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  • Bolivar: American Liberator

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Bolivar: American Liberator

4.6 out of 5 stars (1,202)

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A brilliant biography that “reads like a wonderful novel but is researched like a masterwork of history” (Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs), this is the epic story of the famous South American general and statesman Simón Bolívar.

Simón Bolívar—
El Libertador—freed six countries from Spanish rule and is still the most revered figure in South America today. He traveled from Amazon jungles to the Andes mountains, engaged in endless battles and forged fragile coalitions of competing forces and races. He lived an epic life filled with heroism, tragedy (his only wife died young), and legend (he was saved from an assassination attempt by one of his mistresses). In Bolívar, Marie Arana has written a sweeping biography that is as bold and as passionate as its subject.

Drawing on a wealth of primary documents, Arana vividly captures the early 19th-century South America that made Bolívar the man he became: fearless general, brilliant strategist, consummate diplomat, dedicated abolitionist, gifted writer, and flawed politician. A major work of history,
Bolívar not only portrays a dramatic life in all its glory, but is also a stirring declaration of what it means to be South American.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Finally, Bolivar gets the sweeping biography he deserves. He was the greatest leader in Latin American history, and his tale is filled with lessons about leadership and passion. This book reads like a wonderful novel but is researched like a masterwork of history.” -- Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs

“This is a magnificent story. Deeply researched and written with clarity, honesty, and verve, Marie Arana’s book tells the life of one of the greatest heroes and founders in world history.’” -- Gordon S. Wood, author of Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789–1815, Alva O. Way University Professor and Professor of History Emeritus at Brown University

“With the eye and ear of a novelist, Marie Arana chants the epic of Bolivar with love, zest, and compelling authority.” -- Walter A. McDougall, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and Alloy-Ansin Professor of International Relations, University of Pennsylvania

“Simon Bolivar has found the perfect biographer in Marie Arana, a literary journalist, brilliant novelist of South America, and wise historian as well. Her portrait of Bolivar is human and moving; she has written a powerful and epic life and times." -- Evan Thomas, author of Ike's Bluff: President Eisenhower's Secret Struggle to Save the World

“Most North American historians have mentioned [Bolivar] only in passing, usually making 'the George Washington of Latin America' reference. . . . That conception obviously needed correction in the form of a comprehensive biography that makes Bolivar’s life accessible to a large readership in the United States.
Bolivar is unquestionably that book. . . . Bolivar is magisterial in scope, written with flair and an almost cinematic sense of history happening. . . . A monumental achievement destined to win some major literary prizes.” -- Joseph J. Ellis ― Washington Post Book World

"Wonderful. . . . In Arana's energetic and highly readable telling, Bolívar comes alive as having willed himself an epic life. . . . She brings great verve and literary flair to her biography of Bolívar." -- Hector Tobar ―
The Los Angeles Times

"Arana offers a clear-eyed assessment of the ideals, alliances, and human frailties that drove Bolívar’s choices and shaped the Americas." ―
The New Yorker

“Inspired. . . . Arana ably captures the brash brilliance of this revered and vilified leader.” ―
Kirkus Reviews

“Arana is an indefatigable researcher, a perceptive historian, and a luminous writer, as shown in her defining, exhilarating biography of the great South American liberator Simón Bolívar.” ―
Booklist (starred review, Top 10 Biographies of the Year)

“This well-rounded work reveals not just an accomplished military tactician but also an able statesman. . . . An important contribution to Bolivarian studies.” ―
Library Journal (starred review)

"A fascinating biography of the charismatic military leader who sparked a revolution." -- Abbe Wright ―
O Magazine

Epic is a word used too often to describe lesser work, but Marie Arana’s marvelously readable Bolívar: American Liberator is a biography that earns its adjective.” -- David Walton ― The Dallas Morning News

“Thrilling, authoritative and revelatory, here at last is a biography of Bolivar, the maker of South America, that catches the sheer extraordinary unique adventure and titanic scale of his life with accessible narrative and scholarly judgement.” -- Simon Sebag Montefiore

“A gripping biography of an epic life.” -- David O. Stewart ―
Washington Independent Review of Books

About the Author

Marie Arana was born in Lima, Peru. She is the author of the memoir American Chica, a finalist for the National Book Award; two novels, Cellophane and Lima Nights; the prizewinning biography Bolivar; Silver, Sword, and Stone, a narrative history of Latin America; The Writing Life, a collection from her well-known column for The Washington Post; and LatinoLand. She is the inaugural Literary Director of the Library of Congress and lives in Washington, DC, and Lima, Peru.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 8, 2014
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Reprint
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 624 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1439110204
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1439110201
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.44 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.13 x 1.7 x 9.25 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #75,148 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars (1,202)

