Review
Parrot and Olivier in America is a rich, intricate historical novel which places two very different foreigners in the middle of a completely alien society: American democracy in its infancy. Olivier is a spoiled young French aristocrat, a foppish prig unwillingly sent overseas by his worried parents. John Larrit (aka "Parrot") is the talented son of an English engraver, hired ostensibly to be Olivier's servant but in fact sent to keep him out of trouble. These dissimilar characters allow readers to take a step back from what they know of this early period in United States history to experience it from two disparate, contrasting viewpoints, creating a sense of freshness and nostalgia for a more innocent America, the land of opportunity where anything is possible.
Parrot and Olivier in America is loosely based on the life of Alexis de Tocqueville and his...
Beyond the Book
Alexis de Tocqueville
Alexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville was born in Paris on July 29, 1805. His parents, both of aristocratic background, narrowly avoided the guillotine during the aftermath of the French Revolution, and were exiled to England. They were later able to return to France during the reign of Napoleon. His father supported the Bourbon monarchy, eventually becoming Prefect of Versailles in 1826 and made a peer by Charles X in 1827.
Tocqueville entered the College Royal in Metz in 1821, at the age of 16, to study philosophy, and it was during these years that he began having doubts about the role of the...
