Angelica: For Love and Country in a Time of Revolution

by Molly Beer

A women-centric view of revolution through the life of Angelica Schuyler Church, Alexander Hamilton’s influential sister-in-law.


Scene-stealing character in Hamilton Angelica Schuyler Church once wrote to her “affectionate friend” Thomas “When my friends require my assistance few are more willing than myself.” Through the American Revolution, Angelica’s contributions were acts of hosting Indigenous leaders at her Dutch family home in Albany; traveling to Yorktown to safeguard the critical Franco-American alliance; celebrating George Washington’s inauguration as the first president. At the pinnacle of her mature influence, this complex, well-connected woman—fond of luxuries and inclined to “excessive sauciness”—bridged the leadership of three countries.


An enthralling and revealing telling of the birth of the United States, this portrait of Angelica is woven from her letters and other primary sources. In telling her story, Molly Beer illuminates how American women have always plied influence and networks for political ends, including the making of the nation.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, American History, Biography Memoir, American Revolutionary War, Historical

336 pages, Hardcover

Published July 1, 2025

About the author

Molly Beer’s work as a writer and international teacher led her to Europe, Asia, Central and South America, and elsewhere. But her debut book is a homecoming, both to the U.S. and to her rural American hometown of Angelica, New York. By researching and writing the life and experiences of the ambitious, charismatic Angelica Schuyler Church, who inspired much more than her town’s name, Molly Beer set out to tell the U.S. origin story from the perspective of a woman situated at the heart of the American Revolution and the founding era. Angelica joins Molly Beer’s body of award-winning nonfiction that grapples with the politics of place, from travel and the environment to women’s history. She has served as an Olive B. O’Connor Fellow in Creative Writing at Colgate University and currently teaches at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Reviews

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well researched, entertaining biography of the fascinating Angelica Schuyler Church. I truly enjoyed being immersed in her life, travels, interactions with historical figures and spending time with her notable family, experiencing her sorrows, heartache, joy and triumphs. The author's note and her personal insight are interesting and enlightening, and are truly appreciated. I listened to the audiobook, which is well narrated by Ms. Rachel Yong.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My opinions are my own and are freely given.

This was an amazing non-fiction book about someone I knew little about (one of these days I will actually sit down and watch Hamilton). When the author was discussing what marriage was like for women, I just can't believe there are people that want that to come back. Men, sure. But women? They have no idea what it really means. Brainwashing really is a thing.

Recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a great non-fiction book, especially one interested in learning about Angelica Schuyler Church.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a non-fiction book about Angelica Schuyler and how she used her connections and influence throughout her life. She led a fascinating life thru the American Revolution, the French Revolution and was basically the first ambassador to Great Britain, even though she didn't have the title.

This book is a good complement to Ron Chernow's non-fiction "Hamilton" and the historical fiction "My Dear Hamilton" by Stephanie Dre and Laura Kamoie.

Highly recommend this book for those who want to know more about the characters from Hamilton, the stage play, and those who want to learn more how women were involved in the creation of the United States.

Full disclosure. I received this book thru the Goodreads giveaway. (Thank you). This did not influence my review. I am also a big Hamilton fan which may have influence my review. I was looking for more background and what Angelica Schuyler did and this book answered all my questions.

[Stevie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last third of the book focused more on Angelica herself, but I feel like this was a history book about the American and French revolutions disguised as a biography about Angelica.

[Fawn Doyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating view of the American Revolution from a formidable woman who was friends with many of the founding fathers and found herself playing unofficial diplomat due to her social skills. Full disclosure, I'm aware of Hamilton and the Schuyler sisters, but I haven't seen it.

I appreciate how much research went into this book and the way Beer's lovely turns of phrases and narrative conveyed that research into such an interesting, enjoyable read. The way Beer compared views on hierarchy and the nuances of revolutionary ideals for freedom (for white men, not women or enslaved people) was illuminating, "...as if there were only so much liberty to go around. Or as if liberty, like daylight, depending on its opposite to exist."

Angelica had a wild life. At one point I screamed, "What?" when it's revealed her husband was not who he said he was because he was avoiding debts. I wish Beer gave more insight into what Angelica's reaction may have been. I assume that, because this is non-fiction and Beer doesn't get into this, that there just wasn't any documentation of her reaction or letters to her family about it, but I really wanted to know more.

