I so enjoyed reading this account of Alexander Hamilton and Eliza. I've seen Lin Manuel Miranda's musical two times and a lot of what is covered in the musical is covered in this book. It was not boring because of this, it just reinforced what I had already learned from the musical. The book goes, of course, much more in depth and I truly enjoyed every minute of it. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed this book until now, a month later after reading the last page, I am still thinking about that time period and those people. Truly a testament that it has left an indentation upon my life.
This really deserves 4.5 stars, but I can't round it up all the way to 5 stars. That said, I TRULY enjoyed this BIG book (643 pages), but realize it won't appeal to everyone - even true fans of historical fiction. I think the reader needs to be interested in both the time period (late 1700's, early 1800's) AND in politics of the day. There is a LOT of politicking in this book, which was fine for me, but some will be bored with it. This is the first novel I've read by Stephanie Dray and oh my goodness, it was SO beautifully written! I will admit that the beginning captured me as we learned to know who Eliza Schuyler Hamilton was.... the middle part dragged just a little, but was still important to the story.... and the end was riveting! I learned SO MUCH about the early years of my country and definitely want to read more about this era in the future. If you enjoy American history, this book is fabulous. So glad I read it!!!
