Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution

by Amanda Vaill

America's Founding Era reconsidered through the lives of two women as formidable as, and in some respects stronger than, the men they loved, married, and mothered.

Angelica and Elizabeth Schuyler, born to wealth and privilege in New York's Hudson Valley during the latter half of the 18th century, were raised to make good marriages and supervise substantial households. Instead they became embroiled in the turmoil of America's insurrection against Great Britain — and rebelled themselves, in ways as different as each was from the other, against the destiny mapped out for them.
Glamorous Angelica, who sought fulfillment through attachments to powerful men, eloped at twenty with a war profiteer and led a luxurious life, first in Paris, then in London, charming Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and the Prince of Wales. Eliza, one year her junior, too candid for flirtation and uninterested in influence or intrigue, married a penniless illegitimate outsider, Alexander Hamilton, and devoted herself to his career. But after his appointment as America's first treasury secretary, she was challenged by the controversies in which he became involved, not the least of which was the attraction that grew between him and her adored sister.
When tragedy followed, everything changed for both women: one deprived of her animating spirit, the other improbably gaining a new, self-determined life. "You would not have suffered if you had married into a family less near the sun," wrote Angelica to Eliza, "but then [you would have missed] the pride, the pleasure, the nameless satisfactions."
Drawing on deep archival research, including never-published records and letters, Amanda Vaill interweaves this family drama with its historical context, creating a narrative with the sweep and intimacy of a nineteenth-century novel. Full of battles and dinner parties, murky politics and transparent frocks, fierce loyalty and betrayals both public and personal, Pride and Pleasure brings to two extraordinary American heroines to life.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Biography Memoir, American History, American Revolution, American

721 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 21, 2025

About the author

Amanda Vaill's PRIDE AND PLEASURE: THE SCHUYLER SISTERS IN AN AGE OF REVOLUTION, a nominee for the National Book Critics Circle Award, was published in October 2025. She is the author of three previous biographies — HOTEL FLORIDA, SOMEWHERE, and the best-selling EVERYBODY WAS SO YOUNG, a finalist for the NBCC — and has co-authored, contributed to, or edited a number of other books in the field of arts and culture. She is an Emmy-nominated screenwriter and her journalism and criticism have appeared in many publications, including the New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Town and Country, and New York. A past fellow of the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, NYU’s Center for Ballet and the Arts, and the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library, she lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Tara Cignarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pride and Pleasure by Amanda Vaille
Writing: A-
Information: B+
Format: B
Best Aspect: Very different nonfiction history book. Don’t let the 700+ pages scare you off about 25% of it is notes.
Worst Aspect: This was so detailed and so long and history of this depth is not my preferred reading.
Recommend: Yes.
NetGalley ARC release 10/21/25

[Laura✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amanda Vaill’s Pride and Pleasure is a sweeping historical narrative that chronicles the lives of the Schuyler sisters, namely Eliza, and their close family and friends. With meticulous research, Vaill brings the past to life in a way that is both intellectually satisfying and engaging.

What Vaill did particularly well was weave the personal stories of these historical figures with the national and global forces that shaped the era. Readers will not only discover new perspectives on the lives of Eliza and Alexander and their inner circle but also gain a deeper understanding of the wars, revolutions, pandemics, and recessions that shaped their world.

While the book is a bit of an investment in time (it's a big one!), it did keep my interest and gave me many new insights into the family and era.

This was an ARC review for NetGalley.

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written, deeply researched, deep-dive into the Schuyler family [with the main focus on Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy, even though there WERE other sisters; they are mentioned briefly and to be honest, I could not even tell you their names] and their lives, spouses, the Revolutionary War and its aftermath, along with their lives long after the war was over. The later half [ish] of the book focuses mainly on Eliza and all she did and accomplished after Alexander Hamilton died [she was a true force to be reckoned with; the parts telling about her fight to get his papers recognized by Congress was really interesting]; I was and am in awe of all she accomplished in her lifetime, most of it without much money [when Alexander was killed, he left $55,000 in debt. In modern money, that is close to $3million dollars!!] and ALWAYS with some man trying to tell her just WHY she shouldn't!