I enjoyed this book so much that I bought the audiobook and hardcover.

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

While fascinating and full of history, which is deeply researched and detailed [perhaps a bit too much as there is a LOT of minutiae here, that bogs some of this story down], only the last third of the book really focuses on Angelica and her family/life [and even then, there are still plenty of side-roads that the author travels down], and like other reviewers, I too felt this was much more a book of both the American and the French Revolutions [I will say some of the French Revoution parts were interesting and I did wish that there was a little more detail there; go figure LOL] and not really a true biography of Angelica herself, and that was disappointing.

I am not sorry that I read this, and if you are looking for a story about the revolutions that just happens to feature Angelica Schuyler, then this book is for you and I recommend it. For me, I am a bit disappointed as it was not what I expected/wanted.

Thank you to NetGalley, Molly Beer, and W.W. Norton & Company for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[John Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The captivating story of Angelica Schuyler Church, driven by Molly Beer’s eloquent, vivid narrative and rooted in her extensive research, illuminates the often-unforgiving exposé of Angelica’s extended family and friends, politicians, and nations amid the ever-shifting hopes and fortunes of the time. Changes not only in the colonies of the New World and the War of Independence, but also across the Atlantic, where England, France, and Spain were constantly subject to fluctuating allegiances, alliances, and interests. As the War of Independence dragged on, we hear how the ‘factionalism, regionalism, individual ambitions, and contrasting objectives splintered the delicate unity of shared purpose’. Following the treaty with the English that ended the war, Angelica spent most of the following fourteen years both travelling between and living in England and France. She witnessed the beginnings of the French Revolution and the subsequent demise of the American-French alliance, ultimately resulting in closer and what would become long-lasting ties between England and its former American colonies. Support for freedom, justice, and liberty, not only for men, but for women and the enslaved, as espoused by Angelica and made so lucid in Ms. Beer’s writing, continues to this day.

[Tina Panik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptionally researched, and incredibly well-written, Beer crafts the entire social, political, and economic world that Angelica occupies with tremendous skill.


This was an ARC.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting history of colonial and Revolutionary New York through the life of a well connected woman at the center of it all. I learned a little more about the Dutch community (my background) than I ever knew. (Libby.)

[Cecilia Hendricks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more than I did. But so much of what is actually about Angelica instead of the more famous people and events around her is conjecture or supposition.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I put my name in the hat because of my love of history.
I thought I knew all there was to know about the American Revolution but this book was a a new insight. Angelica Schuyler Church was a revolutionary. She could be called a “founding mother”. “Social architecture, the layout of human interactions” was her forte and as such it enabled her to help make the new country. She brought some people together and advocated against others helping to increase the growth of the new nation. She did not have the vote but her influence was evident and her contribution great.
It is fascinating to see the background of the Revolution and this woman’s part in it. It makes you wonder what women would have done had they been allowed to vote.

[Gillian Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved learning about the women that helped shaped America during the revolution. I thought I knew a lot but after reading this a learned so much more. Well written and kept my interest.

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Since Lin-Manuel Miranda's "Hamilton" play doesn't have the tightest connection with facts and actual history, why should a book inspired by the play be much better?

And, it's not.

There's several major errors here. Major and easily avoidable.

First, the Conway Cabal was not treason. It also wasn't as all that as Beer seems to think it was.

Second, New York did not outlaw dueling until 1801, so John Carter, aka John Barker Church, legally could have picked up pistols again James Wilkinson and vice versa and they had a duel. (This is also the first place where she errs on not picking up historical threads better; expounding on this history, if there was something to expound on, in the Hamilton-Burr duel chapter would have been good. For that matter, expounding more on the 1800-1804 backstory to that duel, at that point in this book, would have been good. But, hold on to that thought, too.)

The election of 1800 ended 12 not 16 years of Federalist rule.

Aaron Burr most certainly did NOT "accept second prize" in that election. He was a schemer in the election of 1800. Of course, Jefferson was later a schemer against Burr. This is all directly relevant to the 1804 duel, and since her sister was married to Hamilton, of direct relevance to this book.

