Rating: 
Summary: Not a faulty book...
Review: ...but perhaps a faulty hero. I enjoyed the writing style of the author but his inability to separate the historical facts from his own conjecture is annoying at times.
That he has a rather flawed protagonist is obvious from the start, and to Mr. Thomas' credit, he does not try to do the impossible with JPJ's character.
I was interested in the subject and in the period and was lead to read C.S. Forester's "Lord Nelson" immediately afterwards.
Call me an Anglophile if you must, but I'm afraid that aside from some pettiness and their shared awkwardness with women, they had little in common. Nelson was a consistently good leader of men and a great naval tactician on a large scale, whereas Jones seems to have been at least as lucky as he was good and never really commanded much beyond his own ship.
That notwithstanding, this is a good read and a worthwhile investment of a weekend.
Rating:
Summary: John Paul Jones - the Forgotten Hero
Review: An enjoyable and entertaining rendition of the life of John Paul Jones with plenty of detail and some of the best seaborne combat sequences that I've read. During the battle sequences, the story takes on a very entertaining cadence and I found it difficult to put this book down until late into the morning. The only discordant note is the sense communicated throughout the story that the Mr. Thomas didn't like John Paul Jones very much. There are multiple disparaging references to Jones' poor poetry and his apparent need for recognition and greater responsibilities. I suppose John Paul Jones could have been a tough personality to like but considering his obvious gifts for solving difficult, even impossible situations and his devil-take-all bravery, we were very lucky to have him around when we did. Note that in his victory against the Serapis, he had a polyglot crew, inferior armament, and an inferior ship going against the best the British had. It was John Paul Jones' leadership, training skills, and personal courage that welded the crew into a superior fighting unit and turned that fight into a startling American victory. The fact that few of the crew wanted him on their Christmas card list afterward doesn't make much difference. Leadership is leadership. Heroes - real heroes - not the mythological versions, have the usual human bumps in their private lives. Whatever idiosyncrasies John Paul Jones may have had were a very small penalty for the brilliance of his contributions to our victory and our independence. Notwithstanding the parts of this novel that take on a disapproving cast, it is an excellent read and I recommend it highly.
Rating: 
Summary: John Paul Jones
Review: An excellent, well written and highly readable biography of an exceptional hero from American history. I knew only the historical caricature of Jones from American history and was slightly disappointed to find that America's naval hero was a man with the same flaws and faults common to all men. Still, his inspiration and determination kept the American Revolution on track. Through this book I grew to like Jones and was genuinely saddened by his treatment from the country he had fought so gallantly to liberate, and which ultimately led to his untimely and tragic demise.
Rating:
Summary: A Flawed American Hero
Review: Author Evan Thomas's account of the life of John Paul Jones is an excellent narrative historical biography that brings to life yet another colorful personality from the American Revolution. Like his contemporary, Alexander Hamilton, Jones was a vain, contentious and controversial figure of humble origins who rubbed many of those who knew him the wrong way. He also happened to be a rare and valuable commodity in Revolutionary America in that he was a man who actually knew how to fight.As Thomas dramatically illustrates, Jones was virtually the only captain among the Americans to have any success against the Royal Navy. Jones's raids against the British home isles and his daring defeats in two diferent battles against Royal Navy battleships made him famous world wide. Thomas's detailed accounts of the naval battles are particularly gripping. And while Jones most likely never said the famous words, "I have not yet begun to fight," that does not detract from his heroic refusal to surrender his ship in what was perhaps the bloodiest naval battle of the age of sail. Thomas tracks Jones's entire life, from his childhood as the son of a Scottish gardner, to his time as a merchant ship captain through his Revolutionary exploits to the last, bizarre chapter in his life when he became an Admiral in the Russian fleet against the Turks. Thomas is evenhanded in his descriptions of Jones, detailing his many faults in addition to his triumphs. In the end, the picture that emerges is of an essentially noble individual whose insecurities made him his own worst enemy. At just over 300 pages of narrative, the book is a relatively quick read and also has plenty of illustrations. Overall, an outstanding historical biography that should be enjoyed by history buffs and even by more casual readers.