This book is extremely detailed and to be honest, sometimes it gets bogged down with all that minutiae and it is there that I struggled; I am a reader of nonfiction and history [over half of my books are of that genre/subgenre] and love a good detail, but whoosh this was a lot of a lot at times. Also, be prepared from some confusion in regards to ALL. THE. NAMES. THAT. ARE. THE. SAME. [I seriously lost track of how many Philip, Catherine, Angelica, Eliza/Betsy, Peggy, John, and Alexander names there were. An example; all of the living children of the original 14 of Philip and Catherine Schuyler that had children had a Philip - it gets very confusing very quickly and I would have cried at the sight of a family tree]; if I had known it was going to be so confusing, I would have tried to make a list, but to be honest, I am quite certain I would have missed some. ;-)

Overall, this was an excellent read and I truly enjoyed learning more about this fascinating family.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amanda Vaill, and Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recording 4, book 5 stars. This is a shared biography of the Schuyler sisters, most famous for their connection to Alexander Hamilton and newly so thanks to Lin Manuel Miranda. Eliza is the focus, both for her much longer lifetime and her marriage to Hamilton, but Angelica gets her share of attention too. (less so Peggy, who seems to have sadly become an invalid.) For readers of Revolutionary-era history much will be familiar (including the opening sequence of the Hamilton-Burr duel) but the research is deep and the writing is extremely accessible. It moves faster than the page count suggests.
The recording was mostly very good - I very much liked the different narrators for the sections focused on the Schuylers vs sections focused more on the history of the period. Both readers were very good, without a ton of acting but occasionally notable accents, especially French. There are a handful of curiously wrong pronounciations, often of proper nouns - most egregiously saying ConCORDE (that's an airplane) instead of CONkerd (Mass). I feel strongly that if you're going to read a book about the American Revolution, you should get the place names right.
All in all, a very enjoyable listen. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

[Nicole Perkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amanda Vaill’s book “Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution” is an excellent account of the American Revolution, the events leading up to it, and the years after, with a focus on one of the foremost families of the time. Angelica, Elizabeth, and Margarita Schuyler were associated with (and married to) some of the most influential people involved with this country’s rise to independence. I have little interest in American history (mostly because it’s an on-going saga of privileged people behaving in appalling ways and doing their best to crush people seen as “less than”); however, Vaill’s book is attention-grabbing, informative, and fast-moving, not so fast that readers are confronted with confusing timelines, but fast enough that you don’t have time to get bored while reading of the various battles, meetings, and political appointments of the key players (all men, of course). It would be interesting to see what the Schuyler sisters would have been if they lived in later centuries; in the eighteenth century they could only be “helpmeets,” overseeing the house, tending to the children, and sparkling at social events geared toward advancing their husbands’ careers. In the nineteenth century they could have been suffragettes, and politicians in the twentieth century and today.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the title indicates, the book focuses on the Schuyler sisters, in particular, Eliza, who married Alexander Hamilton, and her older sister, Angelica, who carried on a serious flirtation with Alexander. There's no evidence that the flirtation tipped over into sexual intimacy, but that doesn't stop Vaill from speculating. At the beginning of the book, I was irritated by Vaill's constant speculation, along the lines of, "She must have thought..." or "Wouldn't she have felt...". Stick to the historical record, woman, I thought. There's a lot of American history in the book that has been covered elsewhere, but I didn't know it, so that wasn't a problem. It is a very long book, however, and I confess to having skimmed in the middle. One thing she doesn't speculate about is why Hamilton, who clearly adored Eliza, was willing to risk his marriage for a sexual fling. In fact, Vaill suggests that Eliza was more upset about the flirtation with her sister than the actual affair with Maria Reynolds, and there is some evidence that what really bothered Eliza was not the affair, but Hamilton's publishing of the Reynolds Pamphlet. I enjoyed the last part of the book the most because it focuses on Eliza. Eliza was not just Hamilton's wife, but his collaborator. She was his amanuensis and gave him suggestions about wording. After his death, she tried hard to get the widow's pension which he had rejected. She needed the money to support her family. She also wanted Hamilton's reputation given the recognition it deserved. Some of Washington's supporters were furious at the idea that Hamilton had written Washington's Farewell Address. They thought it would diminish Washington, although Washington clearly didn't think so. What, they didn't have speech writers in the 18th century? Hamilton knew what Washington believed and knew the words that would best convey his message. That Washington was no speech writer or giver doesn't take away from his being, in the end, an inspiring general and a great president. After his death, Eliza really came into her own, with her advocacy for orphans. She lived to be 97 and she was amazingly active during most of her life. It's too bad that Vaill didn't shorten the book and focus more on Eliza from the start.