The claim that .54 caliber, on the dueling pistols used between Burr and Church in 1799 was "larger ... than typical" is simply not true. Such pistols at this time started at about ..50-.52 caliber and went up to .60 or more. I mean, there are NUMEROUS resources about this.

At this point, I'm doing little more than grokking the book AND looking up any historical or other factual claim that seems dubious, and where I'm not sure of the answer myself. (Most of the errors I already knew were errors, other than the date for New York officially ending dueling, and not being exactly sure on dueling pistol caliber.) And, usually, if I'm feeling the need to fact-check you that much, you're losing an additional star for that.

James Monroe was not secretary of state in Jefferson's time. For the Louisiana Purchase, he was a personal presidential envoy sent to France to supplement Robert Livingston.

The whole chapter related to the Louisiana Purchase is not well written.

The claim that the American Revolution had replaced a "former class structure with one made of gender and race" would have been news to the Shays' Rebellion people (which was not the first of its ilk) nor to modern well-informed historians of the American Revolution. It's generally held that the war increased economic inequality at the same time as voting inequality was, in fact decreased among white males.

==

Problems?

This is a personal history, and there are NO photo plates. There's not even photos, or line drawings, on the paper pages. Paintings of Angelica, and all the other principals in this story, exist, too.

The hold on? Did Beer have any info on WHY the Schuyler family, Angelina's parents, were suspicious of Carter/Church? (Wiki says he fled to the US because of bankruptcy.)

More talk about the slavery issue would have been nice if this is to be a personal history. (Philip Schuyler owned as many as 40, per Wiki.)

Beyond all of the above, the book is thin.

And, I'm done grokking and done fact checking.

Don't read this book.

[Bettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angelica: For Love and Country in a Time of Revolution by Molly Beer is an interesting biography of one of our country's earliest celebrities. Born in 1756 to wealthy parents of Dutch heritage in colonial New York, we get a window onto what privileges and obstacles a girl (and later a woman) of her class, culture and times would have experienced.

As she matured during the American Revolution, though women's opportunities were limited, Angelica Schuyler Church, as the daughter of a general, was exposed to many of the iconic personages and scenes from our history textbooks, from George Washington to Marie Antoinette. (Angelica's husband, John Church negotiated supplies for the French army when they came to the colonist's aid and the Church's later lived in Paris as well as England). She was far more than the flirtatious sister-in-law of Alexander Hamilton as depicted in the musical Hamilton.

Her thoughtful correspondence to not only her family but to other influential friends like Thomas Jefferson, for example, has been preserved and well-used by our author, who, by the way, claims Angelica, New York as her home town, a town developed by Angelica's son, and where she later lived at the end of her life. I, not a historian, came away with a better understanding of much of our past, including not only the Revolution but the circumstances involved with Britain's later recognition of the United States as a nation and even the Louisiana Purchase. Angelica's interests and influences were widespread.

I think a book group who enjoys history and women's issues would find a lot to discuss. It is not a long tome, less than 300 pages but well-researched. My only real criticism is that we were too-often reminded of the irony that the fight for liberty was not enjoyed by women nor blacks.

[MoonlightCupOfCocoa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Netgalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the advanced copy. As always 100% of the opinions presented in my review are my own.

This is how you write an informative, accessible and fun biography. I really enjoyed this book!

"Angelica" by Molly Beer is not only the story of Angelica Schuyler Church, the Schuyler sisters (I admit I can't help but sing that) and, of course, Alexander Hamilton. This book introduces the readers to the American revolution through the eyes of women. Women who wouldn't have the right to vote in the US till the 1920s (if my memory serves right), but (to the surprise of no one) they played major roles in the establishment of the United States of America from day one as well as helped influence and manage the diplomatic relationships of the budding country with the rest of the Europe, especially England and France.

The author did a fantastic job balancing what could've been a very dense book filled with dates and names with more personal and intimate moments of the titular Angelica. It gives much context to the lives of women living in US, England and France at the time as well as draw comparisons between their societies. This not only helped the book be very accessible but, also, painted a much fuller portrait of her. By the end of the book, I felt like I genuinely got to know her. Not just through her own words, letters and major life events, but also through the eyes of the many people around her.

