Last Refuge of Scoundrels: A Revolutionary Tail
Somewhere far to the south of history as we know it lies the truth. And somewhere not too far south of that lies this intriguing story. Lussier’s version of the American Revolution gives credit to the oddest couple history has ever seen: a plantation owner’s son named John Lawrence and a very patriotic prostitute named Deborah Simpson. The character Lawrence is based on a historical personage by the name of Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens. Simpson is a composite based primarily on Deborah Sampson, a cross-dressing patriot who actually fought with the Continental Army as a man.
This couple is burdened with more emotional baggage than any ten soap operas combined. Together they manipulate a decidedly unworthy group we know as the “Founding Fathers” into bringing about the revolution that changed history. The author paints the now-famous leaders on both sides of the war as self-serving, ill-mannered buffoons who wanted nothing of the principles on which the Constitution was supposedly based. The eye-opener here is that this witty and enjoyable novel rings closer to the truth than any version of history to date.
