( 8 reviews )
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Posted: Mar 29 2009
If based on Thomas' account, it's a wonder that the US Naval Academy found Jones worthy to take up space underneath the chapel. Thomas went to great pain to portray Jones as a tragic figure and not the brilliant patriot that he was. Descriptions of romantic interludes (again failed tragic relationships) took up more pages than did his epic battles. Book was a bummer.
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Posted: Mar 26 2009
when i ordered i thought i was getting the movie with Robert Stack, it was nice , but not what i expected..
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Posted: Jan 4 2009
John Paul Jones was the classic "flawed hero," a man you cannot help but love, despite his various faults. He was an incredibly skilled sailor and strategist, but a poor commander. He was proud and sensitive, and not shy about letting others know when his feelings were hurt. Despite his reputation in Britain as a blood-thirsty pirate, Jones was humble, polite, and ever desirous of being a true gentleman. Perhaps what is most admirable about Jones is that, in a time when he could have made his fortune as a privateer, he abhorred greed and, bound by duty and honor, sought the glory of battle for the American cause. Even though born and raised in Scotland, after only a brief stay in America, he adopted the country and it's cause, seeking to battle the Royal Navy. Throughout his constant struggle to obtain command of a respectable frigate with a capable crew, Jones only accomplished one major naval victory. Nevertheless, he had taken the battle from the cities of New England to the shores of Britain. Because Jones is a man the reader comes to be fond of, it is crushing to read his experience in the Russian Navy in the 1780s, after the end of the Revolutionary War. Betrayed and cheated by his fellow mercenary sailors, Jones fought for his honor, but left Russia a damaged man, suffering four more yeas in France before his death of sickness. I've always been a fan of Evan Thomas's books and find his writing style thorough and enjoyable. Thomas is fair and at times even critical of Jones, but by and large he paints him as the hero and visionary he was, despite his flaws.