This was a wonderful read that I recommend for anyone interested in US and Europe history, as well as, of course, women history.

You can also find me on: Instagram

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really, really wanted to like this book. I found this book very frustrating however and felt it could have been much better.

Things I did like: the contextualization of the period; Beer's occasional humor

Things I did not like:

1. I really loathe the style of endnotes used here, where the beginning of the sentence is used to note what the endnote refers to. I know it is supposed to make it more "readable" for a general audience rather than having the endnote notations in the text, but for those who really care about the sourcing, they are maddening to use. Plus, the notes section here badly needed a copy editor. The page numbers where the sentences appear were often off, as were dates - for example, Angelica Church certainly wasn't writing to her brother about Alexander Hamilton's death by duel in 1784, as cited. Some of the quotes were misleading in how they were used and some very specific facts had no endnote attached.
2. Presenting speculations as facts. It's clear the author suffered from a lack of insufficient evidence in many instances, and I found many of her claims were not supported
3. Basic factual mistakes like stating James Monroe was Jefferson's Secretary of State eroded my trust in other factual statements
4. The abrupt ending. Angelica's life didn't end in 1804 - her father and Alexander Hamilton's did. If the evidence just isn't there, say so. It came off as if the author didn't care about anything past that date
5. Other sources say Angelica had 1 or 2 additional children in her later years than are mentioned here
6. Not clarifying that the Church family's grand house in Angelica that she references, Belvidere, had not been built at the time of Angelica's visit

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Females of the American Revolution are often omitted or breezed over in history books. Molly Beers portrays an in-depth look at how women played a role in the colonial history of America. Wives and daughters forged alliances and thwarted enemies by who they invited to dinners and balls. They initiated boycotts. If one studies the life of Angelica Schuyler Church, we see there is more than what one glimpses in the Hamilton show.

Upstate New York is so rich in colonial history. Often one thinks of the English and French customs intertwined in early America and the native population culture. It is the Dutch that colored the society of America in the 1600 and 1700s. The author shows us that here with the family of Angelica.

The map at the beginning of the novel is helpful. I found myself going online to search for a more detailed map of the Northern states while reading this book. Beer goes into some deep street names and areas of Boston and New York City during the 1700s and early 1800s. Why not provide a colonial map of these areas in more detail.

The author mentions later in the book that there was gossip about an affair with Angelica and Hamilton. Yet little detail is provided about when the two first met and any possible dalliance. There is some paragraphs discussing encounters at balls. If the author will make such a statement, then offer some background for that conclusion.

Highly recommend this book. The detail on dates, places and relationships appears to be well researched.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I recommend it highly to everyone. Fully researched with abundant references, it feels like a missing piece in the library collection of books we read about the Revolutionary War and the early years of our country. It is told through the life of a woman - and a well connected, well educated, well traveled one at that. If I have ever wondered what life might have been like for women during this time, this is one of the best books I have read that has responded to my questions. It was very

I learned so much - about the early days of Dutch New York, transportation, relations with the native tribes, social interactions, and the basis for our political system, relations with England and France, the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. Our founding fathers are characters presented as real people.

Fans of the musical Hamilton will appreciate this book as it embellishes it. As the line says, " who lives, who dies, who tells your story,"Molly Beer has done a magnificent job of telling Angelica's story. Who better to tell it than someone who grew up in Angelica, NY. Beer does a terrific job of capturing readers' interest, helping them to understand the limitations of what women were able to do, or were expected to do, and how they could still make highly valuable and historic contributions.

I understand an audio version of this book may be available shortly. I may want to listen to it all over again.

[Patricia Linville · Rating 3 out of 5]

Angelica by Molly Beer

Engeltje Schuyler was born into a prestigious, wealthy New York Dutch family in 1756. Angelica, her “American” name, was to become one of the most prominent socialites of the time, eventually memorialized by having a New York village named after her. She frequently wrote to Alexandar Hamiliton, a relationship that is lavishly recreated in the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical.

