The Hamilton Affair

A Novel

By: Elizabeth Cobbs

Narrated by: Coleen Marlo

Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Set against the dramatic backdrop of the American Revolution, and featuring a cast of iconic characters such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and the Marquis de Lafayette, The Hamilton Affair tells the sweeping, tumultuous, true love story of Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler, from tremulous beginning to bittersweet ending - his at a dueling ground on the shores of the Hudson River, hers more than half a century later after a brave, successful life.

Hamilton was a bastard son, raised on the Caribbean island of St. Croix. He went to America to pursue his education. Along the way he became one of the American Revolution's most dashing - and unlikely - heroes. Adored by Washington, hated by Jefferson, Hamilton was a lightning rod: the most controversial leader of the American Revolution.

She was the well-to-do daughter of one of New York's most exalted families - feisty, adventurous, and loyal to a fault. When she met Alexander, she fell head over heels. She pursued him despite his illegitimacy, and loved him despite his infidelity. In 1816 (two centuries ago), she shamed Congress into supporting his seven orphaned children. Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton started New York's first orphanage. The only "founding mother" to truly embrace public service, she raised 160 children in addition to her own.

With its flawless writing, brilliantly drawn characters, and epic scope, The Hamilton Affair will take its place among the greatest novels of American history.

©2016 Elizabeth Cobbs (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Colleen Marlo's voice sounds like a robot

interesting story but the robotic inflection of the narrator made the book hard going. Too bad.

A terrific historical fiction novel

I really didn't think I would enjoy another book on Alexander Hamilton, but I was pleasantly surprised by how this was the perfect novel to read after so many books on Hamilton himself and with the Founding Fathers. Those readers who enjoy history will be familiar with the trend to encourage historians to write creative non-fiction, which is editor speak for "can't you make this famous person more interesting ?" The fact a novel allows the author to use Hamilton to create the story arc, but my Lord, she really hit a grand slam with character development. A superbly crafted novel that serves as a model for the form.

A riveting story

I couldn't stop listening. Alexander & Elizabeth became real to me not just names in history.

Great History Lesson

Alexander Hamilton incredible contributions to our American History are highlighted in this book. The fact that he had an illicit affair is not the meat of the book, but more of a sidelight. The story really highlights the way in which the citizens of that era lived and the personalities of our founding fathers.

Informs more than it entertains.

I bought this book because I wanted to know more of the story behind the musical, "Hamilton". Both come from the same source material. I found this version somewhat disjointed and difficult to follow as a narrative. Nevertheless, I did finish it. Although Eliza Hamilton outlived her husband by 50 years, her accomplishments on behalf of widows, slaves and orphans remains an afterthought to her husband's biography. She deserves to have her story told.

Touching but explosive

It covered the early years of our country with passion and grace.. I highly recommend this book.

The Hamilton Affair

I really enjoyed a historical history book on Hamilton! It was really well done !! I recommend it to anyone!

Enjoyable read.

Good narrator. loved it was based on true history, but read like a good fictional novel. learned a lot about history too. Highly recommend this book.

Kept my attention and I have a short span

Pretty decent book. Held my attention all the way through and I have a short window in which to win me over. Felt like she rushed through Hamilton's life up until the affair at which point she seemed to slow the pace down but once that was over she ran thru the rest of the story like a horse in the Kentucky Derby. Then again, the title of the book is The Hamilton AFFAIR so...

I definitely learned more about Hamilton and his family. However, the book made it seem like his wife was angry with him from the point of the affair onward, which is not the case. After his death, she worked tiredly to get his name cleared with regards to other false accusations. Although I'm sure she was hurt and embarrassed because if his affair, her actions tell me she forgave him. I think she truly loved Hamilton through the good and the bad.

AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY

Huge history buff and Hamilton fan ...

But this wasn’t it for me, unfortunately. Even though I’m deeply interested in the subject matter, I found this to be quite boring and the real-life characters not very well-developed. Partly my fault, though, I bought this on a whim without realizing it is historical fiction.

Good

Let me start by saying that I really wanted this book when I learnt that it was going to be published. When I tried to buy it, Amazon.co.uk told me that it wouldn't be available until May 2017, and I could pre-order it. Instead, I purchased it on Audible UK (which doesn't make much sense to me - like seriously, Audible is a part of Amazon and I was on the UK version for both so why such the difference??) and I listened to the audio book instead. I've really been getting into audio books lately, which is really strange because I've always struggled with them and this book does well on audio book.

Originally, I was really excited about this book because it's touted as a book about the relationship of Alexander and Eliza Hamilton. While, yes, it did do this, it does it a lot later than I expected, which I found kinda disappointing. I was expecting it to talk about their childhoods and then pre-meeting for a short while, but it seemed to last for at least half the book, and a lot of it seemed irrelevant to the plot (view spoiler), but the first half of this novel really felt like it was dragging.

I also felt like Eliza wasn't portrayed in a particularly good way. She came off more... weak than I think of her as when reading biographies. She was portrayed as a woman who needed Alexander to live, and while that may have been true of her opinion during their marriage, she lived fifty years longer than he did. I did like her portrayal after the Reynolds Pamphlet came out; (view spoiler). This is also linked with her childhood in the novel as she is described as wanting to help children and animals so the novel does have a continuing thread of characterization running through it.

However, for going into so much detail about their lives prior to meeting each other, not much attention is given to Eliza and the children after Alexander's passing, and fifty years is passed in (I think?) sixteen minutes. or a short epilogue like chapter. I found this rather sad really.

However, Cobb does a remarkable job of showing the trials and tribulations of marriage in the 1700s; the fears of pregnancy, the worry of the loss of both child and mother during pregnancy, the ongoing endemics of illness that waved through the cities every year.

Overall, I liked the novel, I would recommend it to people, but there were some inconsistencies and pacing issues that I didn't like which is why this book does not get 5 stars.