Book Synopsis:
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, 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 could never have created without her…
My Review:
This book was so good! I learned so much and felt so many emotions while reading. The prose was incredible and really moving, which helped it to convey even more emotion. I would definitely recommend this book if you’re a fan of the Hamilton musical.
I had tried reading the Ron Chernow biography that Hamilton was based off of, because I've wanted to learn more about that part of history every since I watched the musical, but I found it really hard to read and stopped after about two pages. Because it was a nonfiction book and the information was just straight facts, it wasn't entertaining. That's when I started looking for historical fiction books that are still factual and based off of real people. I found a lot, including this book, so I knew going into it that some details were slightly exaggerated or changed for the sake of the narrative. Despite that, it was still very informative and I learn so much, both from reading this book and doing my own research based on something in the book.
At the back of the book, the authors talk about what small changes they made from actual history and from the musical, and most of the content that isn't totally historically accurate is just what historians have to infer about Eliza based on what little is available about her. The authors had to take some creative liberties in writing the character as Eliza and imagine what she was like when she actually lived.
I really like how Eliza was portrayed in this book. It's slightly different to how she is written in the other Hamilton book I've read recently, Hamilton and Peggy, but her overall personality is the same. She went through a lot of growth from the beginning of the book to end, from a young girl in love to a woman who helped shape America.
The prose of this book and the way things were worded was so powerful. I actually felt sad during certain parts when Eliza was sad. Eliza experienced a lot of things and a lot emotions and I, as the reader, felt them along with her. This book also made me think about a lot of things. Alexander Hamilton's greatness is shown in this book, but so are his flaws. I thought a lot about the fact that, despite everything he's done to help found America, I've barely seen Alexander Hamilton's name in a history book.
My only problem with this book is a small one. I knew it was a romance, but I wasn't expecting so many love scenes. Nothing was described in detail but it still made me uncomfortable. That's one reason why this book wouldn't be good for kids or tweens. It also is a pretty high reading level, seeing as it's categorized as "adult" instead of "young adult". There are a lot of old-fashioned words that I had to look up and it's not written in a simple way for a kid to really understand. There's not any language except for the word b*stard when talking about Alexander's parentage.
In conclusion, I'm glad I read this book. I learned so much more new information about the Hamiltons and the American Revolution, while still being entertained by a great story. If you're a fan of the Hamilton musical or just a history buff, and you don't mind the slight historical changes, definitely give this book a read.
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