[Chet Cutick · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, my one criticism: The book really could've used a couple of pages of family trees- the Hamiton's the Church's, etc. So many of the children and grandchildren had the same names, it took some effort at times to figure out which was which.

Beyond that, what a wonderful book. Yes, a bit more gossipy than your traditional historical biography, but that also made it fun. By the last few pages, as Eliza, in her late 90s (so very unusual for that time) was failing, I found myself wiping away tears. I've always been a huge fan of Alexander Hamilton* so this book fills out the other half of his life. Eliza lived so long, rebuilding her husband's legacy. When she passes away, I felt like I was there.

Whenever I go to Manhattan (I live in NYC), my usual bus stop is Trinity Church. It's been a long time since going into the cemetery there, usually just walking by it to get to the subway. But next time, I'll stop in and say thank you- to Alexander, Eliza, and Angelica.


*When I was in high school, I had a teacher for an American government class, that always made his students stand up whenever the name of Alexander Hamilton was mentioned. Back in 1978, we all laughed at the comedy of it, but we did stand because we absolutely loved our teacher. We became not just his fans, but fans of his hero, Alexander Hamilton.

[Jane Considine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Books like this one increase my admiration for authors who dig deep into a topic, seeming to leave no research stone unturned. The Schuyler sisters Angelica and Eliza rubbed elbows with many public figures in American history: George and Martha Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James and Dollie Madison, John and Abagail Adams, John Quincy Adams, Ben Franklin, Lafayette, James Monroe, Aaron Burr, John Jay ... Angelica also spent several years in England and France and socialized on a grand scale with celebrities and royalty. Their father, Philip Schuyler, was one of the wealthy Hudson valley aristocrats who provided a genteel life as they were growing up and continued to have a role in their lives (and that of their offspring) as the matured, married and had families.
Addendum: my review overlooked the obvious; Eliza was married to Alexander Hamilton and Angelica was very fond of Hamilton, shared her thoughts with him on policy in development as the country and its leaders tried to find common ground ... and at times gave some observers the impression that there was more to their relationship as in-laws. Eliza was ever-loyal to Hamilton and championed him and his legacy long after his death.

[Debbie Appelbaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable way to remember and learn more about early US history and the under the radar influence of the women of the time. Takes you so far beyond Hamilton the musical. I listened to it. Maybe more 3.5 vs 4. But totally worth the time!

[Deborah Getzoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-researched page turner

Highly detailed and well told history and family history coinciding with current interest in the American Revolution in other media. Beautifully written with important details about Hamilton‘s wife and other women of that period and the impact they had on historical events and the future. Beautifully written and hard to put down.

[Barbara H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a well-written and researched book. A great telling of colonial times and the American Revolution. Interesting, detailed description of many of the characters of that time. From the Schuyler sisters, the rest of the Schuyler family, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson to James Madison and much more. Really enjoyed this book.

[Lorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the audio book. Focused on Eliza & Angelica Schuyler, it adds both facts and perspective to this period of history. Richly detailed. Big personalities. Battles—military & political—epidemics, slavery, finances, infidelity, tragedies and triumphs. These folks wrote a lot of letters. Recommend.

[Lou Chodosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly researched; a look at early America from a different perspective . Adds to my knowledge of the era.

[Susan Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging read from a feminist perspective on the leaders and events of the early Republic, including key women. Many primary sources are included and analysis of portraits of many of the key individuals. The details of fashions, plays and dances attended are part of the social milieu of the era and Vaill includes more the influence of women on all of the events of the time than most historians. Eliza Schuyler Hamilton is my new hero!

[Jay Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heard about this book on either an NPR or NYT Daily broadcast - and being a big fan of Hamilton, I wanted to read this take on the Schuyler sisters.

It's interestingly a lot more actual history than I thought - the previews gave me the impression that much of the work was 'implied fiction'. Excellent example of historical fiction, if this is indeed the case. Loved the interplay btwn the sisters, as well as the relatively deep dive into their parents and spouses. I didn't know much about older sisters' husband; that story was likely deserving of a wholly new book.

