They’re just doing it in the context of the American Revolution, which adds unique communication and societal challenges.Įliza was particularly impressive, presented as a realistically “progressive” lady for her time period with a dash of boldness. You follow the characters for their witty, sweet interactions as they, like most young adults, struggle to reconcile dreams and reality. The interpretation of Alexander Hamilton, his loyal friends, and the Schuyler girls is where the story gets its finesse.

Instead, de la Cruz’s versions of the characters are plagued by the effects of The Revolutionary War, even though most of the story takes place in the winter months when the fighting was largely suspended, and a series of more common issues: bad first impressions, awkward dates, class disparity, and disapproving family members.īecause of these factors, the novel hones in on the characters’ individual personalities and THAT is where the fun lies.

Gone are the scandals like Alexander’s possible side relationship with Eliza’s sister, Angelica– historical rumor taken as fact after its inclusion in Hamilton. The author puts a much more positive spin on their relationship by making both characters frenemies who turn out to later be quite dedicated to each other, full of their own brand of youthful spirit. See, de la Cruz’s story is definitely inspired by Hamilton: An American Musical, but it’s not a rip-off by any means.Īlex and Eliza focuses in on the early days of Hamilton’s relationship with his future wife, Eliza Schuyler, from their first meeting at a ball in 1777 to their wedding in 1780. It would be easy to accuse Melissa de la Cruz of jumping on the hype train and riding it all the way to Paycheckville, but after reading Alex & Eliza: A Love Story, but we think you’d be wrong to do that. Let’s face it: Thanks to Lin Manuel Miranda and his Broadway smash hit, Alexander Hamilton is a hot commodity right now.

Alex and eliza