TLC Book Tour: My Dear Hamilton

I'm still waiting to see Hamilton, the musical (and it looks like I'll be waiting for years at this point), but I am enjoying all the books being published about this person who played such an integral role in our nation's creation.  

My Dear Hamilton is the second novel I've read about Hamilton's wife, Eliza.  It has been interesting comparing the two books as both are fictionalized versions of who this woman was.  

This is a magnificent recounting of not only Eliza Hamilton's life but also of the early days of the newly created United States of America.  Although this is a work of historical fiction, Dray and Kamoie have done extensive research about Eliza and offer historical notes at the end that explain certain differences between their version of events and other accounts of her life.  Because she lived so long ago, records do not exist about some of the events that have written about, but they have done their best to provide a realistic interpretation of this woman.

My Dear Hamilton was a novel that I wanted to just curl up with for an afternoon. I was transported back in time and could imagine the homes, the clothing, and life in the late 1700s and early 1800s.  Eliza rubbed elbows with so many important historical figures that I found myself exclaiming over each familiar name I recognized. I loved seeing how these people were connected to each other.

My favorite parts were about Eliza as a wife and mother. I loved hearing about her children and she was a compelling narrator of her life story. Although Eliza's relationships with both James Monroe and Lafayette are worthy of mention, these were not the portions of this book that appealed to me the most.  

With all the buzz about Hamilton, My Dear Hamilton would be a great place for anyone who wants to know more about Mrs. Alexander Hamilton.  People who already know a great deal about this woman should also find this book fascinating, and book clubs might want to consider it as well.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for providing a copy of this book for my review.  All opinions expressed are, as always, my own.

For more information, visit the HarperCollins website