"Eliza Hamilton: The Extraordinary life and times of the...." Topic

….WIFE OF ALEXANDER HAMILTON

"In this intelligent and insightful biography, Eliza Hamilton: The Extraordinary Life and Times of the Wife of Alexander Hamilton, Tilar Mazzeo makes it nearly impossible for the reader not to fall in love with the admittedly plain-looking, yet endearing, adventurous, and wildly interesting Eliza Schuyler Hamilton. While this work ultimately reads more like a novel than a monograph, it is quite rich in resources. Thoroughly researched and eloquently written, Mazzeo provides readers with the first fully comprehensive account of Eliza Hamilton's life. Because this work is formatted more in the popular style, scholars may struggle with Mazzeo's tendency to assert personal interpretations rather than providing details from Eliza's private materials. Still,in boasting deeply personal accounts of Eliza's life, Mazzeo's work possesses a profound sense of intimacy. With this investigation into the experiences of Eliza's early years in upstate New York, her relationship with her husband, Alexander, and her role as a philanthropist in her years as a widow, readers are afforded a great deal of insight into the thought processes of one of Revolutionary America's most remarkable women. Accordingly, Mazzeo's work is critical to the collection of casual history buffs and Hamilton fanatics alike. To say that Eliza Hamilton is difficult to put down would be an enormous understatement, and accordingly, this work has received resounding praise…"
Full review here

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Amicalement
Armadn

I have read this and would hesitate to call it a biography. More like historical fiction. There is very little in the way of primary source material. But a lot in the way of the author telling us how Eliza felt or thought. Considering there is very little in the way of documentation such as letters or diaries from Eliza I guess what we are given here is the authors opinion masquerading as research. Fine for fiction but not a serious biography.

The authors theory about the Reynolds affair is just silly and not followed by any serious historian. Not is there any documentation given by the author to support her theory. If, as she said there was never a straight this was to cover up financial misreading I am sure it would have been discovered by Albert Gallatin. He reported to Jefferson that after reviewing Hamilton's time as treasury Secretary he could discover no wrong doing.

Save your time and money. Stay away from book.

Thanks!

Amicalement
Armand