Molly Beer’s biography details Angelica’s life as well as the events that led to the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War. Unlike Miranda’s Hamilton, Beer’s telling is not lavish. She uses the rich trove of letters written by Angelica as well as those of the major players of the time to tell the story. Her biographical writing style is informational and well-documented. It is also superficial. Beer moves through Angelica’s life quickly, sharing tidbits and stories that fail to give life to her subject. Biographies must be factual and thus the academic feel of this book. Yet wealth, unrequited love, jealousy, duels, and eloping with someone your parents don’t want you to marry seem to be fodder for a racier read.

Recommended for those who crave a detailed history of a Revolutionary woman amid the creation of what will become the United States of America, sans melodrama.

[Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many thanks to WWNorton & Company for the ARC! What an amazing book! I learned so much! It starts with Engeltye and her Dutch family. My mom’s side of the family is 100% Dutch so I was sucked in right from the start. The Dutch are good, hard-working, God-fearing, wise, proper, rational, and largely unnaffectionate, except to babies 😁. I never thought that one could have such a strong affect on the founding of our country.
We’re not supposed to quote from ARCs, but in the Author’s Note at the beginning (don’t skip it) she talks about the invisible power and unseen work of women. She is so right. Unfortunately, I think we’ve unknowingly given up a lot of that unseen strength while trying to “climb to the top”. Angelica moved mountains just by being an enduring reliable friend to so many people, and by being a legend with her hospitality . What a different world it was.
I was surprised that the story didn’t go into much detail about the war. Instead, the author showed us a picture of what it was like for the people who had to deal with it happening all around them.
A couple maps are included. I could have used more because I’m not very familiar with that part of the country.
There are several pages of notes and references in the back. I can’t imagine the intense research that went into this book.
Compelling non-fiction biography

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and W.W. Norton and Company for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

If you know Lin Manuel Miranda’s Alexander Hamilton, then you’ll think you know the story of Angelica, his sister-in-law. You would be wrong. Much creative license was given to her character in the famed musical. There are parts of her life story that need to be amplified.

This book is a good way to shine a spotlight on power: who hoards it, who quietly steers it, and how reputations are engineered after the fact. Letter-by-letter written to her or from her is an excavation of influence. She worked as a woman in charge of the drawing rooms of three countries rather than the corridors of Parliament or Congress.

This whip-smart, luxury-loving Schuyler sister operated as and 18th century power broker. Her world was full of champagne gossip, diplomatic lace, and revolution.

I have to give Molly Beer credit. She wrote a non-fiction book not only about a Revolutionary War woman. It also explains society as a whole during that time period. The reader understands how women contributed to the war effort. Additionally, they learn about the inner workings of a new government. This non-fiction book reads like historical fiction and keeps the reader engaged throughout.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly Beer's nonfiction work is a depiction of the early years of the American colonies primarily through the perspective of Angelica Schuyler Church. Daughter of noted general and statesman Philip Schuyler of Albany, NY, Angelica was deeply interested in politics. Given the prominence of her family, she became acquainted with and ultimately friends with the likes of Lafayette, George Washington, and even Thomas Jefferson.
Through her sister's marriage to Alexander Hamilton, he too became both her friend and a confidant. Angelica was unusual for her time in that she lived abroad for a while in both Paris and London and was renowned as a gracious and influential hostess. Beer draws on a treasure trove of letters to create this portrait of Angelica, a woman who never held any official position, and who of course, could not vote.
I found Beer's book fascinating both for its history of three early wars and for its setting in upstate New York, where I lived for some years. A list of the principal figures and their titles would have been helpful for this reader. Recommended especially for American history buffs and those interested in18th century women's history. (~Jean F.)
(Review previously published on BookBrowse)

[Lisa W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Booklist
Booklist
June 10, 2025
Beer's first book is an insightful biography of Angelica Schuyler Church. Born in 1756 in Albany, New York, she grew up in the heart of the American Revolution. Her father, Philip Schuyler, was a major general in George Washington’s Continental Army; because of his prominence, Angelica met many Revolutionary fighters and leaders. Her husband, John Carter (later John Church), was a British native whose business was “a primary spigot through which actual hard money flowed into the country.” They experienced the chaos of the Revolutionary War and the early days of independence in Boston and New York before moving to France in 1783. Although she held no official position, in Paris and later in London, “Angelica still saw herself as an American patriot, as a de facto representative of the United States.” Her intelligence and social diplomacy impressed many, including Thomas Jefferson, the Marquis de Lafayette, and her brother-in-law, Alexander Hamilton. Beer’s empathetic and well-researched history centers Angelica Church as a woman in the early U.S., a time of revolution that also required contending with disease, infant mortality, and prolonged separations from family and loved ones. A must-read, especially for lovers of Hamilton

