The Hamilton Affair
Elizabeth Cobbs, 2016
Arcade Publishing
433 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781628728552
Summary
Set against the dramatic backdrop of the American Revolution, and featuring a cast of legendary characters, The Hamilton Affair tells the sweeping, tumultuous, true story of Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler, from passionate and tender beginnings of their romance to his fateful duel on the banks of the Hudson River.
Hamilton was a bastard and orphan, raised in the Caribbean and desperate for legitimacy, who became one of the American Revolution's most dashing — and improbable — heroes. Admired by George Washington, scorned by Thomas Jefferson, Hamilton was a lightning rod: the most controversial leader of the new nation.
Elizabeth was the wealthy, beautiful, adventurous daughter of the respectable Schuyler clan — and a pioneering advocate for women. Together, the unlikely couple braved the dangers of war, the perils of seduction, the anguish of infidelity, and the scourge of partisanship that menaced their family and the country itself.
With flawless writing, brilliantly drawn characters, and epic scope, The Hamilton Affair tells a story of love forged in revolution and tested by the bitter strife of young America, and will take its place among the greatest novels of American history ever written. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—July 28, 1956
• Where—Gardena, California, USA
• Education—B.A., University of California-San Diego; Ph.D., Stanford University
• Awards—(see below)
• Currently—teaches history at Texas A&M University
Elizabeth Cobbs holds the Melbern Glasscock Chair in American History at Texas A&M University and is a research fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution. She is a historian, commentator, and author of seven books, including two novels, a textbook, and three non-fiction works. She is also credited as screenwriter on the film adaptation of her book American Umpire.
Background
Cobbs was born in Gardena, California, and began her writing career at the age of 15, serving as a community organizer and publications coordinator for the Center for Women's Studies and Services in Southern California. During this period, she founded and headed several innovative projects for adults and young people. In recognition for her efforts, she earned the international John D. Rockefeller Youth Award in 1979 — at the age of 23 — for exceptional service to humanity.
Cobbs studied literature at the University of California, San Diego and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1983. She earned her M.A. and PhD in American History from Stanford University in 1988. While at Stanford, she won the David Potter Award for Outstanding History Graduate Student. Following graduation, she won the Allan Nevins Prize from the Society of American Historians for best dissertation on U.S. history.
She taught nine years at the University of San Diego, becoming chair of the History Department, and then accepted the Dwight E. Stanford Chair in of American Foreign Relations at San Diego State University.She has been a Fulbright scholar in Ireland and a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington D.C.
In 2008, Dr. Cobbs served on the jury for the Pulitzer Prize in History, and from 1999 to 2006, she served two terms on the Historical Advisory Committee of the US State Department from, advising the government on the declassification of top secret documents and transparency in government.
Books and publications
Dr. Cobbs has published over 40 articles in newspapers and magazines in the United States such as The Jerusalem Post, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Reuters, China Daily News, National Public Radio, Washington Independent, San Diego Union Tribune and several other distinguished publications, including several pieces for The New York Times. Her first nonfiction book, The Rich Neighbor Policy (1988, 1992), won the Allan Nevins Prize from the Society of American Historians (as a dissertation) and later the Bernath Prize from the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations (as a published book).
She has since published six more books about American history and politics, winning four literary prizes: two for nonfiction and two for fiction. She also wrote and co-produced the PBS documentary American Umpire which is based on her book of the same name. It explores America's foreign policy "grand strategy" for the next 50 years.
Books
1992 - The Rich Neighbor Policy: Rockefeller and Kaiser in Brazil
1998 - All You Need Is Love: The Peace Corps and the Spirit of the 1960s
2002 - Major Problems in History, Vol. II (co-editor)
2011 - Broken Promises: A Novel of the Civil War
2013 - American Umpire
2016 - The Hamilton Affair
2017 - Hello Girls: America's First Women Soldiers
Awards
2009 - San Diego Book Award
2009 - Director's Mention, Langum Prize in American Historical Fiction
1993 - Stuart Bernath Book Prize, Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations
1989 - Allan Nevins Prize, Society of American Historians (for Ph.D. dissertation)
(Author bio adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 10/27/2017.)
