Review of “The Great Upheaval: America and the Birth of the Modern World, 1788-1800” by Jay Winik

Jay Winik gives adjectives a real workout in this entertaining but hyperbolic account of the events roiling the end of the 18th Century, focused mostly on the French Revolution but also on the American Revolution and the empire building of the Russians. [He doesn’t manage to make much of a connection among the three except that (a) these were exciting times all over and (b) the parties concerned were all paying some attention to what was going on elsewhere. Catherine, however, was rather isolated and moreover fixated on the Ottoman Empire and getting a warm water port on the Black Sea. And Winik completely omits the influence of England’s Revolution of 1688 – still very much on the minds of her colonists – but presumably unimportant for not having occurred in the twelve years or three countries Winik is covering.]

In long strings of clauses laden with excess verbiage, Winik describes the history of the times by recounting the “unmitigated horror,” the “momentous decisions,” the “dreaded specter,” the “clarion call” -– you get the idea. His clauses sometimes sound like personals ads: “incorrigibly flawed yet ironically suited,” “inspired yet quixotic,” “uncommonly brave yet psychologically frail.”

Triteness is not a barrier to Winik – he has no qualms about describing “golden shores,” “quickening pulses,” or “words dripping with emotion”; nor about exclaiming that “behind this legend was a man” who was “of fabled status,” or “it was a fateful day,” but “it was not to be”. Alliteration also has great appeal in his tour of the adjectives: “audaciously assumed,” “terrible toll,” “defiantly demanded,” “frenzied fighting.” But where he waxes most florid in his verbal outpourings is in the tales of war: “ghastly massacre,” “blood flowed like rivers,” “bestial fighting,” “crushing defeat,” “murderous enemy,” “brutally decapitated” (is there a non-brutal decapitation?).

Evaluation: When I wasn’t rolling my eyes, for the most part I was enjoying the stories. A blow-by-blow account of the lead-up to the guillotining of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette may not be among the most important aspects of the French Revolution, but it sure makes for good drama. Likewise, the story of Catherine the Great’s suppression of a peasant revolt amid the complications of her love affair with Grigory Potemkin is quite interesting. So I would, in fact, recommend this book for a diverting romp through an important time for global politics, even though you’ll want to keep a few pillows around you to punch while you read.

Rating: 3/5

Published by Harper, 2007