“An edge-of my sear immersion into historical events…No study of Alexander Hamilton would be complete without reading this book.” —Karen White, New York Times bestselling author“The best book of the year!” —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice NetworkWife, Widow, and Warrior in Alexander Hamilton’s quest for a more perfect unionFrom the New York Times bestselling authors … Hamilton’s quest for a more perfect union
From the New York Times bestselling authors of America’s First Daughter comes the epic story of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton—a revolutionary woman who, like her new nation, struggled to define herself in the wake of war, betrayal, and tragedy. Perfect for fans of Ron Chernow’s biography Alexander Hamilton and fans of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton: the Musical.
In this haunting, moving, and beautifully written novel, Dray and Kamoie used thousands of letters and original sources to tell Eliza’s story as it’s never been told before—not just as the wronged wife at the center of a political sex scandal—but also as a founding mother who shaped an American legacy in her own right.
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 imperfect union he could never have created without her…
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Even though it is historical fiction, it brings history to life through what had to be a tumultuous time. I highly recommend this book to history lovers and American Revolution buffs.
Better than I expected. Learned a lot.
Great history! Very well written
Very different from my normal reading and thoroughly enjoyed it!
I loved this book! I fell in love with Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie as authors when I read “The First Daughter” about Thomas Jefferson’s daughter. That is why I wanted to read this one. I was not disappointed. I felt I was among these people at the time this historical period was actually occurring. Eliza was unknown to me until this well-researched book. Now I feel I know her as a real person and the circumstances she faced. I am looking forward to the next book by Ms. Dray and Ms. Kamoie. I love reading books about the wives of men who made a difference in history because they were also a huge part of that history.
I wish I could give it more stars! Although this book was about Eliza, I learned so much more about Hamilton himself. I need to read Chernow’s book and see the Broadway play to learn more about him.
This book had me so immersed in our founder’s history. I learned much about the historical people of that time which I never learned in any of my history classes. Even though this book is based on her life, I found their depth of research and attention to detail made to novel as close to a history book as possible. The conversation with the authors at the close of the book put everything in perspective.
I also loved Eliza’s description of marriage and love to be heartwarming.
Read this! You will love it!
A literary time capsule!
Deeply moving and completely absorbing, this book took me back to the beginnings of our country and into the mind & heart of Eliza Hamilton! I saw what she saw, stepped where she stepped, and felt what she felt – her emotions, her love of family, her determination, her triumphs, her heartbreak, and her thoughtfulness and kindness. I had not known much about Alexander Hamilton’s wife before reading this book, so I’m very grateful to Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie for so vividly bringing her life to these pages for readers. What an amazing woman she was! This quote from the book says it so well: “My dear lady, you combine the innocence of the dove with the wisdom of the serpent.” I’ve read and loved both of the books co-written by Dray and Kamoie and look forward to reading the next one!
The writing is superb. It carries the readers back to the Revolutionary War and beyond and immerses them into that world.
We all know the name Alexander Hamilton and that he was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr. We all know Lafayette helped us win our war of independence. But the research done to give us the back stories of these men and the world and times in which they lived makes history read like a compelling, page turning drama. It is told from the perspective of Hamilton’s wife who went on to be a tremendous force for good. Her personal story is simply spellbinding!
I had no real idea the impact that Hamilton really had over the rights and liberties we all enjoy today!
I was confused on whether the authors wanted to write historical fiction or history. Some of the added romantic details took away from the well researched history. I still enjoyed learning about Eliza Hamilton.
I really enjoyed this book because you can actually relate to Eliza and she has a huge personality! Despite being a huge Hamilton fan and already knowing the store, this book was so interesting and I absolutely loved it! Normally, I cannot read romance because I find it incredibly boring and predictable but this did not feel like romance.
After listening to and practically memorizing “Hamilton: The Musical,” and then reading Hamilton’s biography, I couldn’t resist this version of the story from Eliza’s POV. It absolutely did not disappoint, and it also filled in lots of additional details that I didn’t get from Hamilton’s perspective.
While most historical retellings tend to stick to dry recitation of facts, this was different because it was a novel, and much the better for it. I loved the fact that it was told in first person from Betsy’s–later Eliza’s–perspective, and the reader only gets to know what she knew at the time, even though (being well acquainted with the story) I had a broader perspective. The authors admitted in an overview at the end that they took license here and there for the purpose of the narrative, but they never actually rewrote anything (unlike the musical); instead, they inferred what might have happened where the historical records left gaps. Whereas the musical version of Eliza seemed a bit like a sap, and not nearly as compelling a character as her sister Angelica, I absolutely loved her in this. I have great admiration for her fortitude and goodness, and great sympathy for all she endured. I had the impression from the musical and from Hamilton’s own biography that any love he had for her grew out of a sense of duty, while she blindly adored him until learning of his infidelity–after which history does not record how she responds, except to say that after his death she spends the next 50 years of her life fighting to make sure the history books remembered her husband’s accomplishments (implying that she forgave him). Seeing the story through her eyes, though, they are a very well-matched pair, and seemed to have a great marriage–so much so that even I was stunned when he revealed that he’d had an affair. I thought, surely the affair must be coming much later. He couldn’t have cheated on her while things had been going so well… could he?
And I believed his remorse, too. I even began to wonder whether the other reports I’d heard about his flirtatious relationship with Angelica had been historically inaccurate, because there was so little evidence of it from Eliza’s perspective… until after Angelica and Hamilton are both dead. I FELT this with Eliza… her emotions are so raw and understandable and real as she wrestles with how to make peace with her memories of the two people she loved most in the world, who may or may not have betrayed her.
The scope of the story is of course immense, as it covers the entire founding of America, and is populated with an “all-star” cast of historical figures, all of whom were Eliza’s contemporaries, friends, and sometimes enemies. The story is all the more compelling because it is also true. What a fantastic way to study history!
My favorite book of the year!
This book was extremely engaging from the start. Very interesting and entertaining.
When I saw the length of this book I thought no way but I will start and see how it goes. I loved everything about it. A great historical overview and it held my attention all the way. I even went and did more research. Many many thanks to the authors who could not have done a better job.
This is an excellent historical based fiction read. It is ver long, but engaging I learned quite a bit of history also.
If you love historical novels, you will love this book. It had everything in it for a great novel. I knew nothing about Hamilton, except he was a founding father, until I read this book.
With the popularity of the musical, Hamilton, I realized I know nothing about this historical figure. I came across an editorial discussion of My Dear Hamilton and thought it would be interesting to read about Alexander Hamilton from his wife’s viewpoint. The woman certainly lived in her own world. The song, “Stand by Your Man” could have been written about Eliza Schuyler Hamilton. Her love for her country and for Hamilton was undeniable. The book is easy to read and held my attention. I learned a lot about the dissention in our country in its earliest days ( not unlike today).
Great history from a woman’s point of view
The musical Hamilton has been a smash hit Broadway musical gaining attention in the news and entertainment world. This historical fiction book is written from the perspective of Alexander Hamilton’s wife. It has historical facts but also down to earth interpretations from the characters in the book. Very intriguing going into the personalities and insights of characters we have known mostly in history books.
Could not put it down’