“My Dear Hamilton” by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie - A Woman of the Revolution

Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie have established themselves as a powerhouse in historical literature, demonstrating a real knack for the ability to deliver accurate facts in entertaining fashion.

In their latest joint adventure, titled My Dear Hamilton, they explore the storied biography of a woman often overshadowed by history, Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, wife to founding father Alexander Hamilton.

Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie Embark Onto the Boat of Revolution

The founding of the United States of America is a history mired in blood, war and scandals of all sorts. A revolution against the British Empire could never truly have been a peaceful affair, and while countless people suffered, they also had the golden opportunity of truly making a difference in the history of the world... an opportunity which a few seized with a death grip.

I think it's safe to say the Founding Fathers belong to that group of people, assembling together the political system which would eventually evolve into the country we have today. While much is made of the men behind the constitution, less attention is dedicated to the people surrounding them, especially their wives.

In particular, Alexander Hamilton's wife, Eliza Schuyler Hamilton, is more than deserving of her own place in the pages of history, something Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie attempt to give her in their novel titled My Dear Hamilton.

This biographical work, while being classified as a novel, is very much factual to the core and doesn't attempt to re-imagine the truth we know about the woman.

The story begins where you would imagine any biography starting, which is Elizabeth's childhood and coming-of-age years during which she meets Alexander and falls in love with him.

Following that we have an examination of their eventual union as well as their uncertain life in the wake of the country's founding, punctuated by both blood and luxury in equal amounts.

Naturally, we get an insightful look in her tragic role in America's first political sex scandal. Finally, we move on to the later stages of her life when she tries her hardest to fight back against her husband's enemies and secure a legacy for both of them.

A Woman Not Defined by her Husband

More often than not, women in history are primarily identified via the men they were married to. In many people's minds, Eliza Hamilton was just that, the wife of Alexander Hamilton.

I will admit this was the case for me as well as I was never all that well-acquainted with Alexander's story beyond the broad strokes. I understood how much of a mistake it was pretty early on in the book.

Dray and Kamoie, from the very start, paint a very compelling picture of our protagonist, of a strong girl and eventually young woman with iron values who isn't afraid to go against the fray.

It didn't take very long for me to start perceiving her as her own person rather than merely someone's wife, no matter how important the man may be.

Quite a lot of focus is dedicated to depicting Eliza's life before her marriage, the dynamics and relationships she had in her family, especially those with her father and her sisters.

From an educative perspective, it's quite revealing to take such an intimate looks at the inner workings of a family back in those old and turbulent days, noting the peculiarities and similarities to our own.

The authors sure did a fantastic amount of research and it shows in the precision and depth of the details we're constantly offered up; in virtually every paragraph we are learning something, if not about Eliza and the people surrounding her, then about the past in a more general sense.

Ultimately, what we get is a ravishing painting of an extraordinary woman with a tremendous amount of inner strength and willpower living in a time where she certainly needed both of those.

An Era of Betrayal

If we take a moment to look past the educational values of this book and what it aims to teach us about history, then we are still left with a very true and poignant story of loyalty, betrayal and sacrifice. Eliza lived during some extremely turbulent times, and her family was at the centre of it all for the most part.

The pacing is actually much faster than I would have expected from this genre, helping the story maintain the allure of entertainment. It seems as we get deeper into the book, we start jumping with greater speed from one event to the next as it seems even fate itself begins to conspire against the Hamiltons.

Whether it's the sex scandal which left her humiliated or her husband's infamous duel, Eliza always seems to be in the thick of it, and honestly, if I hadn't known this was all factual and researched, I would have probably considered much of it fantasy.

I also quite liked the fact the authors placed an equal amount of focus on our protagonist's life after her husband's death. She outlived him by some fifty or so years, and with age her thoughts and meditations became only sharper and more tempered.

Her characterization in the latter parts of the book is quite fascinating as we witness the accumulation of years of hard-earned wisdom coming into play.

I admit I don't exactly know how much of it is true, but I am certainly inclined to believe the authors who weaved her character based on thousands of letters.

In other words, my impressions tell me they captured her about as accurately as one can based on the records which remain. In my opinion, few people actually have a life worth knowing, and even fewer have one worthy of being immortalized... and I believe that of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton certainly falls into the latter category.

The Final Verdict

In the end, My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie succeeds on every front, being a fantastically-written, compelling historical novel revolving around one of the more turbulent and sadly forgotten figures of the revolution.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in American history, and especially the segments which relate to the founding fathers and their wives who played a much bigger role than most will remember.

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Stephanie Dray Personal site Stephanie Dray is an American author who has the honour of being a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller. Her novel America's First Daughter turned a lot of heads and has so far been translated into eight languages. Her other works include My Dear Hamilton , Day of Fire, and Song of the Nile, part of the Novel of Cleopatra's Daughter series.

Laura Kamoie Personal site Laura Kamoie is a writer who dedicated much of her life to historical study and archeological training, always fascinated by the past and the mysteries it holds. She has a doctoral degree in Early American History from The College of William and Mary and has recently held the position of Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Naval Academy. She has penned a couple of non-fiction books, Ironsin the Fire and Neabsco and Occoquan, as well as co-authoring America's First Daughter and My Dear Hamilton with Stephanie Dray.