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
1,202 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find this biography compelling and masterfully researched, with detailed information about Bolivar's life and Latin American history. The book reads like a novel and recounts his entire life story, with one customer noting it has many twists and turns. Customers describe Bolivar as an incredible man and one of the greatest men of the Americas, while the writing style receives praise for being brilliant and eloquent.
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120 customers mention content, 118 positive, 2 negative
Customers find the content of the book compelling and interesting.
Great book, Reads like a complex drama while teaching important history. The book is an excellent unbiased biography of Bolivar's life.Read more
Excellent book. This book is well written and very interesting.Read more
Arana's Bolivar is a great read. I have read a number of biographies of Bolivar, and this one is the best for the general reader....Read more
A good read--highly readable, interesting and informative with one huge drawback--a set of good maps for reference purposes and a list of major...Read more
91 customers mention informative, 84 positive, 7 negative
Customers find the biography informative and well-researched, describing it as one of the most powerful biographies with detailed information.
A good read--highly readable, interesting and informative with one huge drawback--a set of good maps for reference purposes and a list of major...Read more
This is a superb book, well researched and elegantly written. The author manages to combine a marvelous prose with a capacity to engage the reader....Read more
Great biography of a Latin American hero not well known in the U.S. This is also a great book to read for people who don't speak Spanish.Read more
Excellent biography of an amazing man. The book explains reasons why South America has had so many problems....Read more
60 customers mention writing style, 60 positive, 0 negative
Customers praise the writing style of the book, describing it as brilliant, eloquent, and well-crafted, with one customer noting how smoothly it flows.
Instructive, well written and very entertaining biography of an extraordinary man....Read more
...History written like a novel. Masterfully researched and beautifully written. Likely to be the best bio out there on the great man....Read more
Very well written and subject thoroughly researched. An enjoyable read especially so for history buffs....Read more
...Great read, well researched and written. Enjoyed!Read more
46 customers mention comprehensive, 45 positive, 1 negative
Customers find the book comprehensive and well-written, providing excellent insights into Latin American history and the life of Bolivar. One customer notes that it serves as required reading for American History courses.
Totally recommended! Excellent book and great historyRead more
An outstanding biography. An excellent history lesson. This academic work reads like a novel so most enjoyable and informative.Read more
Excellent history which reads with the intrigue and drama of a novel. I learned a great deal and couldn't put it downRead more
Excellent work. A great historical account and cause/effect analysis of Bolivar and South America.Read more
44 customers mention story, 41 positive, 3 negative
Customers appreciate the book's storytelling, particularly how it recounts Bolivar's entire life and deals effectively with the complex historical period, making it a great account of Latin American history.
...I felt I was traveling with the Liberator to every place he went. Amazing story and very prophetic to the ills that plague Latin America to this day....Read more
...It is a great story that will astound you at every page.Read more
...I am amazed at the details, the narrative an the historical accuracy....Read more
Beautifully written. Detailed and moving story of the liberator as a man and its struggle, passion and believes....Read more
31 customers mention readability, 26 positive, 5 negative
Customers find the book highly readable, noting that it reads like a novel and is easy to follow.
...An excellent history lesson. This academic work reads like a novel so most enjoyable and informative.Read more
A good read--highly readable, interesting and informative with one huge drawback--a set of good maps for reference purposes and a list of major...Read more
Easy read, and very enlightening.Read more
...I can’t recommend it highly enough. Lots of detail in an easy to read, engaging narrative about the wondrous life is Bolivar.Read more
27 customers mention engaging, 26 positive, 1 negative
Customers find the book engaging and fascinating, with one customer noting how the author makes the history interesting.
Well written, engaging, and with the corresponding impassionate flow that makes justice to the Liberator....Read more
Very well written, entertaining and informative. Marie Arana give us an enlightened view of revolution much different then ours....Read more
Marie Arana's Bolivar was captivating from beginning to end....Read more
Wonderful reading about an important figure in history. Fascinating subject, lots I did not know!...Read more
19 customers mention character, 18 positive, 1 negative
Customers admire Bolivar's character, describing him as an incredible man and one of the greatest men of the Americas.
...The work gives unprecedented views of Simon Bolivar's fascinating character and passion for liberty....Read more
...but is a very well written historical account if one of the greatest men if all times....Read more
Sympathetic but balanced portrail of a great American hero. Sacrificed so much for his homeland....Read more
...The author has made an extensive research on the life of this incredible man....Read more
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