Living a Life That Matters – A Memoir of the Marquis de Lafayette

Driven by liberty

There are two remarkable things about Living A Life That Matters. It is written in the first person, as autobiography. This gives it a vitality not often seen in third person biographies. It was a gamble by David Weitzman, but he has pulled it off with the aplomb of - a Lafayette. Second and most remarkable is the hero of the tale, Gilbert Motier, Marquis de La Fayette. A more star-studded, eventful life there simply has not been.

In the first half of his life, Lafayette was enormously lucky. He was born into a wealthy family, and married into another. He defied the king by going to America to fight in the revolutionary war, but only got two weeks of house arrest (with a wife he hadn’t seen in years) as “punishment”. He insinuated his way into General George Washington’s heart because he was a fellow Freemason. Only 19, he demanded the rank of major general. He danced on the knife’s edge of the French Revolution, first supporting the king, then having him arrested when he tried to flee. So all sides suspected him, his loyalties and his intentions, but he escaped the guillotine that took the lives of so many others like him. His wife, who he left pregnant and with their baby daughter to go off to fight a war that wasn’t his, not only didn’t fight with him over his mistress, she embraced her and included her in family functions. She even tracked him down in prison in Austria, and got herself admitted there, to be with him until his release or death. Lafayette was a very lucky young man.

His second act was clearly different. The French Revolution took down anyone associated with royalty, nobility or religion, and Lafayette clearly had to go. He fled, and was caught, and spent five years in solitary, withering away. Incredibly, after years of searching, his wife and daughters joined him there, and the misery they endured shortened Adrienne’s life visibly and demonstrablt. Her utter devotion would allow her to leave no stone unturned to be with him. She most dramatically helped him survive. In his weakened physical and financial state, he then bounced from effort to effort, frustrated in continual setbacks.

His one consistent focus, the force that unified his entire being, was liberty. He lived it and breathed it, and let it put him peril time and again. He abandoned his family, spent his fortune lost most of his property and income, and stood up to power again and again for liberty.

The life he led was nothing less than astounding. He was the personal friend of five US presidents, and crossed rhetorical swords with kings and emperors. He proved himself repeatedly to young men and women who would later rise to positions of power, to whom he could and did appeal for help. And they responded, from ambassadors to presidents. It was most definitely A Life That Matters, and is the most continuously remarkable lifestory in print.

David Wineberg

A first hand look at a beautiful mind of the inspiring Marquis de Lafayette. Extremely enjoyable to read, his writing flows easily, clearly showing his honesty and strength of character.

If you were not familiar with the Marquis before, this insight to his beliefs is a grand introduction to his life, his private feelings, and his experiences during the changing landscapes late 1700s - early 1800s United States and France.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in that tumultuous, revolutionary period of history, any fan of memoirs, or any history enthusiast.

The Marquis de Lafayette was a very interesting individual. Born to French Royalty, he was on track for a life as a senior French military officer, likely to see no more hostile action than an occasional smuggler. Instead, he embarks on a lifetime of crusades for the rights or ordinary people, both in the Americas and Europe.

=== The Good Stuff ===

* David Weitzman tries very hard to capture the life and thoughts of Lafayette. The prose is captivating, and sucks you in from the first few paragraphs. The prose was lively and exciting, and there are few passages written in 18th century style, which always breaks my concentration. I ended up reading the book in a couple sittings, and enjoyed it very much.

* The book is mostly “self-contained”, although your reading experience will probably be enhanced if you have at least a working knowledge of the American Revolution and Europe’s Napoleonic wars. Weitzman coaches you through the tangled alliances of Europe, but some of the actions may seem illogical to readers without a good background.

* The “memoir” is complete. It starts with the young Lafayette making his way into French society, and takes us through his personal, military and political trials and tribulations. Lafayette was an important figure, both in the fledgling United States and the salons and palaces of Europe. He is an important part of the American Revolution, the French Revolution and the battles of Napoleon. All of these take their toll on his health, his personal life and those of his family. You can’t help but wonder if he found the cost was worth the gains.

=== The Not-So-Good Stuff ===

* I am not a fan of “first-person biographies.” While Weitzman seems to do his best to give an honest look at Lafayette’s life, in my opinion the first person writing style gives the prose more credibility than if it was in a 3rd person voice. I find this especially troublesome when the memoir relates personal feelings and thoughts.

* The book did not include footnotes, references, or any source information for how Weitzman created the memoir. Given the first-person concerns listed above, I find this especially troublesome. The version I was reading was a galley proof, so this may be corrected in the final version.

=== Summary ===

Lafayette was a very interesting individual, and this book was a great look at his life. His story is somewhat of a public triumph and a personal tragedy, and Shakespeare would recognize Lafayette as one of his own. While I had some concerns about the memoir format and its lack of references, the book does ring true and lines up with other histories with which I am familiar. I believe Weitzman set out to write very readable story, and he succeeded-but I wish he had also turned his work in to a more formal and traditional biography.

If the issues I pointed out don’t bother you, any history fans will enjoy the book.

This detailed and meticulously researched fictionalised autobiography of the Marquis de Lafayette, narrated in the form of a memoir, is compulsively readable and also very informative. By the end I felt I had a good idea of just who this man was and what motivated him during his long, eventful and influential life. The author does an excellent job in making the character credible and although I found a couple of anachronisms (I doubt anyone offered Marie Antoinette a “sweater” when she was cold) overall historical accuracy wasn’t compromised in order to tell a good story. Highly recommended.

If you want to understand the history of this time......read this book. Very enlightening and informative in an enjoyable reading experience. Learning about history and the people in an easy to read book. It was great to be able to envision the time by the well written word. There was detail of the time that makes you feel like you are there and experiencing what was happening at this time. Highly recommend and would be great for book clubs! There would be lots of options for discussions.