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uutopicaa's review
4.0
Esta es una de las reseñas más subjetivas que he escrito en mi vida, lo siento. También es una de las más breves. Realmente no he sabido ordenar mis ideas y anotaciones a pesar de que llevo semanas intentándolo. A ver…
Comenzando por lo obvio: esta novela es un gran cliché. Seguramente habrán notado que hay elementos que les recuerdan a otros romances históricos. La relación entre Alex y Eliza es muy similar a la de Darcy y Eliza, la noción de la madre “que debe conseguir que sus hijas se casen pronto” también hace pensar en Orgullo y prejuicio aunque Alex, a diferencia de Darcy, no es un candidato ideal o prometedor —en esto quizá la historia recuerda más a la temática de Cumbres borrascosas—. Las relaciones de otros personajes juegan incluso con el concepto de Romeo y Julieta —el amor entre enemigos— y demás.
Es decir que si no les gustan esta clase de textos históricos o si ya han leído demasiados, tal vez no les agrade la novela. Por mi parte, tengo una especie de guilty pleasure por los romances históricos bien logrados y por las relaciones que empiezan con odio y orgullo cegador. No sé por qué, pero siempre me han fascinado dentro de la ficción.
Los elementos históricos son fantásticos y nos hacen sentir realmente como parte de lo que ocurre en la época. El romance no avasallador y no deja de lado en ningún instante el hecho de que los personajes están en medio de una guerra sangrienta; en todo momento podemos percibir que están atravesando dificultades políticas, sociales y económicas. La guerra se siente en las palabras, no se olvida ni se deja de lado. En esta novela romántica, lo que ocurre alrededor de los personajes es tan importante como ellos mismos. Maravilloso.
Es más, creo que una de las cosas que más me gustaron fue que la autora se tomara el tiempo de poner pequeñas escenas que muestran la relación de Alex con Washington y con otros soldados, sus inconvenientes políticos y las misiones diplomáticas que se le asignan; escenas de Eliza y su compromiso con la guerra, sus esfuerzos por ayudar en el frente de batalla como una no-combatiente, sus debates con otras mujeres sobre la hipocresía de la clase alta. Y estos asuntos los resalto porque en este libro no todo es amor y, de hecho, hay pocas escenas de Alex y Eliza bajo un mismo techo.
La fidelidad histórica es muy buena, no tanto en lo que es la vida biográfica de las figuras que se mencionan (Alexander Hamilton no era tan perfecto como lo muestran), sino en la forma en la que se presenta la historia en sí: las nociones sociales y políticas, las costumbres y hasta los detalles mínimos como el tipo de trajes que se usan, los uniformes y sus medallas, la arquitectura, la comida e incluso la música.
Si tengo que mencionar una sola cosa que no me agradó del libro es que cada vez que aparecía una chica bien vestida (en especial las hermanas de Eliza), la autora se tomaba página y media para describir los malditos vestidos, peinados y maquillaje. Es genial que se explique la moda de la época, pero me pareció absurdo que PARA CADA VESTIDO + PEINADO + MAQUILLAJE mencionado hubiera más de una carilla de texto. Se me hizo tedioso en ese aspecto.
Por lo demás, no tengo quejas. Solo un comentario al pasar: me hubiera encantado que el libro tuviera un apartado final en el que se explicaran las licencias históricas tomadas y sus motivos. De la misma forma que se hizo en el libro de Stalking Jack The Ripper.
En fin. A mí me encantó la novela, pero sé que no es perfecta y que en este caso entra la subjetividad de que se amolda a uno de los pocos tipos de romances que me agradan + que transcurre donde yo vivo.
No voy a decirles “es lo mejor que hay, vayan a comprarlo y a leerlo” porque es posible que no sea para ustedes. También es posible que, si aman el musical de Hamilton, no puedan disfrutar de esta otra versión de la misma historia (aunque sea más correcta desde lo realista).
Pueden leer la reseña completa acá: https://pardonmispanglish.blogspot.com/2019/02/resena-alex-y-eliza-melissa-de-la-cruz.html
Comenzando por lo obvio: esta novela es un gran cliché. Seguramente habrán notado que hay elementos que les recuerdan a otros romances históricos. La relación entre Alex y Eliza es muy similar a la de Darcy y Eliza, la noción de la madre “que debe conseguir que sus hijas se casen pronto” también hace pensar en Orgullo y prejuicio aunque Alex, a diferencia de Darcy, no es un candidato ideal o prometedor —en esto quizá la historia recuerda más a la temática de Cumbres borrascosas—. Las relaciones de otros personajes juegan incluso con el concepto de Romeo y Julieta —el amor entre enemigos— y demás.
