Publisher's Weekly Review
Mazzeo (Irena's Children) centers love and devotion in this satisfying cradle-to-grave biography, the first written about the wife of the first U.S. secretary of the treasury. Drawing from an impressive breadth of sources, Mazzeo shows what made Eliza, in the words of her husband, Alexander, the "best of wives, best of women." Born into a prominent New York family in 1757, Eliza Schuyler's young life was dominated by war, especially the American Revolution. That war netted her a husband, the hardworking, ambitious Colonel Hamilton, who later served as President Washington's secretary of the treasury. Mazzeo convincingly argues that Eliza's determination to emulate the sacrifice and loyalty of classical Roman wives is key to understanding their marriage and the truth about Alexander's infamous affair with Maria Reynolds, later revealed to be a coverup for financial misconduct that if revealed could have harmed not only the family but the Washington administration. After Alexander's death in the 1804 duel, Eliza still had half her life ahead of her. Mazzeo gives less attention to the years during which Eliza exercised her widow's independence, which is disappointing. Nevertheless, this is an expertly told story that's certain to captivate Hamilton fans and intrigue anyone interested in early U.S. history. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
The life of Mrs. Alexander Hamilton.When Eliza Schuyler (1757-1854) first met Alexander Hamilton, writes Mazzeo (English/Colby Coll.; Irena's Children: The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Saved 2,500 Children from the Warsaw Ghetto, 2016, etc.), "it was not love at first sight." But at a second meeting, "the spark between them was instantaneous." So began the relationship that would give Eliza her most enduring identity as the wife of a dueling Founding Father. The center of this biography is the affair Alexander confessed to having with Maria Reynolds. There has always been debate about the affair: Did it really happen, or did Alexander, who was Secretary of the Treasury at the time, invent the adulterous liaison to distract from more damaging rumors that he was committing insider trading? Despite the scandal, Mazzeo's Eliza appears stoic, loyal, and canny. Indeed, the author argues compellingly that what we know about Eliza's character suggests that the affair was a ruse. According to Mazzeo, Eliza stood by her man not because she was weak but because she was committed to protecting her family from the more serious downfall that would occur were Alexander found guilty of fraud. The narrative tends toward mostly charming yet sometimes flat vignettese.g., President George Washington sitting in Eliza's parlor and watching the Hamilton kids play. Describing Eliza and Alexander's wedding, Mazzeo casually mentions "family slavesunwrapping a wedding cake," but she devotes far more attention to the cake than to the Schuylers' use of enslaved labor. The prose is by turns trite ("Eliza would bury another part of her heart there in the graveyard") and breathless ("What happened next would change everything in her life and in her marriage and would force Eliza into making an agonizing decision"). The author devotes a scant 53 pages to the half-century after Alexander's death. Readers may wish for a more detailed treatment of Eliza's work, as a widow, with New York's Orphan Asylum Society.A middling biography of a worthy subject. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
With the success of the Broadway musical Hamilton, it seems only natural that an upswing in interest in both Alexander Hamilton (d. 1804) and his wife, Eliza, would follow. Fortunately, Mazzeo (Irena's Children) has created a highly readable book about a woman who lived in the shadows of the Founding Fathers yet was anything but a stock character. Born to an affluent family and raised both in society and on the frontier where she occasionally attended tribal councils with her father, Elizabeth Schuyler (1757-1854) was most comfortable in the country, though she adapted well to both worlds. Though quieter than her sisters, the socially astute Eliza succeeded in capturing the heart of the fickle Alexander. His later affair with Maria Reynolds, while rocking the nation, reportedly impacted the marriage less so, according to a fascinating theory by Mazzeo. The author also follows Eliza's life after Alexander-Eliza lived till her late 90s-and the local orphanage and public school she founded. VERDICT A luminous biography that brings Eliza to life as a relatable survivor, and will appeal to lovers of history and biography as well as fans of the musical.-Stacy Shaw, Denver © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
