A Darn Good Read: The Lost Diary of Alexander Hamilton by Sophie Schiller Book Review - Blog Tour

The Lost Diary of Alexander Hamilton by Sophie Schiller
Publication Date: July 3, 2020
Tradewinds Publishing
Genre: YA/US Colonial & Revolutionary Period/Historical Fiction

Synopsis

The story of Alexander Hamilton’s lost childhood in the Caribbean — a land of sugar plantations and slavery — where an impoverished orphan must learn to survive despite impossible odds. It is a story of struggle, heartbreak, resilience, and ultimately, triumph.

1765. Alexander Hamilton arrives in St. Croix with his family to begin a new life. He longs for the chance to go to school and fit in, but secrets from his mother’s past threaten to tear his family apart. When he sees a young African slave being tortured, Alexander vows to act. He urges his uncle to buy Ajax and promises to set him free. But tragedy strikes when his father abandons the family and his mother dies of yellow fever. Orphaned and alone, Alex is forced to survive by his wits and resourcefulness. By day he works in a counting house learning the secrets of foreign trade. By night he studies Plutarch and dreams of fame and glory. When Ajax is sold to a brutal planter, Alex vows to save him, even at the risk of his own life. With the aid of a reluctant slave-catcher, he concocts a plan to rescue Ajax, but when the price for helping a slave run away is torture or death, no one is safe.

In this gripping tale, Sophie Schiller re-creates the boyhood of the young man who would grow up to become a Founding Father and one of America's foremost men.

My Thoughts

This novel tells the story of Alexander Hamilton's childhood from the age of 11 to 18, at which age he left the West Indies to pursue his dreams of becoming famous. These years are not happy ones, as his family are constantly plagued by money troubles.

Alexander's father, James, is the fourth son of a Scottish laird, and due to financial set-backs, becomes a merchant seaman. His regular absences from home left Alexander, his mother and brother to survive as best they could until his return. When his father is arrested for debt and the family evicted from their home, help comes from an unexpected source, but the family must leave St. Eustatius in the Dutch West Indies and relocate to St. Croix, a Danish colony. Unfortunately, this move proves disastrous as an old scandal involving Alexander's mother results in James Hamilton abandoning his family.

Rachel, Alexander's mother, is a West Indian Creole and a former heiress. She laments the life she once had and is adamant that her boys be educated as gentlemen. The lack of funds makes this impossible, but Alexander has a thirst for knowledge, a talent for bookkeeping and the determination to seize any opportunities that come his way. At the age of 13 he becomes an apprentice clerk to Nicholas Cruger, the owner of a prosperous West Indies counting house, and becomes a valued and trusted employee.

Throughout these years, Alexander never forgets the promise he made to Ajax, the slave boy who he befriended and taught to read and write. He concocts a daring and dangerous plan to set him free, which brings them into contact with the Maroons, an independent black community living in the forest.

Sophie Schiller has written a very interesting and informative novel around the known facts of Alexander Hamilton's early life in the West Indies, a life that was filled with many personal hardships.

She also reveals a way of life where slavery was responsible for creating the wealth enjoyed by many and how Alexander, by working in a counting house, was involved in this particular part of foreign trade, although it was abhorrent to him.

I came into this novel knowing virtually nothing about the history of the West Indies. I left it with a wealth of knowledge and a greater insight into the life of one of history's well-known figures.

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About the Author

Sophie Schiller was born in Paterson, NJ and grew up in the West Indies. She is a novelist and a poet. She loves stories that carry the reader back in time to exotic and far-flung locations. Kirkus Reviews has called her "an accomplished thriller and historical adventure writer." Her novel, ISLAND ON FIRE was published by Kindle Scout in 2018 and was called, "A memorable romantic thriller" by Publishers Weekly. Her latest novel, THE LOST DIARY OF ALEXANDER HAMILTON, is out now. She graduated from American University, Washington, DC and lives in Brooklyn, NY.

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Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 7
Review at Gwendalyn's Books

Tuesday, September 8
Review at Momfluenster

Wednesday, September 9
Review at Books and Zebras

Thursday, September 10
Guest Post at Chicks, Rogues, and Scandals

Friday, September 11
Review at YA, It's Lit

Saturday, September 12
Review at A Darn Good Read

Monday, September 14
Review at Books, Cooks, Looks
Review at History + Fiction + Adirondack Spirit

Tuesday, September 15
Excerpt at The Caffeinated Bibliophile

Wednesday, September 16
Review at Passages to the Past

Thursday, September 17
Interview at Passages to the Past

Saturday, September 19
Review at Reading is My Remedy

Giveaway (US Only)

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a paperback copy of The Lost Diary of Alexander Hamilton + a $10 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky winner! To enter, please use the Gleam form HERE.

The giveaway is open to US residents only and ends on September 19th. You must be 18 or older to enter.