Es decir que si no les gustan esta clase de textos históricos o si ya han leído demasiados, tal vez no les agrade la novela. Por mi parte, tengo una especie de guilty pleasure por los romances históricos bien logrados y por las relaciones que empiezan con odio y orgullo cegador. No sé por qué, pero siempre me han fascinado dentro de la ficción.
Los elementos históricos son fantásticos y nos hacen sentir realmente como parte de lo que ocurre en la época. El romance no avasallador y no deja de lado en ningún instante el hecho de que los personajes están en medio de una guerra sangrienta; en todo momento podemos percibir que están atravesando dificultades políticas, sociales y económicas. La guerra se siente en las palabras, no se olvida ni se deja de lado. En esta novela romántica, lo que ocurre alrededor de los personajes es tan importante como ellos mismos. Maravilloso.
Es más, creo que una de las cosas que más me gustaron fue que la autora se tomara el tiempo de poner pequeñas escenas que muestran la relación de Alex con Washington y con otros soldados, sus inconvenientes políticos y las misiones diplomáticas que se le asignan; escenas de Eliza y su compromiso con la guerra, sus esfuerzos por ayudar en el frente de batalla como una no-combatiente, sus debates con otras mujeres sobre la hipocresía de la clase alta. Y estos asuntos los resalto porque en este libro no todo es amor y, de hecho, hay pocas escenas de Alex y Eliza bajo un mismo techo.
La fidelidad histórica es muy buena, no tanto en lo que es la vida biográfica de las figuras que se mencionan (Alexander Hamilton no era tan perfecto como lo muestran), sino en la forma en la que se presenta la historia en sí: las nociones sociales y políticas, las costumbres y hasta los detalles mínimos como el tipo de trajes que se usan, los uniformes y sus medallas, la arquitectura, la comida e incluso la música.
Si tengo que mencionar una sola cosa que no me agradó del libro es que cada vez que aparecía una chica bien vestida (en especial las hermanas de Eliza), la autora se tomaba página y media para describir los malditos vestidos, peinados y maquillaje. Es genial que se explique la moda de la época, pero me pareció absurdo que PARA CADA VESTIDO + PEINADO + MAQUILLAJE mencionado hubiera más de una carilla de texto. Se me hizo tedioso en ese aspecto.
Por lo demás, no tengo quejas. Solo un comentario al pasar: me hubiera encantado que el libro tuviera un apartado final en el que se explicaran las licencias históricas tomadas y sus motivos. De la misma forma que se hizo en el libro de Stalking Jack The Ripper.
En fin. A mí me encantó la novela, pero sé que no es perfecta y que en este caso entra la subjetividad de que se amolda a uno de los pocos tipos de romances que me agradan + que transcurre donde yo vivo.
No voy a decirles “es lo mejor que hay, vayan a comprarlo y a leerlo” porque es posible que no sea para ustedes. También es posible que, si aman el musical de Hamilton, no puedan disfrutar de esta otra versión de la misma historia (aunque sea más correcta desde lo realista).
Pueden leer la reseña completa acá: https://pardonmispanglish.blogspot.com/2019/02/resena-alex-y-eliza-melissa-de-la-cruz.html
vimki's review
3.0
i enjoyed parts of this book. i REALLY liked the start and the last 50ish pages but the middle was a bit eh for me. i dont know. i hyped this book for a long time and im kinda disappointed. i still enjoyed it overall but it was a teeny bit boring in the middle.
jess_mango's review
3.0
A YA retelling of the courtship of Alexander Hamilton and Eliza Schuyler. The pace of this book was just a little off for me. It didn't have the flow I typically enjoy from YA novels. I realize the author was trying to squeeze in nuggets of actual history but the story didn't quite do it for me.
Wavering around 3 or 3.5 stars
This book counts towards the Book Riot Read Harder 2019 Challenge Task #16: Historical Romance by an Author of Color
Wavering around 3 or 3.5 stars
This book counts towards the Book Riot Read Harder 2019 Challenge Task #16: Historical Romance by an Author of Color
alyabbs's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
lovelyletters's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mia_013's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
mllejoyeuxnoel's review
3.0
Hoo, boy. Let me start by saying that overall, I really enjoyed the experience of reading this book.
But... hoo, boy. Hooooooo, boy.