Love how the story carried thru the end of Eliza's long life - nice coda to the overall story.

[Syd Bornhuetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being more interested in domestic history, as well as “behind-the-scenes”, this book tickled me. Weaving the story through letters, diaries, accounts, legal documents, etc., made the story so much more fascinating and personal. I feel for those introduced to the Hamilton and Schuyler families through “Hamilton”, especially those who became interested in history, this is particularly great!

You can tell how much work and passion Vaill put into this book, even the parts relying on speculation feel truthful and enticing. She has put Elizabeth and Angelica at the forefront - and it is intensely fun.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus, and Giroux for the eARC!

Vaill's love of the subject is abundantly proven in this text. While there was too much detail for me, a very amateur historian, I still found the book interesting. It was nice to have another viewpoint on Eliza (other than just Hamilton).
Vaill does a fantastic job of weaving the larger historical context into the lives of the Hamilton sisters.

[Hb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! History has left so many women behind & hidden. I enjoyed reading the information about every day life as well the “important” events surrounding the birth of our country. Highly recommend, it’s a good read!

[Mary Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellently researched. Brings characters to life. I learned a lot.

[K.Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Amanda Vaill's "Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution". I had not heard of these women until they were characters in the musical "Hamilton. The sisters, Eliza Schuyler Hamilton and Angelica Schuyler Church were descendants of the wealthy Dutch settlers of New Netherlands, later New York and were amazing historical figures in their own right. Throughout their lives they met, befriended, and entertained many of the American 'Founding Fathers and Mothers'. This book including the index is 700 pages long and I did not get tired of reading about these strong determined women and the history they participated in. Anyone interested in discovering more about early American history will appreciate reading this book.

[Clyde Coon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is great! Part of the story is Alexander Hamilton and the American Revolution but the real star is his wife, Eliza Schuyler. She outlived him by half a century and became an American institution.

[Alexa Reid Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a unique and fascinating biography of the female counterparts to the founding fathers. I was completely engrossed and learned so much more about the layers and complexities of the interpersonal dynamics of the time - between colleagues, rivals, siblings, spouses. Highly recommend for any fan of Colonial American history!

[Venneh · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a solid chance you're reading this because you want to know about the Schuyler sisters after having seen Hamilton, and you know what? No shame in that. Valli gets to dive in deep to the familial movements of the Schuyler sisters across their lifetimes, and if nothing else, it's absolutely fascinating to see how the history actually played out. It does get a bit sad, but as it turns out, when you outlive most of the rest of your family (Eliza) in a time of massive social upheaval, it does get a bit depressing. Great read regardless.

[Sarah Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this biography in exchange for an honest review.

"You would not have suffered if you had married into a family less near the sun, but then [you would have missed] the pride, the pleasure, the nameless satisfactions." Angelica to her sister Eliza.

This biography follows the lives of the two oldest Schuyler sisters, Angelica and Elizabeth, who were born into a wealthy New York family in the late 18th century. Angelica eloped at twenty and led a glamorous and luxurious life in Paris and London before returning home to America. Eliza, one year younger than Angelica, married a penniless illegitimate outsider named Alexander Hamilton. Eliza devoted her life to her husband's career and raising their children, only to be betrayed by his infidelities, which seem to have likely included an indiscretion with her own sister Angelica. After Alexander's untimely death in a duel, Eliza worked tirelessly to drag her family out of debt and see to her children's futures.

I have never had more complicated feelings about a biography! I was absolutely fascinated by all that I learned about the two sisters. This book even made me weep at one point, when Eliza is called to the bed of her dying son and lays down with him to hold him all night until his death. I was outraged on Angelica's behalf upon learning that her husband had married her under a false name and didn't reveal his true identity until she was pregnant with their fourth child. I felt Eliza's despair so keenly in the aftermath of her husband's death and as she toiled to provide for her family. This felt well researched, and it was clear that the author has spent siginficant time combing through the family's correspondence and the historical record to meticulously detail their lives.

