In 1804’s New York, the only thing harder than being a woman is being a widow. Still reeling from Alexander Hamilton’s death, his widow Eliza must clear her son of suspected murder while caring for her other children and household. As she unravels the mystery of her husband’s death and the scandal that overshadowed his life, Eliza discovers that those who know too much are killed – and she might be next.
Mysteries were my staple fare as a child. It’s been ages since I last read one, and I thought a historical page-turner (with a convenient crash course about the Hamiltons) would be a wonderful combination.
At face value, there is nothing wrong with The Lace Widow – yet I found it so underwhelming. I took a month to read this book, but I never wondered about it between reads, or itched to get back into the story. It was far too easy to slip out of, and I’m of the opinion that a good mystery should keep you up all night. The plot was too slow for my liking, and many of the difficulties were resolved very easily. Towards the end I felt things were finally starting to happen – we even got some plot twists! But even that fizzled out as everything wrapped up nicely, neatly, and above all, quickly.
Like the plot, the characters also fell flat. The protagonists were good and kind, but (except perhaps for Eliza and Alice) not layered or particularly well-drawn. And let’s just say Jafar and Mother Gothel shamed the antagonists where complexity and scariness was concerned.
I can’t even say The Lace Widow is worth reading for its prose, as I found the writing very ordinary and unmemorable. The frequent use of rhetorical questions or stating the obvious hampered the book, and sometimes bordered on preachy and clumsy. In my opinion, reading Eliza’s unfiltered thoughts would have been far more authentic and gripping. Instead, I felt I was reading a children’s novel – one where the author is too keen on befriending the reader or driving home a point.
Squeaky-clean and unoffensive, The Lace Widow offers interesting insight into Eliza Hamilton’s life and times. The picture of the Pearl Street widows is fascinating, and a beautiful testimony to the strength of women. However, I don’t feel this novel is worth reading just for that. Neither the characters, plot or prose were memorable or enjoyable. I didn’t lose or gain anything through this reading. It was unfortunately a big disappointment, which is why I won’t give it a star rating.
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own, and I was in no way pressured to write a positive review.
Only by Grace 