Book description
Grand Avenues tells the riveting story of Pierre Charles L'Enfant and the creation of Washington D.C.--from the seeds of his inspiration to the fulfillment of his extraordinary vision.
L'Enfant's story is one of consuming passion, high emotion, artistic genius, and human frailty. As a boy he studied drawing at the…
Why read it?
1 author picked Grand Avenues as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Any time spent in the figurative company of Peter (Pierre) Charles L’Enfant, Revolutionary soldier, artist, and erstwhile engineer, is time well spent. The man’s passions and talents were just so peculiar and profound, and he landed himself squarely in the birth of the American nation.
In his own English, L’Enfant’s words are convoluted, perhaps a legacy of his preference for his native French language, but Berg does a wonderful job of humanizing the ambitious artist and following his every twist and turn. Beware the ending. But there is an enormous payoff here in seeing the fulfillment of L’Enfant’s vision for…
From Ryan's list on offbeat biographies of American founders.
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