Lady with a Past: A Petulant French Sculptor, His Quest for Immortality, and the Real Story of the Statue of Liberty (Kindle Single) by Elizabeth Mitchell


Lady with a Past: A Petulant French Sculptor, His Quest for Immortality, and the Real Story of the Statue of Liberty (Kindle Single)
Title : Lady with a Past: A Petulant French Sculptor, His Quest for Immortality, and the Real Story of the Statue of Liberty (Kindle Single)
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 1614520178
ISBN-10 : 9781614520177
Language : English
Format Type : Kindle Edition
Number of Pages : 66
Publication : First published January 1, 2011

Much of what you learned in grade school about our most beloved American icon is wrong. For starters, the Statue of Liberty was originally meant for Egypt, conceived to be a slave greeting travelers on the Suez Canal. And when instead she landed on American shores, she wasn’t an outright gift from France, but the remarkable scheme of a grandiose Frenchman who tried to hustle everyone from Ulysses S. Grant to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in an attempt to get his colossus built—somewhere.

In this surprising and entertaining biography of America's most famous metal Amazon, Elizabeth Mitchell, author of the Byliner Original bestseller The Fearless Mrs. Goodwin, provides a portrait of not just the Statue of Liberty but her deluded creator. Powered by fierce ambition and ego, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi spent nearly two decades building Lady Liberty, which he considered to be less a symbol of freedom than a monument to himself. In Bartholdi's remarkable, mostly overlooked diary and in colorful letters to his mother—the model for Liberty's imposing face—Mitchell finds a comically self-serving artiste who looks down his Gallic nose at the young and burgeoning United States. But it’s those same "subpar" Americans who, in the end, get the job done. Timed to the 125th anniversary of the statue, Mitchell's book tells the real, unvarnished story of how Lady Liberty, beacon to the world, came to be.

Elizabeth Mitchell is the author of Three Strides Before the The Dark and Beautiful World of Horse Racing, Revenge of the Bush Dynasty, and the Byliner bestseller The Fearless Mrs. Goodwin.

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Praise for "Lady with a Past":

“Elizabeth Mitchell is one of the smartest writers I know and you won’t want to miss her take on our lady of the harbor.”

— Ron Rosenbaum, author of "Explaining Hitler" and "How the End The Road to a Nuclear World War III."

“Mitchell has written a page-turner, exposing the riveting history of the Statue of Liberty, a tale far more brilliant in its complexity than the short-hand version we all know. A stunning jewel of intrigue.”

— Martha McPhee, National Book Award finalist and the author of "Bright Angel Time," "Gorgeous Lies," "L'America," and "Dear Money."

Lady with a Past: A Petulant French Sculptor, His Quest for Immortality, and the Real Story of the Statue of Liberty (Kindle Single) Reviews

  • Derrick Jeter

    Lady with a Past is a quick read (which it is intended to be) about the little known and under appreciated history of how the Statue of Liberty came to be. Reading Mitchell's account of the iconic symbol of American liberty left me wanting more. This isn't a criticism of her work, since Byliner "book" are intended as long read articles, but served as an appetizer for a hearty meal. Yale University Press is coming out with a full length book in 2012 on Lady Liberty--one I hope satisfy my hungry curiosity. If not, I just might have to write that book myself.

  • Karna Converse

    Interesting history presented in a concise format.

    I read this, and will encourage my husband and our three teenagers to read it, in preparation for our trip to New York City. Mitchell shares more details about the challenges and the almost-didn't-happen story behind Lady Liberty's creation than any historical society display could possibly convey.

    A fast read and an enjoyable one for anyone who likes trivia and "the story behind the story."



  • Shanna

    Interesting history and some really well sourced material, i particularly enjoyed the trip across the country. The style of bringing tangential facts in as transitions is sometimes jarring, but in the end makes for a good read.

  • J.M.

    Interesting story behind one if the US's most iconic monuments and how it almost didn't come into being. I didn't know the true history of the Statue of Liberty and enjoyed this look back at the man behind the woman very much.

  • LaToya Davidson-Perez

    Enjoyed it from a historical standpoint but felt it was lacking something. Still, it's worth the read.

  • SweetPea

    This had some interesting tidbits about the history of the Statue of Liberty. Even though it was a quick read it seemed like some aspects could have been told with fewer words.

  • Patricia Bryant



    Quick, enjoyable read. Like so many Americans, I didn't know the entire story. What an eye opener!

  • Tania Kliphuis

    Quick. Interesting. Well-written.

  • Paul French

    interesting back story of Bartholdi and the Statue of Liberty project

  • Roberta

    Oddly confusing. May pick back up.