Last Refuge of Scoundrels

by Paul Lussier

Book Overview

Early critical acclaim from Pulitzer Prize-winning scholars and best-selling authors Studs Terkel, Jonathan Kozol, Robert Coles, Howard Zinn, John Ferling and Winston Groom: Last Refuge of Scoundrels is the bottom-up story of the American Revolution brought to life vividly, compellingly, suggestively. It's a story that gives America its past in a manner worthy of comparison to Tolstoy's effort to understand and render history and does so in a manner that's rich, rambunctious, exploding with vitality and bubbling with wild humor.

A delightfully irreverent look at the Revolution, it tells the story of John Lawrence a naive young merchant's son who finds love and his life's purpose in Deborah Simpson, a spy working in collusion with George Washington to lead An unsung army of ordinary Americans against the self-interested Founding Fathers as much as the bumbling Brits. Last Refuge of Scoundrels weaves meticulous research and fantastical fable into a poetic tale that's at once a rollicking romp, a haunting love story and a revisionist historical epic.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446523429
• ISBN13: 9780446523424
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 13 years and up

Customer Reviews

A New Mythology

The people who've written in complaining about how they don't recognize the Founding Fathers as they knew them miss the whole point, which is that we've never known them. This writer brings them to life in a way which may or may not be exactly as they were, but is no less accurate than any other historian's or novelist's educated guess. More to the point, he seems more concerned with the metapicture, which is the magical, fantastical and very human side of the revolution. To present that side he may have taken some liberties with some facts (I don't know), but I think he's attempting to create "a brave new world" which looks beyond mere facts to that which is ultimately far more profound and significant: myth. (After all, he chose to write this in novel form: if you want a straight forward history, read a non-fiction account.) The point I think he grasps which is so exciting, is that facts don't change lives, myths do. I think he's trying to replace the deeply ingrained myths of Parson Weems and the cherry tree and the stranglehold those kinds of stories have on our collective consciousness with a new mythology--one that may or may not be completely historically accurate, but which is far more resonant because it is ultimately more truthful. In that respect, I would guess he's been inspired by the Latin-American magical-real;ism tradition, and if so, this is the first time I've encountered such an approach being applied to our own cultural myths. As someone else wrote, this is indeed groundbreaking and the very fact that so many people have written in to this page indicates that he's succeeded in hitting a very raw nerve indeed.

History with a heart

1) The history is meticulously researched and largely true (like it or not!); 2) These are human beings -- not military heroes -- which will offend some readers. Not this reader; 3) The opening sequence is one of the most moving I've read, and immediately got me to feel more compassion for George Washington than I had in all of my previous Ivy-league educated 43 years. This is not a book about battles; not a book about artillery; and not a book about winning and losing. It is a book about suffering, healing, loving and leading -- in ways that made our forefathers and finally us, American. The first writer since Gore Vidal to make American history real for me -- and unlike Mr. Vidal, in this case with an earnestness and sweetness that made me feel (dare I say it?) almost...patriotic!

The Last Refuge of Scoundrels

I don't normally read historical fiction or non fiction books but after hearing rave reviews, I picked it up. I am so happy that I happened upon this book. I feel like I have finally discovered the true story! Mr. Lussier's book brings history to life! The Last Refuge of Scoundrels is funny, informative and refreshing.The once cardboard characters that I have heard about since grammar school, suddenly have personalities! Mr. Lussier paints a picture that allows us to experience "A Day in the Life of..." our nations fore fathers. He has opened up a whole new world for me and I am sufddenly interested in the American Revolution. Thank you Paul Lussier for the new insights and fine writing!

Highly Recommended!!!!!!!

LAST REFUGE OF SCOUNDRALS by Paul Lussier is a historical novel of the best sort, filled with plenty of historical facts and details that bring the characters and the times alive. The author's keen eye for detail maks the 1700s a living, breathing place where we meet our "founding fathers" and the anonymous masses who really won the American Revolution. This is history at its most human level - with each character painted in brilliant colors, yet each so real you can smell their sweat. Here we see the founding fathers (or were they?) warts and all, politicians who make you want to shout, laugh and tear your hair - just like the ones we read about in today's newspapers. There is a truth here that shines far brighter than the lessons I remember from my American history classes. And the pages of this book turn much faster. Paul Lussier asks us to really question authority and to dust of the facts we accept as reality to see what they actually look like.

Unprecedented, I wholeheartedly recommend it!

I read historical fiction voraciously, and particularly enjoy works that focus on the American Revolution. But Last Refuge of Scoundrels has really set a new standard for this genre! Not only did I have to stay up all night to finish the book because the story was so unusual, hilarious and exciting, but unlike most historical fiction, I came away with a radically new understanding of and appreciation for the actual history of America. George Washington now seems to me a man of genuine flesh and blood -- flawed, yes, but remarkable in his humanity, much more interesting and alive than the conventional, starched, remote portraits of this complex man. And Mr. Lussier's main characters, Deborah and John, have now taken significant seats in the pantheon of characters in my psyche. Like Washington, they are both remarkably human and profoundly heroic. I especially love the gamine, vulnerable, passionate aspects of Deborah's character - she rivals Shakespeare's best females in spunkiness and wit. (Not to mention that both John and Deborah are based on real people who fought and brought about the Revolution!)I've heard a rumor that there's supposed to be a film made of Last Refuge of Scoundrels. I certainly hope this true, as I think Mr. Lussier's writing is cinematic in texture and scope, and I think the story would translate wonderfully to the screen.I look forward to the next work by Paul Lussier. Last Refuge of Scoundrels is a phenomenal, unprecedented debut and a significant contribution not only to the world of the historical novel, but to the broader realms of literature and history as well. And, on top of all of that, it is quite simply a great read! This is unquestionably the next book you should buy, whatever your taste.