Rating:
Summary: Did you know...........?
Review: Evan Thomas has written a fun and entertaining biography of the Revolutionary icon John Paul. Did you know that this was his real name. John Paul? My guess is that there are many for facts about Jones that you will find you did not know. Add that to material about how the French assisted the rebel upstarts to win the Rebellion. Jone's ablity to fight a war of terror against the British. (Interesting that the British overreaction to Jones created more psycoligical terror among the population than the true threat could ever poss.) Was it only Catherine the Great that realized that the success of the American Revolution spelled trouble for the Royals of France, Britain, and Russia? And for those Donald Rumsfeld fans who recall his comment that the Iraq's were not fighting by the rules most recently, something to the effect that they were not even in uniform. Well, John Paul Jones began every fight flying under British colors, dressed in British uniforms all to sneak up close and surprise the enemy. All in the name of winning honor. I was much impressed by the crisp clean writing, the narrative drive, and the fact of fighting at sea, the political battles, and the social issues of the time that Thomas weaves so successfully in his short 311-page biography. This is a must read for those now finding row upon row of their library's filling with biography's of our founding fathers.
Rating: 
Summary: Enough of positive reviews
Review: Evan Thomas is so repetitive about John Paul Jones' character flaws that the book takes on a negative and depressing tone, particularly in the second part of the book. I do not mean to suggest that a biography need only be flattering. But if the author writes once that the subject matter is cantakerous and difficult - I understand. When the author repeats that 20 times - I get disgusted!
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating figure, but I dispute the author's thesis.
Review: Evan Thomas provides a modern perspective on the legendary naval hero, John Paul Jones. That is, the author seeks to correct some of Jones' legend (some his alleged quotes), and he tries to give a plausible excuse for why Jones was not given a higher grade in the service. According to the author, Jones' personality was such that it was nearly impossible for him to suppress his sharp tongue. This then led to his grating on nerves and losing out to less worthy peers.
I appreciate the author's attempt to put Jones' frustrations in perspective, and it certainly can be possible that Jones (who was raised as a commoner and thereby denied a commission in the Royal Navy) suffered from what Alfred Adler would call, an inferiority complex. However, I can't accept Thomas' entire premise. Frankly, it seems that Jones was hardly unique among his military peers with his personality trait. But, that hardly hurt other far less skillful captains from achieving higher rank.
It seems to me that Jones, who was certainly ahead of his time in understanding the modern navy and military tactics, was more the victim of class bias. Indeed, the author notes was such prejudices were rampant in the U.S. Navy of the 18th Century and influenced promotions. To consider it from the author's point of view is seeking to fault the figure and thereby accepting this type of class bias.
Regardless, this is a highly entertaining book with many interesting historical facts that will delight the reader. I also enjoyed reading about Fredericksburg in the 1770's. Jones' home is able to be seen today in downtown F'burg.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Biography!
Review: Evan Thomas' book provides an insightful and graceful Jones biography. As an avid student of history, I found the author's detailed narrative very captivating, helping shape Jones' character into the proper historical context of this great unsung American icon. Highly Recommended!
Rating:
Summary: What Did He Really Do?
