Eliza Hamilton

The Extraordinary Life and Times of the Wife of Alexander Hamilton

By: Tilar J. Mazzeo

Narrated by: January LaVoy

From the New York Times bestselling author of Irena’s Children comes a “vivid, compelling, and unputdownable…biography” (Christopher Andersen, #1 New York Times bestselling author) about the extraordinary life and times of Eliza Hamilton—trailblazing philanthropist, devoted wife of founding father Alexander Hamilton, and a powerful, unsung hero in America’s founding story.

Fans of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit musical Hamilton may know Eliza Hamilton only as the loyal partner of the nation’s founding father, but this biography reveals her full, dynamic story. Born into the elite Schuyler family in New York, Eliza Schuyler carved a path as a caring sister, devoted mother, and later a daring pioneer in philanthropy and legacy-building.

This expertly told historical biography follows her early years, the ups and downs of her married life with Alexander Hamilton—including the scandal and his tragic death—and then her courageous decades of preserving his legacy and launching one of New York’s first orphan asylums. Through a deeply researched narrative and vivid portraiture, discover a story that cemented her legacy as one of the unsung heroes of our nation’s early days.

Perfect for fans of Ron Chernow’s sweeping biographies, the Hamilton musical audience, or anyone passionate about women in the early United States, this book brings to life the woman behind the myth and honors her philanthropic achievements in the founding era.

Absolutely wonderful!!

Incredibly fun to listen to! Perfect presentation of a very interesting person. Well written and narrated. I'll be enjoying this one again soon.

I would have preferred hearing both sides of the Mariah Reynolds affair during the story

By not acknowledging both (or more) possibilities as to what really happened during the Mariah Reynolds affair, it feels that the author wasn’t being truthful with the reader. It made me feel suspect throughout the entire story. She never explained why she thought such a powerful man like Hamilton would have trusted or gone into business with a scoundrel like Jame’s Reynolds. Or why the Hamilton’s never really had a lot of $ if Alexander was really profiting from insider trading. She did a nice job with imagining Eliza’s what thoughts and feelings may have been though. though.

Great story-telling skills and end-of-book commentary.

I’ve listened to other Eliza Hamilton books and this is by far the best and most realistic. This version makes the most sense. The author and narrator offered great story-telling skills and I did not want to stop listening to this book.I was pulled in and made to feel like I knew her. I cried several times during the last hour, just like I did in the Hamilton book. Great book!!

The real Hamilton story…

The musical is terrific, but the truth lies in the story told in these pages.

Eliza is a Fascinating Character

Great book overall, but the storytelling is not my preferred style. Very well done but I prefer my biographies to be heavy on detail and less focused on emotional scene setting. I'm sure much of that is due to the fact that much of the source material for her life is focused on Alexander and the other powerful men around her. I would have liked more detail about her exploits after Alexander's death regarding the orphanage, shaping the narrative of Alexander's biography, and other philanthropic work.