Fiction Review: My Dear Hamilton

Last fall, I complained about - and then lauded - a 600-page historical novel, Americas's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie, that I read for my neighborhood book group. Short story is that I dreaded reading it and thought I'd hate it but was pulled in by chapter 2, ended up loving it (see review at link), and never wanted it to end! So, this winter, my other book group chose the second book from these two amazing authors, My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, and - well, ditto. I guess I'm a slow learner because I once again wasn't looking forward to reading it and then absolutely loved it. These two women are incredibly talented, writing engrossing, fascinating novels from the perspective of the important women in our Founding Fathers' lives. In this case, the subject of the novel is Eliza Hamilton, wife to Alexander Hamilton.

The novel opens in 1777 in the wilds of Albany, when Eliza was a young woman in her parents' home during the Revolutionary War. Her father was General Schuyler, her mother was descended from Dutch New Netherlanders, and they lived in a lovely home close to where some of the Iroquois tribe lived. Known as Betsy at the time, Eliza grew up with her older sister, Angelica, and her younger sister, Peggy. Eliza loved the outdoors and felt at home both among the dignitaries who came to eat at her father's table and among the Iroquois, who adopted her and allowed her to attend Indian conferences with her father. Eliza was at the center of the founding of our country from the earliest pages of this novel, as a general's daughter, helping out as a nurse during some of the worst periods of the war, knowing Benedict Arnold when he was still an American hero, accompanying Lafayette and James Monroe to a meeting with the Iroquois to ask for their support in the war, and of course, eventually meeting and marrying Hamilton, who helped to establish and define our government in many important ways. Even after Hamilton's early death, Eliza was not only a mother dedicated to her own children but also a woman determined to help other widows and children without families through charity work and eventually establishing her own orphanages. She lived into her 90's and, along with Dolley Madison, was one of the last remaining representatives of the Founding Fathers at the unveiling of the Washington Monument.

As is obvious even from that very brief synopsis, Eliza lived an incredible, impactful life, taking part in the birth of our nation and living long enough to see it grow into a solid democratic government that was held up as a model for other nations. Most of the Founding Fathers and their wives - including George and Martha Washington - were among her closest friends. But her impact was not only in being an observer to history. Eliza played a huge role herself, both as Hamilton's wife and closest colleague in his many writings and in her own right, long after he was gone. What struck me most about this captivating book was how little things have changed in almost 250 years! The details of the controversies and issues that often separated Hamilton from his contemporaries are still being fought in politics today: federal vs. state powers, malicious media that can't always be trusted to report the facts, the electoral vote vs. the popular vote, and even sex scandals.

As with America's First Daughter, I was riveted from the first pages, by both the intricate story of an interesting and influential woman and by the historical details, which are rarely seen from a woman's perspective. For those who are bothered by historical fiction because they can't tell what is real and what is made up, the authors have written an extensive Note from the Authors in the back which details where they got their information, what is historical fact, and what they had to piece together with their imaginations - as they say, the most unbelievable stuff is the true stuff! I learned so much reading this novel - why wasn't history class in school ever this interesting? - that I drove my husband crazy interrupting his reading to say, "Hey, did you know..." But I was also enthralled, from beginning to end, by an incredible, well-told story of a strong and remarkable woman. Dray and Kamoie are talented historians and storytellers, and I can't wait to see what they come up with next.

These are excellent books for book groups to read - there is so much to discuss that I think we could have continued on for hours!

621 pages, William Morrow

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Listen to a sample of the audio book. I read the book in print, but the audio sounds good.

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