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
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: 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: Tortured Genius
Review: Having last read about Jones as a youth, I was eager to read Evan Thomas' treatment of the colonial naval icon. Jones flight from prosecution and his engagement with the HMS Serapis made familiar reading. Especially well done is Thomas' treatment of Jone's 1778-79 raid on the English coast and, in particular Whitehaven and Kirkcudbright. Jones' audacity an vision preceded his time. The raids, while inflicting modest physical damage had a psychological impact -- in American and England -- akin to Doolittle's raiders' attack on Japan in 1942. The second area is Thomas' treatment of Jones' own psychology and character. As a visionary, Jones is painted in constant frustration as he rails against the status quo and bureacracy for more and better tools with which to implement his cosntanly emerging, creative strategies. Like another 20th Century warrior, General George S. Patton, Thomas paints Jones as a persistent (sometimes petty), contentious complainer, somewhat naive and frequently is his own worst enemy. And while a creative maritime mind, Jones found the U.S. naval service of the time an isolated "bully pulpit" from which to preach his evolutionary theories. Thomas book is well written. It moves with a comfortable pace without being bogged down in naval jargon (although the volume would have benefited from a glossary and good ship's diagram a'la Patrick O'Brian's Navy). While the claim "Father of the American Navy" can be debated, the reader closes the book with a clear view of Jone's significant contributions and a feeling of what more "might have been" had Jones been armed with resources rivaling the Royal Navy. A biography of John Paul Jones is as enthralling today as I found it years before.
Rating:
Summary: At Least He Was On Our Side
Review: It is said that if you like sausage, don't watch it being made. By the same logic, if you like John Paul Jones, you will not like seeing him in the making. The "Father of the American Navy" had virtually one victory at sea, never commanded an American ship, never wore an American uniform, and never said, "I have not yet begun to fight." The true hero of Jones' signature single ship engagement, against the British frigate Serapis, was a lowly seaman, William Hamilton. In the turning point of the battle, Hamilton dropped a hand grenade through a half-open hatch on the deck of the Serapis from the Bonhomme Richard's mainsail yard, igniting a chain reaction of explosions below deck. John Paul Jones was mired in the political patronage and backbiting which characterized the age, and had few if any values worth fighting for other than his own legacy. He was an indefatigable self-aggrandizer whose core competence was his willingness to sacrifice the lives of the men under his command. His name wasn't even "Jones;" he appended that common surname in order to facilitate his rehabilitation after killing a sailor This is decidedly not a hagiography; author Evan Thomas presents John Paul Jones as deeply flawed. But thank God he was on our side.
Rating: 
Summary: The life of an unsung hero of the Revolutionary War
Review: It would not be easy to write a biography on a man such as this. John Paul Jones did tremendous things for the American cause, and stood by his adopted country's navy even while being repeatedly mistreated and stabbed in the back by the likes of John Hancock, Edward Bancroft, and others. There is no explanation for Jones's loyalty, except to say that he was in it for glory. In fact, this seems to have been the motivation behind most of Jones's exploits. Still, vainglorious as the man was, there is no denying that he made a tremendous contribution to the American Revolution. Evan Thomas handles his subject well, and seems mostly fair in his treatment of Jones. Still, he cannot help indulging in what is an all-too-common practice in historical biography these days. Thomas does not hesitate to throw his own thoughts in and add a little detail which enriches the narrative but not the history. Describing at times what Jones was feeling, what he wanted to do, how the weather affected him, and other details is stretching it a bit, given there is no way anyone can know these things for sure. Despite this shortcoming, however, this book is an entertaining read, and certainly worth the time to learn of one of the great unsung heroes of the Revolutionary War. It is nothing short of tragic that Jones was driven by an ungrateful America into service with the cruel Catherine the Great. This issue, along with many others, is treated in Thomas's book.
Rating:
Summary: "Officer of Fine Feelings"
Review: The book is very entertaining, due in part to quite a bit of supposition and the occasional sacrifice of objectivity. You will turn the pages. You will long for the days of wooden ships and iron men. The author paints a very interesting picture of John Paul Jones. He is made out to be somewhat of a manic depressive thrill seeker who, when not within an inch of his life or seducing the wife of a close friend, may be clinically depressed. "Fussy". Very easily slighted. Hypersensitive on issues of personal honor, almost paranoid. An accurate depiction? Who knows. So you get John Paul Jones, kind of a Heathcliff made good, almost suffocating until he gets his next chance to try and fulfill his death wish. Who is he trying to please and what is he trying to prove? Stepping back, it's a good period piece as the chapters of his life (and the book) weave through the American and French revolutions and intertwine with quite a few other historic greats. I ended up very much empathizing with Jones throughout the book. I felt his frustration in trying to get the American Navy off the ground. I felt betrayed and offended as he was betrayed and offended through personal dealings. I have to attribute some of this to fine authorship. Speaking of authorship, I have to say the author is a little harsh on Jones at some points and I thought the books stopped maybe a few too many times to dissect his character flaws. Hey, we're all human, but this man was great. I'd follow him today. I have to strongly disagree with statements in the book's closing about JPJ's fitness for fleet command. The book follows his life to the very bitter end and, if you become emotionally invested, you'll put it down with bitterness. While the author made a few scholarly discoveries previous biographers had not dug up, he does not resort to TOO much invention either. I almost wish he had made up a plot line for Madame T__'s child or explained the dying prayer (was it salvation at last?). Questions to remain unanswered forever perhaps.
Rating:
Summary: "Officer of Fine Feelings"
Review: The book is very entertaining, due in part to quite a bit of supposition and the occasional sacrifice of objectivity. You will turn the pages. You will long for the days of wooden ships and iron men. The author paints a very interesting picture of John Paul Jones. He is made out to be somewhat of a manic depressive thrill seeker who, when not within an inch of his life or seducing the wife of a close friend, may be clinically depressed. "Fussy". Very easily slighted. Hypersensitive on issues of personal honor, almost paranoid. An accurate depiction? Who knows. So you get John Paul Jones, kind of a Heathcliff made good, almost suffocating until he gets his next chance to try and fulfill his death wish. Who is he trying to please and what is he trying to prove? Stepping back, it's a good period piece as the chapters of his life (and the book) weave through the American and French revolutions and intertwine with quite a few other historic greats. I ended up very much empathizing with Jones throughout the book. I felt his frustration in trying to get the American Navy off the ground. I felt betrayed and offended as he was betrayed and offended through personal dealings. I have to attribute some of this to fine authorship. Speaking of authorship, I have to say the author is a little harsh on Jones at some points and I thought the books stopped maybe a few too many times to dissect his character flaws. Hey, we're all human, but this man was great. I'd follow him today. I have to strongly disagree with statements in the book's closing about JPJ's fitness for fleet command. The book follows his life to the very bitter end and, if you become emotionally invested, you'll put it down with bitterness. While the author made a few scholarly discoveries previous biographers had not dug up, he does not resort to TOO much invention either. I almost wish he had made up a plot line for Madame T__'s child or explained the dying prayer (was it salvation at last?). Questions to remain unanswered forever perhaps.
Rating:
Summary: Lively account
Review: This book is as good as Joel Hayward's acclaimed new work on Lord Nelson called "For God and Glory". Both say something NEW about their subjects, and both are meticulously documented and expertly and engagingly written.
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