Scan barcode
book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
If you don’t already know about Alexander Hamilton’s role as a founding father, then not only did you not pay attention in history class, but you’ve been living under a rock these past few years as the musical H✰milton has swept the Tony awards.
Cobbs is an historian, who also occasionally writes a work of historical fiction. She started researching this novel, got intrigued by the subject, and was told by her publisher that “No one knows about this guy or wants to read about him … Snooze!” But she was convinced that the story was a good one. Several years into the project, a friend told her, “You have to see the You-Tube video of this guy reading a rap poem about Hamilton at the White House!” (It was Lin Manuel Miranda, and this eventually became the hit musical.)
I thought I knew Hamilton’s story, but there were still things in this novel that caught my attention and made me take notice. I was interested and engaged from beginning to end.
Cobbs tells the story in alternating perspectives: Alexander and Eliza each get a turn at relating events. In this way we get some insight into each character’s background, guiding principles, joys, sorrows and desires. I really appreciated how strong a character Cobb’s Eliza is. And while Cobbs’ sympathies were clearly with Hamilton, she did not shy away from pointing out his faults, infidelity being perhaps the least of them.
Our F2F book group had a spirited discussion, made all the more enjoyable by a Skype visit from the author.
Cobbs is an historian, who also occasionally writes a work of historical fiction. She started researching this novel, got intrigued by the subject, and was told by her publisher that “No one knows about this guy or wants to read about him … Snooze!” But she was convinced that the story was a good one. Several years into the project, a friend told her, “You have to see the You-Tube video of this guy reading a rap poem about Hamilton at the White House!” (It was Lin Manuel Miranda, and this eventually became the hit musical.)
I thought I knew Hamilton’s story, but there were still things in this novel that caught my attention and made me take notice. I was interested and engaged from beginning to end.
Cobbs tells the story in alternating perspectives: Alexander and Eliza each get a turn at relating events. In this way we get some insight into each character’s background, guiding principles, joys, sorrows and desires. I really appreciated how strong a character Cobb’s Eliza is. And while Cobbs’ sympathies were clearly with Hamilton, she did not shy away from pointing out his faults, infidelity being perhaps the least of them.
Our F2F book group had a spirited discussion, made all the more enjoyable by a Skype visit from the author.
alyssajcori's review against another edition
2.0
I love historical fiction, and especially anything that has to do with the Revolutionary War. This novel was a great balance between the perspectives of Alexander and Eliza Hamilton. The story was paced well and I enjoyed it, but I found multiple editing mistakes (grammar related) which was a bummer.
writer09's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
karennext's review against another edition
When Alexander licked Eliza’s feet on their wedding night I was just done. This book sucks.
nik_payne's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
jamie44's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
albon's review against another edition
2.0
2018 review:
I probably should've expected it, but this is seriously one of the most boring books I have ever read.
I probably should've expected it, but this is seriously one of the most boring books I have ever read.
egoerdt's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
addietribbett's review against another edition
3.0
This book was pretty good. There were moments where I wanted to keep reading and not put it down, but unfortunately, there were other chapters that were just not as interesting. When I’d fall into those chapters, I wouldn’t want to pick the book back up to keep reading. I do appreciate the very close historical accuracy, but I do think the title is misleading, as the first half of the book serves as recollection of Alexander & Eliza’s lives before meeting one another. Part II of the book is much more riveting.
There were also numerous typos within this book, which I find very strange.
There were also numerous typos within this book, which I find very strange.
flowerwineandbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I definitely enjoyed reading this!
It was pretty true to the real story, filling in gaps and fixing slight misconceptions (to fit into time and songs, not blaming Miranda at all!) left by the amazing Broadway. I also loved being able to see into Eliza's mind much more.
Cobbs does well at writing with atmosphere in mind, and I feel like she stays VERY true to the characters. Specific phrases were used from letters and primary sources as well as odes to the Broadway that I enjoyed highlighting on my Kindle. (She even mentioned Jefferson wearing slippers during a meeting, which he did!)
Overall, her writing was challenging. Especially at first. This novel is written with the more fluent, narrative feel of an historical fiction combined with the dense-ness of information like that of a biography, just without any wordy explanations that leave me Googling a bit more than I'd like. I got used to the challenge though, and I have to say I really enjoyed reading this way after about halfway through.
A fun book to read, as long as you're paying attention. I also had the Hamilton Broadway soundtrack playing in my head as I would get to each iconic part. Just make sure you're already studied up a bit on specific Founding Fathers and Revolutionary War battles.
Major kudos to the author for this line in her Author's Note on the date she used for his birthday (it's weirdly disputed): "Since the evidence is speculative, and Hamilton was so unreasonably mistrusted in his lifetime, I've decided to honor him by taking his word." This made my heart so happy!
It was pretty true to the real story, filling in gaps and fixing slight misconceptions (to fit into time and songs, not blaming Miranda at all!) left by the amazing Broadway. I also loved being able to see into Eliza's mind much more.
Cobbs does well at writing with atmosphere in mind, and I feel like she stays VERY true to the characters. Specific phrases were used from letters and primary sources as well as odes to the Broadway that I enjoyed highlighting on my Kindle. (She even mentioned Jefferson wearing slippers during a meeting, which he did!)
Overall, her writing was challenging. Especially at first. This novel is written with the more fluent, narrative feel of an historical fiction combined with the dense-ness of information like that of a biography, just without any wordy explanations that leave me Googling a bit more than I'd like. I got used to the challenge though, and I have to say I really enjoyed reading this way after about halfway through.
A fun book to read, as long as you're paying attention. I also had the Hamilton Broadway soundtrack playing in my head as I would get to each iconic part. Just make sure you're already studied up a bit on specific Founding Fathers and Revolutionary War battles.
Major kudos to the author for this line in her Author's Note on the date she used for his birthday (it's weirdly disputed): "Since the evidence is speculative, and Hamilton was so unreasonably mistrusted in his lifetime, I've decided to honor him by taking his word." This made my heart so happy!