[Lea Columbus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would to thank Net Galley and W.W. Norton for the opportunity to read this as an ARC. I am a fan of historical books and I was excited to read this one. It is a well researched and well written book about Angelica Schuyler Church. While many today may only think of her as Alexander Hamilton's sister in law ( I confess I did sing "Angelica, Eliza and Peggy to my self each I picked up the book), she was so much more. She was indeed a reader of Thomas Paine, she wanted more for women in the colonies and then states, she was charming , opinionated and well read. She was a force to be reckoned with throughout her life. She was also a wife, and a mother, a daughter and a sister, in times that could be called turbulent , at best. She traveled and lived in France and England.She knew many important and influential people, and was one herself. If you want to know more about this fascinating woman, I encourage you to read this book.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, my opinions are still my own.

There are so many biographies written of influential men during this period, so one about a woman is a welcome change. But this isn’t just about Angelica, it’s about the experience of women during this period in history. The author uses Angelica as a way to talk about the place of women in this time, a group so often overlooked when they didn’t have many legal rights. Their influence is still remarkable, and Angelica in particular had so many influential friends, this makes for a great retelling of history from a feminine perspective. Angelica Schuyler Church is a great subject of a biography, and I’m glad it was written and even more glad I had the opportunity to read it!

[Jane Considine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angelica Schuyler Church was not a familiar name to me, but names of people in her life were familiar names from American history: George Washington, John and Abagail Adams, Alexander Hamilton (brother-in-law),Aaron Burr, Lafayette, Ben Franklin, Philip Schuyler, and many many more. Angelica lived in a time when women did not have the right to vote, and were expected in polite company to keep opinions to themselves, to take care of their families, supervise household help (often including slaves), often tending hearth and home and the farm when their husbands were away on business, including the business of war. Nevertheless, Angelica was able to use her charm, language skills, extended family ties, and ability to remain on friendly terms with people who on "the other side."

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had been looking forward to a book about Angelica Schuyler Church, and at first it’s compelling. It is tough to adjust to Eliza Schuyler Hamilton being called “Betsy” or “Elizabeth” when the world knows her as Eliza with no explanation why the author made this choice. However, the end of the book is its biggest flaw. All the detail of her early life, and how she influenced the American revolution and the growth of a new country is fascinating. But at the end, the author seems to simply give up, stopping 14 years before her death with no details of those years. But the first half of the book is well worth the time. It’s a fascinating story of a woman whose story needs to be told.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like Gouverneur Morris, Angelica Church somehow found herself at the center of many of the major events (and people) of the Revolutionary and Federal Period in America, Paris and London. Her life together with her husband’s was fascinating. Although John Barker Church plays a very prominent role in this book I would welcome a book providing more depth about his life. To my knowledge this is the first book devoted to Angelica and I highly recommend it. Also recommend Tilar Mazzeo’s book Eliza about Angelica’s younger sister.

[Kimberly Gorman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I noticed a pretty big error in Chapter 17, when it’s stated just John went on trip to America in 1785. The first Hamilton-Angelica letter is Hamilton saying it was hard to watch her leave from Philadelphia, he feared he wouldn’t see her again. Dated 1785. I came to check to see if anyone else caught that and see someone else found a whole lot of errors too. Aggravating. At least Angelica got a better bio than Eliza, the Mazzeo “biography” is essentially fan fiction, really terrible fan fiction at that.

[McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an intriguing book. We often don't hear about the trials and tribulations of colonial women because most of our research is through the eyes of the founding men. Angelica Schuyler is definitely privileged, but is because of that power that we have primary sources documenting her life. I am surprised more research has not been done on her life. Beer brings Angelica to life as a multi-faceted person.