Wow!
I just finished this historical fiction jointly authored by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie. It has consumed me for several weeks. Hence the gap in my postings. With my first attempt at this genre, Panama Goldlisters, a work in progress, I have concentrated my reading effort in historical fiction. I did not realize until I downloaded the kindle version of My Dear Hamilton that it was a 700-page tome. But, well worth the time.
Not only is My Dear Hamilton a memorable read that keeps you turning pages, but it is also a gem for anyone interested in writing historical fiction. The authors extensive notes at the end will give you a real picture of why this is a difficult genre. Research, research, research.
Dray and Kamoie chose a unique perspective to write a book as if it were written by Eliza herself, including the prologue and afterword. The authors then expand on their views, and how they researched and wrote the book in an extensive “Interview with the authors.” This section alone is a must for anyone tackling the historical novel genre.
The impetus for the authors stemmed from their seeing the Broadway production Hamilton: An American Musical. In their words, “As historical fiction authors, we were humbled.”
They found tons of material on Hamilton, of course, including Ron Chernow’s definitive biography of Alexander, although, they thought he played little attention to Eliza. They did not find a single biography of her. The most outlandish historical bits: the court martials, riots, plagues, duels, sex scandals, revolutionary balls, and battles, are all real. To interpret her character, motivations, and contributions, however, they had to depend on the letters, and writings of the founding fathers around her.
Highly recommend this work for your reading pleasure.
Richard Marcott 