Review: My Dear Hamilton
By Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
641 pages
Published April 3, 2018 by William Morrow
Source: Purchased for myself
From Goodreads:
A general’s daughter…
Coming of age on the
perilous frontier of revolutionary New York, Elizabeth Schuyler
champions the fight for independence. And when she meets Alexander
Hamilton, General George Washington’s penniless but passionate
aide-de-camp, she’s captivated by the young officer’s charisma and
brilliance. They fall in love, despite Hamilton’s bastard birth and the
uncertainties of war.
A Founding Father’s wife...
But
the union they create—in their marriage and the new nation—is far from
perfect. From glittering inaugural balls to bloody street riots, the
Hamiltons are at the center of it all—including the political treachery
of America’s first sex scandal, which forces Eliza to struggle through
heartbreak and betrayal to find forgiveness.
The last surviving light of the Revolution…
When
a duel destroys Eliza’s hard-won peace, the grieving widow fights her
husband’s enemies to preserve Alexander’s legacy. But long-buried
secrets threaten everything Eliza believes about her marriage and her own
legacy. Questioning her tireless devotion to the man and country that
have broken her heart, she’s left with one last battle—to understand the
flawed man she married and the imperfect union he never could have
created without her…
Since watching the musical on Disney Plus last summer, I've been
obsessed with all things Hamilton. I read the 800 page Ron Chernow
biography, and was eager to learn more about Eliza. So many people
recommended this book to me, and I'm SO glad I read it. The authors did
an absolutely fantastic job of doing the research for this novel, and
documenting what parts of the book were historically accurate and what
changes they made (and why) in the Authors' notes.
The book was a
beautifully written, emotional read that I could not put down. Despite
the book's 600 page length, I flew through it in less than a week. I was
so impressed with this book, and loved reading the story in this way.
The musical and Chernow biography briefly touch on Eliza's life after
Alexander's death, but this book really dives into all the work she did
for the five decades she lived after his death. She is such an
inspirational woman in so many ways, and this book does an amazing job
of showing that. I'm sure you've heard the saying "behind every great
man is a great woman"--well, that woman is absolutely Eliza Hamilton.
If
you're as obsessed with Hamilton as I am, or love historical
fiction--this is a must read. Guaranteed to be on my top ten books of
the year!
This author duo also has another book--"America's First
Daughter, all about Thomas Jefferson's eldest daughter Martha "Patsy"
Jefferson Randolph. I will be ordering that book ASAP!
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