But I was also tormented by way too much historical context, which overwhelmed the biography of the sisters. While informative, I wish there had been far less information about the state of the United States and random asides about different important American historical figures. While the sisters did know many of these people, it deviated far too greatly from the main focus of the book far too often for me. This is an immense book at over 700 pages. Fortunately, a head's up to other ebook readers, the text of the book does end at 80%, which shaved off an estimated nearly three hours from the total. Much of this read felt like a slog, and not because of great details about the sisters' lives but because of lots of historical anecdotes. I do think balancing the historical backdrop with the person's life is a delicate prospect for biographers and sympathize with the difficulty of wanting to set the ladies' lives in a greater context.

Much of this book was written in the first person, which I have never encountered in a biography before, and certainly not a historical one. I believe this was meant to put the reader in the moment with Angelica and Eliza, but it still felt like an odd choice. At some point, the biography deviated from this back into past tense. I did read an advance copy so the final version may differ.

[Roberts Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution by Amanda Vaill is a sweeping, intimate dual biography that reclaims two of America’s most fascinating women from the margins of history. Through meticulous research and luminous prose, Vaill brings Angelica and Elizabeth Schuyler vividly to life sisters bound by loyalty and brilliance, yet divided by temperament, circumstance, and love.

Set against the grand tumult of America’s founding, Vaill’s narrative reads with the richness of a novel and the authority of a historian. Angelica’s transatlantic glamour a woman moving through drawing rooms that shaped nations contrasts beautifully with Eliza’s quieter, steadfast devotion to Alexander Hamilton and to the ideals of the new republic. Yet both women emerge as agents of their own destiny, navigating a world that demanded submission and rewarded defiance.

With elegant balance and emotional precision, Vaill captures the personal costs of ambition and fidelity, fame and scandal, in an age when revolution extended beyond politics into the private realm. Readers of Stacy Schiff’s The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams or Chernow’s Hamilton will find Pride and Pleasure equally immersive a portrait of courage, contradiction, and female resilience in the crucible of history.

[James Grissom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will be writing at greater length about Amanda Vaill's PRIDE AND PLEASURE. There is so much to write about, as well as to savor. We have read about the declining standards in our schools, and how so few students have a minimal grasp of our nation's history, much less that of the world. PRIDE AND PLEASURE is a brilliant and panoramic book that details the birth of America, as well as the scandals and the liberations and the rumors that ran like a frayed thread through this formation. If you approach PRIDE AND PLEASURE from an academic viewpoint, you will be satisfied: Vaill is an exhaustive researcher, and documents and details have been unearthed for the first time. If you approach it as someone who wants an impossible to put down read, then you're in luck. Imagine if Ron Chernow went dancing with Shonda Rimes, and you have an idea of the sweep of PRIDE AND PLEASURE. I cannot recommend it enough, and the fall season is suddenly worth living for.

[Lucy Keough · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost a 5 star read. Many — for me — new insights into the personal dynamics among the founding fathers, how this affected the span of the revolutionary period and how long these intertwined relationships persisted in their impact on the early history of the US. This said, this is not an easy read. The cast of characters - many of whom share the same names through multiple generations, is long and complex. (A family tree would have been very useful.)And there were many places where , again in my view, there was excessive detail/ description/background, which added unnecessarily to the complex panoply of characters. Still well worth the hefty time commitment .

[Christy fictional_traits · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pride and Pleasure is an engaging and informative read and Amanda Vaill clearly brings deep knowledge and enthusiasm to her subject.

Vaill’s research is thorough, and the historical context is wholly immersive. The discussions of class, reputation, and the constraints placed on women’s lives are thoughtful and often illuminating. That said, the writing can feel dense at times, slowing the momentum.

'Pride and Pleasure' is a worthwhile and informative read, particularly for those interested in American history, especially given that the 250 year anniversary of the War of Independence is this year.

[Rena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shines the spotlight on these incredibly interesting girls as they grow into formidable women. The gravitational pull into the famous-man and war narratives drifts too much of the book away from the sisters. Yes, the book is too long and discursive as a result, and it's still a vivid portrait of the sisters and their families. I would have loved it that much more with a strong editorial hand. These women deserve every page of this book.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am rounding up from 3.5 stars. The book could have used some editing but the story of Angelika, Eliza and Peggy (yes I am singing the song in my head) is riveting. Needless to say Eliza is the true hero of this story as we who have seen Hamilton know. She was so ahead of her time and the men were shadows behind her (including Hamilton and her father General Schuyler). The book dragged at times but in the end I did like it.