nicolaspratt's review against another edition
4.0
An extremely thorough and consistently interesting view into the weird and wonderful life of Alexander Hamilton. Chernow is a master of brining a somewhat confusing, and often complicated life of one of the most important political figures in American history to life. Even though the book is on the longer-side, it is well worth the time to learn about such an interesting, strange, and compelling figure.
kindlereads's review against another edition
4.0
Reviewing a historical biography can be a difficult task, a genre for which the writing often veers to the monotonous. Yes, the Broadway musical Hamilton led me here. I can't say I'd have such a rabid interest in all things Alexander Hamilton/founding fathers if not for that weird collection of hip-hop musical numbers and a group of friend that won’t shut up about it all. I wouldn't have picked this book up if it weren't for the musical, and it wasn't exactly light reading, but I'm glad that I did. Before I did, I knew that Hamilton was the guy who was shot by Aaron Burr, and that he was on one of our bills. This book is through often a little too through. There were so many details that I have forgotten many part of his life and story but for the highlights.
Hamilton's ability to rise above a bastard's upbringing and his unsure beginnings to one of the highest offices of the US is one of those "American dream" stories that our forefathers built the cliché upon. Alexander Hamilton will make you feel bad about yourself. When he was about 19 years old, he had graduated from University and was also George Washington's aide. When he was about 30, he was one of the most successful lawyers in New York. Hamilton was responsible for writing the U.S. Constitution, and was in the process of building the U.S. Treasury Department from nothing which is amazing. He was a genuinely brilliant and astonishing man.
But, he was also a very proud and precise man who couldn’t or wouldn’t let things go, and that was his undoing. He could be arrogant and condescending and wouldn’t hold his tongue. He could pound you into the ground if you were wrong about anything. This kind of attitude wins you enemies- chief among them, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. His enemies made his life difficult by freezing him out of government but what made it all worse was Hamilton’s counteractions against his enemies. He was a caged animal the last years of his life because his talents were in their prime, but he had no meaningful outlet for them because he had burnt his bridges and created enemies among the political elite in power. And then he was shot dead which was his own damn fault, he set up his own death, he could have walked away but his pride wouldn’t let him. You can't help but wonder what might have been if he had lived and pulled his own head out of his own ass.
Hamilton's ability to rise above a bastard's upbringing and his unsure beginnings to one of the highest offices of the US is one of those "American dream" stories that our forefathers built the cliché upon. Alexander Hamilton will make you feel bad about yourself. When he was about 19 years old, he had graduated from University and was also George Washington's aide. When he was about 30, he was one of the most successful lawyers in New York. Hamilton was responsible for writing the U.S. Constitution, and was in the process of building the U.S. Treasury Department from nothing which is amazing. He was a genuinely brilliant and astonishing man.
But, he was also a very proud and precise man who couldn’t or wouldn’t let things go, and that was his undoing. He could be arrogant and condescending and wouldn’t hold his tongue. He could pound you into the ground if you were wrong about anything. This kind of attitude wins you enemies- chief among them, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. His enemies made his life difficult by freezing him out of government but what made it all worse was Hamilton’s counteractions against his enemies. He was a caged animal the last years of his life because his talents were in their prime, but he had no meaningful outlet for them because he had burnt his bridges and created enemies among the political elite in power. And then he was shot dead which was his own damn fault, he set up his own death, he could have walked away but his pride wouldn’t let him. You can't help but wonder what might have been if he had lived and pulled his own head out of his own ass.
cadi1976's review against another edition
4.0
This could’ve been five stars but was awfully dry in places. Meticulously researched but I just didn’t care about every single legislative squabble that he got into. Fascinating man though who shaped this country far more than he is credited (or even blamed).
xtinee's review against another edition
5.0
It's amazing how little of an 800 page biography a 2 hour musical can cover. I stupidly thought that by watching the musical Hamilton I knew about what Hamilton did but that is definitely not the case. The book is so thorough and his life is so much more interesting than I could have ever imagined. I liked the book as much as I like the musical and that's really saying something. It covered American history really well which was interesting for me and I liked the level of detail Chernow went into on all the characters and events surrounding Hamilton's life. I felt like he struck the perfect balance of giving enough information to understand context but not getting too deep into the weeds with things that weren't related to Hamilton. My only complaint was the length but I wouldn't have changed that it just required mental preparation.
katieem's review against another edition
4.0
Offfta this book at 36 hours long (audio) was a journey! I had no idea what I was getting into when I started it, but learned a lot! Alexander Hamilton has one of the most dramatic lives I ever heard of. In the middle it got a little dry and political as was to be expected. Overall a wonderful book, just wish it was a little more condensed
alliepeduto's review against another edition
5.0
36 hours of listening later...I now know everything I could have ever possibly wanted to know about Alexander Hamilton. I actually tried out Audible for this venture, and I would highly recommend the service, it's fantastic. Now obviously the main reason why I listened to 800+ pages worth of biography is because I am going to see Hamilton the musical in a month, but as a hard core history nerd I appreciated the extended look into someone I honestly didn't remember much about. I was borderline obsessed with the Revolutionary War as a kid (I know, I was super weird) but Hamilton always escaped my notice. His life was basically a soap opera (look no further than the Reynolds Pamphlet) but he did so much to shape the nation and the Constitution. He deserves all the accolades as one of the America's first and finest politicians
readingwithhippos's review
5.0
Since I’m not able to see the Broadway show Hamilton just yet, I had to channel my enthusiasm some other way, so I decided to read the 800-page biography of Alexander Hamilton written by Ron Chernow that inspired Lin-Manuel Miranda to write the musical. I was feeling optimistic, so I decided to listen to the audio version—all 37 hours of it. It took just over three weeks, and I loved every minute of it.
Chernow’s biography is a meticulously researched scholarly analysis that reads as addictively as a supermarket tabloid. Part of that is due to Hamilton himself and his fascinating life, but credit is also due to Chernow for his ability to tell Hamilton’s story in a consistently clear and propulsive way. You’ll know from the outset that Hamilton was killed in a duel by his sometime-friend and rival Aaron Burr, but the scene when the fateful meeting takes place is as breathless and compelling as fiction. Hamilton also got into some hot water in his personal life that makes for delightfully gossipy reading, which I always love. It’s easy to see why Miranda was engrossed enough by Hamilton’s life story to write a musical about it.
You can see my complete "Fangirling Over Hamilton" post here.
Chernow’s biography is a meticulously researched scholarly analysis that reads as addictively as a supermarket tabloid. Part of that is due to Hamilton himself and his fascinating life, but credit is also due to Chernow for his ability to tell Hamilton’s story in a consistently clear and propulsive way. You’ll know from the outset that Hamilton was killed in a duel by his sometime-friend and rival Aaron Burr, but the scene when the fateful meeting takes place is as breathless and compelling as fiction. Hamilton also got into some hot water in his personal life that makes for delightfully gossipy reading, which I always love. It’s easy to see why Miranda was engrossed enough by Hamilton’s life story to write a musical about it.
You can see my complete "Fangirling Over Hamilton" post here.