My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton    by Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie Order:  USA  Can William Morrow, 2018 (2018) Hardcover, Softcover, CD      Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie is a masterpiece of historical fiction. At 662 pages, it's worth every hour it might take you to read it. Elisabeth Schuyler married Alexander Hamilton and began a life that had more than its share of ups and downs. The story is told as if Eliza is writing her autobiography. Most of the prominent people of that time show up in the novel - George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, Aaron Burr, James and Dolley Madison - and many more. After the American Revolution, Hamilton spent most of the time he had on this earth trying to create a Union of the scattered thirteen colonies. Eliza, when she wasn't giving birth to their many children, worked beside him to bring the colonies together to become one country. Hamilton was born of an unmarried couple and agonized over society's reaction should the truth be revealed. This fact did not diminish Eliza's love for her man. As hard as he worked to form a union, Eliza worked just as hard, helping him to achieve his goal. When she became a widow, she struggled to force the government to give her a widow's pension. Looks to me that politics are the same no matter what year or place. She was a strong woman. She had to be to move on after she discovered her husband's transgressions. Life is never easy, but Eliza sure learned that lesson early in her marriage. But she persevered and did the best she could under conditions that would have felled other women. My Dear Hamilton is an absorbing read and this Year of The Woman comes at just the right time for the rest of us to take a lesson from Eliza Hamilton. And to be proud to be a woman, just as she was. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Historical books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews