Book Review: A Master Passion by Juliet Waldron & Tour Wide Giveaway

A Master Passion: The Story of Alexander and Elizabeth Hamilton by Juliet Waldron
Book One: Love and Liberty

ARC, E-Book, 428 pages
Books We Love
March 25, 2015
★★★½☆☆

Genre: Historical Fiction

Source: Received for Review as part of HFVBT tour

THE MASTER PASSION is the story of the marriage of our brilliant first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, and his courageous wife, Elizabeth Schuyler. It begins with a whirlwind Revolutionary War courtship at Washington’s headquarters. Conflict, however, is built into this marriage.

Betsy’s passion is Alexander. While Hamilton adores his wife and children, there are times when he loves America more.

“…And hence one Master Passion in the breast
Like Aaron’s serpent, swallows up all the rest…” ~~Alexander Pope

Alexander Hamilton has always been a man that I admired among the Founding Fathers of the United States and I have always felt that he was a man taken during his prime due to petty jealousy. The promise that he had that was left undeveloped… Of course, as with many things not learned in high school, I had NO IDEA that he was born and raised on a Caribbean island and came to the United States in the 1770’s. I just knew of him as the honorable revolutionary man and Secretary of the Treasury. And of his wife Betsy, I knew absolutely nothing (I didn’t even honestly realize he was married!).

So, the early parts of this novel were a little surprising to me and honestly a bit of a struggle to get through. While I know it was important to build up that early life story for Hamilton as a way to create his personality and rationalize his decision-making in the future, I found that it failed to lock me into the story. The entire section on Hamilton’s island life I found uninteresting, dry, and it almost made me put the book down a few times. It was just…boring. And, while I don’t really know much about Hamilton’s personality, I found that I didn’t like this portrayal of him at all. He is by turns, a little mean, womanizing, and insecure. By contrast, I found the early life story of Betsey Schuyler much more intriguing. I enjoyed learning more of the Dutch customs (I’m still confused however about the Blues, Reds, and Greens?) as well as life in the time leading up to the Revolution. I found the members of her family and other friends to at least be likable and interesting. Once we got into the war, courtship, and marriage part of the story I found that the plot picked up a bit in pace – and I’m not sure if I enjoyed it more for purely that fact or because the more likable Betsey helped balance my frustration with Hamilton.

In terms of the characters, overall, I found them very well written and each having a distinct personality. Even some of the side characters were not at all cookie-cutter and vague. One of the author’s strong-suits I feel is with crafting setting. No matter where the story took place I found the setting to stand out vividly and be almost touchable. There are two scenes that stand out in my mind as some of the author’s best for imagery – first when Hamilton and his men are trudging through snow and ice and are absolutely freezing on the way to attack Princeton and also when the men are downstairs celebrating the wedding of Hamilton and Betsey in the Schuyler parlor. Very well crafted.

While this book might not have been a favorite of this time period, I think my issue has more to do with my personal views vs. the author’s depiction of the character and I would encourage you to check this book out if you like reading about the early revolutionary period of the United States.

Check out this book trailer for a brief overview of the book:

 

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Celtic Lady’s Reviews

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

 

Also by Juliet Waldron:

Mozart’s Wife

Roan Rose

Genesse

Nightingale

 

Find Juliet Waldron: Website | Facebook | Pinterest

Follow the Tour!

On the HFVBT Webpage

On Twitter using the hashtags: #AMasterPassionBlogTour    #HistoricalFiction

 

Tour Wide Giveaway!!

I have the opportunity to share a tour wide giveaway with you all on my tour stop.  Please note the rules below which were put out by the tour coordinator.  I am not responsible for this giveaway in any way.

To enter to win a paperback copy of A Master Passion & $5 Amazon Gift Card, please enter via the GLEAM form below.

Rules

• Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on October 2nd. You must be 18 or older to enter
• Giveaway is open to US residents only.
• Only one entry per household.
• All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion
• Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

A Master Passion

 

 

Copyright © 2015 by The Maiden’s Court

Book Review: The Revolutionary Paul Revere by Joel J Miller

The Revolutionary Paul Revere by Joel J. Miller

Paperback, 224 pages

Thomas Nelson

April 6, 2010

★★★★½☆

Genre: Non-fiction

Source: From publicist for review

“He’s famous for the ride.
He’s essential for so much more.

The story of Paul Revere is the story of the American Revolution. Always smack dab in the thick of things, he was an ordinary citizen living in extraordinarily turbulent times. Revere played key roles in colonial tax fights and riots, the aftermath of the infamous Boston Massacre, the Tea Party, the Battle of Lexington and Concord, and even the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. In this fast-paced, dramatic account, Paul Revere’s life pulses with energy as it explores his family and church life along with his revolutionary contribution as a spy, entrepreneur, express rider, freemason, and commercial visionary.” 

I accepted this book for review on a whim. It was about early American history (which I love!) and they seem to be few and far between sometimes – so I jumped on this one…and I was NOT disappointed. This book gives a great in-depth look at the Revere family (formerly Rivoire) from Paul’s father, Apollos, through the end of the great American hero’s life. You get an inside look at events such as the Boston Massacre, Tea Party, battles of Lexington and Concord, the various taxations, etc. Everyone knows about Revere’s midnight ride, but did you know he also was essentially a jack-of-all-trades? Among other things he was: a silversmith, patriot, dentist, ran a copper foundry, ran a shop, was a mason, and a father of 16 children! At the same time you get an intimate look at some of Revere’s contemporaries – which was something I didn’t expect.

The way this book was written, you wouldn’t know it was non-fiction. It was never dry and always full of drama and witticisms. One of my favorite quotes shows brilliantly the humor of the author, “after repeal of the Stamp Act, Parliament was up Debt Creek without a farthing” (Miller 96). Comments like this are numerous and it keeps the reader engaged and you never realize all of the facts and tidbits you are taking in. Another technique that the author uses to his benefit is breaking the fourth wall. The author makes comments such as “recall from the earlier story…” (Miller 21) like you are right there with him while he tells you this story. I also liked the subtitles for each chapter; they came as one sentence previews of the chapter that always began with “in which…”. It was just a nice way to set you up for what was going to happen – but it didn’t give anything away if you know American history at all. All of these things combined made for a very interesting look at early American history. If only all non-fiction could be presented this way!

If you are looking for a unique look at colonial and early American history, this is the book for you.

On the authors website you can find links to many additional resources on Paul Revere and other early American history.

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• America Done Right
• Living Outside the Stacks

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Joel J. Miller:

The Portable Patriot

Size Matters

Bad Trip

Copyright © 2010 by The Maiden’s Court