marvelous writing style. He is a joy to read. His analysis of "The Great Virginian" (Washington) as tactician, strategist, and commander-in-chief is particularly insightful, accurate, and straight-forward... and so can be well-appreciated in these days of author opinions strewn haphazardly over landscape of history.
Why stop at Valley Forge?.......2005-01-19
This is a very good book; my main complaint is that there is not enough of it. Buchanan starts with the battle of Long Island, continues through Trenton to Brandywine and the Valley Forge winter. However, this still leaves Princeton and more battles in the Middle States. Why stop here?
Also, the maps are just plain bad. How can a reputable publisher (and author) do so poorly?
If you haven't read "The Road to Guilford Courthouse", do so immediately! It is a better book (but its maps were even worse!).
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