This book, to me, is the epitome of a "beach read" - silly, melodramatic, sometimes charming, and a quick read. Personally, I would have classified this book as a bit less mature than a YA; the font size of the hardcover edition alone made me feel like I was reading a children's book. The story clearly hearkens to Pride & Prejudice in the beginning (there's even a bit of a Mr. Collins-esque character worked in there), only to conclude with a completely predictable - albeit wonderfully cheesy - ending, which was fine! We all only started reading this book to satisfy our bottomless need for more things HAMILTON in our lives anyway!
This book also took the classic writers' rule of "show, don't tell" and flipped that sucker on its head. Especially towards the end, I had a lot of trouble with Eliza's persistent exclamations about her autonomy and feminism; she might as well have spent the entire book in a "The Future Is Female" t-shirt. And Alex could simply have walked around with a boombox playing Boys II Men love songs.
Still, what I loved about the book were the funny and charming moments that made me smile to myself. And obviously the crackfic for which we all bought this book! It's a slow-burn romance that takes a deliciously long time to unfold, and you get to picture Lin-Manuel and Pippa in your head if you really want (and don't we all really want?!), and you already know the ending so all the fluff and angst and longing is fun instead of stressful.
I recommend this book as a nice break between reading books with real high stakes and character development and all that malarkey that makes you have to, ya know, think. It's a breather. It's a love story.
It's fine.
But... hoo, boy. Hooooooo, boy.
This book, to me, is the epitome of a "beach read" - silly, melodramatic, sometimes charming, and a quick read. Personally, I would have classified this book as a bit less mature than a YA; the font size of the hardcover edition alone made me feel like I was reading a children's book. The story clearly hearkens to Pride & Prejudice in the beginning (there's even a bit of a Mr. Collins-esque character worked in there), only to conclude with a completely predictable - albeit wonderfully cheesy - ending, which was fine! We all only started reading this book to satisfy our bottomless need for more things HAMILTON in our lives anyway!
This book also took the classic writers' rule of "show, don't tell" and flipped that sucker on its head. Especially towards the end, I had a lot of trouble with Eliza's persistent exclamations about her autonomy and feminism; she might as well have spent the entire book in a "The Future Is Female" t-shirt. And Alex could simply have walked around with a boombox playing Boys II Men love songs.
Still, what I loved about the book were the funny and charming moments that made me smile to myself. And obviously the crackfic for which we all bought this book! It's a slow-burn romance that takes a deliciously long time to unfold, and you get to picture Lin-Manuel and Pippa in your head if you really want (and don't we all really want?!), and you already know the ending so all the fluff and angst and longing is fun instead of stressful.
I recommend this book as a nice break between reading books with real high stakes and character development and all that malarkey that makes you have to, ya know, think. It's a breather. It's a love story.
It's fine.
votesforwomen's review
2.0
I'm so disappointed. I went into this book very excited and hopeful for a great read. I am a self-proclaimed Hamilfan, and I've read a couple of Melissa de la Cruz's books before. While they weren't my FAVORITES, they weren't bad, so I assumed that this book would be at least a four-star read.
I was wrong.
I'll try to give some likes first - it really wasn't all bad - and then I'll move on to the things I didn't like so much.
WHAT I LIKED
-So Eliza's whole family was in there? And that was kind of lovely? She had brothers (ha-ha! Take that, Angelica! But you still have to social-climb for one) and Peggy and Angelica were both very present and her MOM AND DAD were both there too. And it was wonderful.
-Angelica was dating John Church. Which was a major enough part of the story that I liked it.
-It was just plain sweet when Eliza FINALLY decided she might like Alex a little.
-And the part at the beginning when Angelica, Eliza AND PEGGY gave Hamilton the verbal lashing of his life was just #Yessssssss.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
-This is going to be most of the review, but it's unfortunately most of the book, too. The characters just felt wrong.
-Like, Eliza was this feminist person who at the beginning is like, "Mama, you cannot make me wear that dress and I won't do it because I'm supporting the patriots' cause and I will not dress like that when our men are starving!" And she was like "I won't fall in love with that Colonel Hamilton! We'll know each other for like two years but we'll never actually talk to each other!" And that gave me trouble with seeing her as the woman who sang "Helpless" in the musical and she certainly would never have been the one who sang "That Would Be Enough" or who stuck with Alexander after the whole Reynolds pamphlet fiasco or took his hand in "It's Quiet Uptown" or dedicated her life once he was gone to preserving his memory. And I'm reading the Chernow biography right now (which, by the way, is an exemplary biography and you should read it despite the fact that the writing is very difficult to swim through) and it sounds like Miranda's version of Eliza is a lot more accurate to her in real life.