Review: First, this biography is well-researched and well-written. Mr. Thomas was particularly adept at describing the battle scenes and was careful to site more than Jones' as a source for his depictions. What truly added to this biography was that Mr. Thomas made no effort to "gild the lily" that was John Paul Jones. He depicts him as he probably was - a pretty unlikeable, womanizing, whiny, glory-seeking martinet who eventually wore out his friends with his complaints and pleas for a fleet. If there is a criticism of this book, it would be that the recitation of Jones' whinings get repetitive and somewhat tedious - but - that is exactly how they must have seemed to those who through the years tried to help him since they all abandaned him in the end. Mr. Thomas effectively shows both sides of Jones who today would have been on mega doses of Zoloft (at least). At the same time he was pestering the powers that be for ships and complaining about favoritism (that was not shown his way), Jones was making observations, predictions and suggestions about an American Navy that were prescient and obviously knowledgeable. This was a very good and non-biased biography. If there were one thing I came away with from the book, it was that in the end - through no fault of his own - John Paul Jones did not really do much "on paper." One great battle and a few good skirmishes. However, by bringing the Revolution to Britain's doorstep his victory(ies) had a huge psychological effect on Britain - a nautical terrorism if you will. Mr. Thomas does well to put Mr. jones in true perspective - both his deeds and his legend.
Rating:
Summary: Nightmare of His Choice: Fabulous John Paul Jones Biography!
Review: For Evan Thomas to remind readers that John Paul Jones was his own worst enemy, that his vanity, ego and ambition rivaled those of the preening Alexander Hamilton is unnecessary and an understatement. John Paul Jones was, as much as the knowledge pained him, a glory hound. He was also one of the bravest, most skilled and dashing officers in the services of the United States during the Revolutionary War, and Thomas brings the cantankerous, manic-depressive little bulldog to vivid life for today's historians, history buffs and armchair adventurers. The highest highs and lowest lows of Jones's life toss, exalt, thrill, and lurch the reader like an unpredictable sea, and what a wonderful voyage it is! John Paul Jones is the latest "self-made man" to appear in a biography, following on the heels of Willard Sterne Randall's cumbersome yet well-rendered "Alexander Hamilton: A Life." From humble roots, the son of a Scottish gardener, Jones was determined to rise from under the oppression of the European class system. He gazed out across the magnificent gardens created by his father and saw the ocean, with its seemingly endless horizon -and that is how Jones decided to live the rest of his life: He would expand, grow himself and mold his image anew, as wide as the sea, as broad as the sky. As much taken with sail and sea as they took him, John Paul Jones was a natural, a gifted sailor who always tried to improve himself, whether his nautical skills, or by reading books to absorb philosophy and seeking the company of men from whom he knew he could learn. Unfortunately, Jones was never able to subdue his passions sufficiently, not sufficiently enough for any self-reflection to temper his sensitivities and thin skin, nor for him to ever cultivate the necessary strengths to achieve his highest ambition: Appointment to the rank of Admiral in the United States Navy. He would have to travel to Russia near the end of his life and enter the service of Catherine the Great to achieve that rank, but as fundamentally flawed and blameful as Jones was, he was not a rank human being. He was steadfast, loyal to his adopted country, America, and never gave in to the easy profit of privateering or ever turned his back on the Stars and Stripes. He was as big-hearted and melodramatic as he was tragic and romantic, a sometimes womanizer who barely had a head for wine and never drank hard liquor. Like Thomas Jefferson, Jones was a paragon of paradox and yet always was, in the best sense, an American patriot. It's painful to look on, page after page, reading about Jones's exploits and ideas, tactics and tales, only to see him constantly self-destruct, eventually alienating every single person around him. Nonetheless, Jones knew how to fight in an age where most men achieved rank through connections and lineage, and even though he didn't always win, he won enough: Jones was a tonic for fledgling America, and any other person or power savvy enough to employ his courage. Sadly, Jones was far from the best judge of character, and often found himself in an impossibly frustrating, nightmarish circumstance because of his own inability to discern veneer from character, though Jones seems to have had plenty of character, and yet constantly coveted superficial laurels of those less worthy. But no matter how badly he may have comported himself, and in spite of how myopic most of his handlers were, blinded to Jones's full potential, "Little Jones" was indeed a mouse that roared. Whether Jones ever knew it during his life, he certainly reflected the rigid principles of honor to which he held himself and others, and Evan Thomas has written a flowing, absorbing book about John Paul Jones, a man who cherished freedom above all else, and helped bring it to so many others.
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