Book Reviews
Historic scholarship and creative music have suddenly turned Alexander Hamilton into one of the hottest of the nation's Founding Fathers. The Hamilton Affair promises to turn up the heat even further. Elizabeth Cobbs' superb novel about the many lives and perils of Hamilton and his wife Eliza adds delights and insights that are as fascinating as they are fun. Think of it as a terrific companion to all things Hamilton.
Jim Lehrer - Formerly of PBS News Hour
Cobbs' novel presents a thoroughly researched portrait of the Hamiltons that makes you feel like you are in the room where it happened. It's a bouquet to obsessed [fans], but this well-written novel is enough to keep the lay reader satisfied, too.
Miami Herald
Author and historian Elizabeth Cobbs' fictionalized spin on the life of the founding pops and his better half, Eliza Schulyer, is a juicy answer to Ron Chernow's Alexander Hamilton.
Cosmopolitan
[A] captivating historical novel from cover to cover, vividly recreating Hamilton's dramatic and inspirational life story. Highly recommended for both public library collections and personal or book club reading lists, The Hamilton Affair is all but impossible to put down.
Midwest Book Review
Cobbs's depiction of Hamilton will endear him in the hearts of readers and shed light on one of the most misunderstood figures in American history and the woman who shared his life.
Publishers Weekly
(Starred review.) [L]ove so deep it was able to survive betrayal and a devastatingly public scandal.… Hamilton's true story is so fantastical, it is amazing that it has taken this long to transform his life and times into a national sensation.
Booklist
Cobbs's depiction of Hamilton will endear him in the hearts of readers and shed light on one of the most misunderstood figures in American history and the woman who shared his life without catchy tunes.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
I. Discuss the ways in which Alexander Hamilton was a successful man. In what ways was he also a failure? Which were more important to America or to his family?
2. Alexander says only "honor" had an older claim to his heart than Eliza. Why was that? What else drove him, besides love and honor?
3. Elizabeth Schuyler did not believe the rumors of her husband’s infidelity. Why? Was she naive? Were there other factors?
4. Whom did Alexander deceive more: his wife or himself?
5. If honor is key to Alexander’s motivations, what are the keys to Eliza’s character? How did they shape her actions?
6. How and why did Eliza come to accept her husband’s failings? Was she a feminist, or is that too modern a label?
7. Why did Alexander Hamilton cheat on his wife? Is there any evidence that Eliza’s behavior played some part in the distance that came between them?
8. Alexander Hamilton resigned as Secretary of the Treasury at the height of his powers? Why? Was it consistent with his character?
9. Is Alexander Hamilton tragic or triumphant in the novel? What about Eliza?
10. The Hamilton family was devastated by political partisanship. Are there parallels in our own time? What are the differences, and why?
11. What role does Ajax Manly play in the story? What does the reader learn about Alexander and Eliza through him?
12. Was Ajax Manly foolish for loving a slave? Is it believable that the first slave he loved was unwilling to run to freedom?
13. Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, John Laurens, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Aaron Burr all endorsed abolition to some degree. George Washington freed his slaves upon his death. Why did so many other Americans not challenge the institution, including Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Eliza’s own family? Is it possible they did not think slavery was wrong?
14. What roles do Native Americans play in the book? Are they essential or peripheral to the story?
15. Parts of this story are well known, others less familiar. What surprised you? What techniques did the author use to create suspense about events like the infamous duel?
16. The book alternates between two points of view: Alexander’s and Eliza’s. What did Eliza perceive about Alexander that he might not have understood about himself — and vice versa?
17. How does fatherhood shape Hamilton’s life? What were the effects of not having a father? Was he a good one or a bad one?
18. Alexander Hamilton was a critic of dueling, yet accepted Burr’s challenge. Why? Did he betray his family by doing so?
19. The book is from the Hamiltons’ perspective. Who are the anti-heroes? Are they fairly portrayed?
20. Does the book change or confirm your view of America’s founders?
(Questions issued by publishers.)