-Alexander wasn't a tomcat or a flirt and he didn't seem like the kind of guy who would womanize behind Eliza's back later on in life. (Other than that he was mostly okay.)
-Lafayette made a cameo but he was not in it anywhere near enough and that made me mad.
-And Angelica and Peggy just felt wrong? I don't know. Maybe it was because they weren't Renee Elise Goldsberry and Jasmine Cephas-Jones, but I feel like it was something to do with the fact they weren't really clever and witty. They also faded into one person.
-Also there was this issue of time? Like in both Hamilton and Chernow it says that the romance was whirlwind thing where they met and - Boom! One week later, writing a letter nightly... etc., etc., etc. This is more of a "hate-at-first-sight" thing where they didn't get around to falling in love until two years after their first meeting.
-And there was this weird arranged marriage thing where Eliza was supposed to marry this other guy for his money but then he was like this awful pig and his family was made up of awful pigs and he
-Also there was this cast of underdeveloped male characters who faded into each other and there were just too many of them. OH I'M SORRY, IS THIS NOT YOUR SPEED?
Verdict: This was a decent book, but I honestly think it would be better if it was read by someone who hasn't read Chernow or seen the musical. Because they're very different fictional works. And I just couldn't get past how wrong the characters felt in general.
I was wrong.
I'll try to give some likes first - it really wasn't all bad - and then I'll move on to the things I didn't like so much.
WHAT I LIKED
-So Eliza's whole family was in there? And that was kind of lovely? She had brothers (ha-ha! Take that, Angelica! But you still have to social-climb for one) and Peggy and Angelica were both very present and her MOM AND DAD were both there too. And it was wonderful.
-Angelica was dating John Church. Which was a major enough part of the story that I liked it.
-It was just plain sweet when Eliza FINALLY decided she might like Alex a little.
-And the part at the beginning when Angelica, Eliza AND PEGGY gave Hamilton the verbal lashing of his life was just #Yessssssss.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
-This is going to be most of the review, but it's unfortunately most of the book, too. The characters just felt wrong.
-Like, Eliza was this feminist person who at the beginning is like, "Mama, you cannot make me wear that dress and I won't do it because I'm supporting the patriots' cause and I will not dress like that when our men are starving!" And she was like "I won't fall in love with that Colonel Hamilton! We'll know each other for like two years but we'll never actually talk to each other!" And that gave me trouble with seeing her as the woman who sang "Helpless" in the musical and she certainly would never have been the one who sang "That Would Be Enough" or who stuck with Alexander after the whole Reynolds pamphlet fiasco or took his hand in "It's Quiet Uptown" or dedicated her life once he was gone to preserving his memory. And I'm reading the Chernow biography right now (which, by the way, is an exemplary biography and you should read it despite the fact that the writing is very difficult to swim through) and it sounds like Miranda's version of Eliza is a lot more accurate to her in real life.
-Alexander wasn't a tomcat or a flirt and he didn't seem like the kind of guy who would womanize behind Eliza's back later on in life. (Other than that he was mostly okay.)
-Lafayette made a cameo but he was not in it anywhere near enough and that made me mad.
-And Angelica and Peggy just felt wrong? I don't know. Maybe it was because they weren't Renee Elise Goldsberry and Jasmine Cephas-Jones, but I feel like it was something to do with the fact they weren't really clever and witty. They also faded into one person.
-Also there was this issue of time? Like in both Hamilton and Chernow it says that the romance was whirlwind thing where they met and - Boom! One week later, writing a letter nightly... etc., etc., etc. This is more of a "hate-at-first-sight" thing where they didn't get around to falling in love until two years after their first meeting.
-And there was this weird arranged marriage thing where Eliza was supposed to marry this other guy for his money but then he was like this awful pig and his family was made up of awful pigs and he
Spoiler
tried to RAPE Eliza but then Alexander came in and broke it up but then his family blamed HER for it? But then her parents let her call of the engagement? And it was just weird?-Also there was this cast of underdeveloped male characters who faded into each other and there were just too many of them. OH I'M SORRY, IS THIS NOT YOUR SPEED?
Verdict: This was a decent book, but I honestly think it would be better if it was read by someone who hasn't read Chernow or seen the musical. Because they're very different fictional works. And I just couldn't get past how wrong the characters felt in general.
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review
3.0
3.5/5
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’ve seen Hamilton a million times and done some research myself so I knew about the story. It was nice to see other books on the subject.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’ve seen Hamilton a million times and done some research myself so I knew about the story. It was nice to see other books on the subject.