Washington Burning: How a Frenchman's Vision of Our Nation's Capital Survived Congress, the Found...
The Riveting Story of the Federal City and the Men Who Built It
In 1814, British troops invaded Washington, consuming President Madison̵... read full description
In 1814, British troops invaded Washington, consuming President Madison̵... read full description
reviews
Aug 21, 2008
Tony
rated it: 
Standiford, Les. WASHINGTON BURNING: How a Frenchman’s Vion for our Nation’s Capital Survived Congress, the Founding Fathers, and the Invading British Army. (U.S. – 2008). ****. As you might guess from the subtitle, the book is about more than the burning of Washington by the British in 1814. Standiford is a professor at Florida International University in Miami, where he directs the Creative Writing Program. I first hooked up with him when he was writing crime novels – all of which wer
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Oct 03, 2008
Lisa
rated it: 
I enjoyed the subject matter, not a normally treated subject from that time period. I also didn't realize how much a hot political issue it was to locate the federal city where Washington is today and how much the decision shaped the political structure of compromise and give and take that symbolizes the American embodiment of government. The intrigue and the politics behind the building of the federal city, both the first time and then after the sacking by the British, as well as the many cha
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Oct 19, 2008
Cindy
rated it:
The description calls it 'riveting.' I think that's being a little kind. At first I was interested in the story of Peter Charles L'Enfant, the architect who planned the city of Washington. But the story bogged down in detail pretty fast. Then the story would get so far ahead, then in the next chapter back up to some insignificant detail. I really found the story of the British invasion and destruction of Washington in 1812 to be great reading, but then the story slowed down again with more detai
More...
Jul 04, 2008
J
rated it: 
I wouldn't go so far as to claim what the book jacket does -- that "the narrative is as absorbing as that of any good novel" -- but I found the material interesting and think Standiford did a great job considering that the only verbatim dialogue came from diaries, letters, articles.
A few of the bits that made an impact on me -- 1. the notion that D.C.'s location was not a surefire thing, 2. that it had several names (incl. Federal City and Washingtonople) beside Washingto More...
A few of the bits that made an impact on me -- 1. the notion that D.C.'s location was not a surefire thing, 2. that it had several names (incl. Federal City and Washingtonople) beside Washingto More...
Sep 21, 2010
Kurt
rated it:
I picked up this book because I wanted to start to be intentional about knowing some of the history of Washington. This provides pretty good insight into the creation of the city, but I have to admit doesn't do a very good job of describing the actual construction of the city. It is truly just about the struggle to choose the capital and design parts of it (mostly the Capitol and the White House). Not bad, not great, but a good introduction to how the city was founded and pretty well written.
More...
Oct 30, 2011
Adrian
rated it:
This is a well-researched, but sometimes dry history. I suppose it doesn't help much that everytime they quote the story's main protagonist, L'Enfant, his convoluted and sometimes tortured syntax slows progress down to an absolute crawl.
Nov 04, 2008
Ora
rated it: 
This book sounded promising but was boring until the last few chapters when it gets to the war of 1812 and the renewed interest of the cities architect 70 years after his death.
The author does a nice job at the beginning of tying the idea of the terrorism of 9/11 to the burning of Washington, D.C., and then he ties that back nicely at the end.
The rest of the book is like reading the minutes of Congressional meetings.
The author does a nice job at the beginning of tying the idea of the terrorism of 9/11 to the burning of Washington, D.C., and then he ties that back nicely at the end.
The rest of the book is like reading the minutes of Congressional meetings.
Nov 17, 2009
Seems pretty good so far . Starts with a background of the French designer of DC
Nov 06, 2011
Mike
rated it:
This book was not very good and I do not think I will ever finish......not worth the time
Sep 21, 2010
Very interesting and worth reading to expand one's understanding of the origins of our capital city. And that Congress is the same as it was 200 years ago.
Jan 28, 2012
Dec 28, 2011
Sep 29, 2011
Sep 12, 2011
Sep 07, 2011
Aug 06, 2011
Aug 05, 2011
Aug 04, 2011
Aug 03, 2011
Jul 29, 2011
Jul 29, 2011
Jul 27, 2011
