Unlikely Allies: How a Merchant, a Playwright, and a Spy Saved the American Revolution Hardcover - 2009
by Joel Richard Paul
The gripping true story of howthree men used espionage, betrayal,and sexual deception to help winthe American Revolution.
Unlikely Allies is the story of three remarkablehistorical figures. Silas Deane was a Connecticutmerchant and delegate to the ContinentalCongress as the American colonies struggledto break with England. Caron de Beaumarchaiswas a successful playwright who wrote The Barberof Seville and The Marriage of Figaro. Andthe flamboyant and mysterious Chevalier d'Eon-officer, diplomat, and sometime spy-was thetalk of London and Paris. Is the Chevalier a manor a woman?
When Deane is sent to France to convince theFrench government to support the revolutionarycause, he enlists the help of Beaumarchais.Together, they successfully smuggle weapons,ammunition, and supplies to New England justin time for the crucial Battle of Saratoga, whichturned the tide of the American Revolution. Andthe catalyst for Louis XVI's support of the Americansagainst England was the Chevalier d'Eon,whose decision to declare herself a womanhelped to lead to the Franco-American alliance.These three people spin a fascinating web ofpolitical intrigue and international politics thatstretches across oceans as they ricochet fromVersailles to Georgian London to the PennsylvaniaState House (now Independence Hall) inPhiladelphia. Each man has his own reasons forwanting to see America triumph over the British,and each contends daily with the certaintythat no one is what they seem. The line betweenfriends and enemies is blurred, spies lurk inevery corner, and the only way to survive is totrust no one.
An edge-of-your-seat story full of fascinatingcharacters and lavish with period detail andsense of place, Unlikely Allies is Revolutionaryhistory in all of its juicy, lurid glory.
Summary
Unlikely Allies is the story of three remarkable historical figures. Silas Deane was a Connecticut merchant and delegate to the Continental Congress as the American colonies struggled to break with England. Caron de Beaumarchais was a successful playwright who wrote The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro. And the flamboyant and mysterious Chevalier d?Eon ?officer, diplomat, and sometime spy?was the talk of London and Paris. Is the Chevalier a man or a woman?
When Deane is sent to France to convince the French government to support the revolutionary cause, he enlists the help of Beaumarchais. Together, they successfully smuggle weapons, ammunition, and supplies to New England just in time for the crucial Battle of Saratoga, which turned the tide of the American Revolution. And the catalyst for Louis XVI?s support of the Americans against England was the Chevalier d?Eon, whose decision to declare herself a woman helped to lead to the Franco-American alliance. These three people spin a fascinating web of political intrigue and international politics that stretches across oceans as they ricochet from Versailles to Georgian London to the Pennsylvania State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia. Each man has his own reasons for wanting to see America triumph over the British, and each contends daily with the certainty that no one is what they seem. The line between friends and enemies is blurred, spies lurk in every corner, and the only way to survive is to trust no one.
An edge-of-your-seat story full of fascinating characters and lavish with period detail and sense of place, Unlikely Allies is Revolutionary history in all of its juicy, lurid glory.
Details
- Title Unlikely Allies: How a Merchant, a Playwright, and a Spy Saved the American Revolution
- Author Joel Richard Paul
- Binding Hardcover
- Edition 1st/1st
- Pages 405
- Volumes 1
- Language ENG
- Publisher Riverhead Books, New York, New York
- Date 2009-10-29
- ISBN 9781594488832 / 1594488835
- Weight 1.15 lbs (0.52 kg)
- Dimensions 8.46 x 5.94 x 1.33 in (21.49 x 15.09 x 3.38 cm)
- Library of Congress subjects United States - Foreign relations - 1775-1783, Saratoga Campaign, N.Y., 1777
- Library of Congress Catalog Number 2009034986
- Dewey Decimal Code 973.385
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