Hamilton

5/5 stars

I received this book as a gift from my aunt, because she know's that I adore the musical Hamilton, and while I'm in my “I really want to read, but nothing sounds good” reading funk, I picked this up because it's something way, way different then what I usually read. And I knew I enjoy it from the first word, and I was right.

It was so fascinating to read about the birth of the musical, and the trials and events that help influence the musical. I found myself staring at the pictures throughout for way too long, and all of Lin-Manuel Miranda's annotations during the song lyrics was my favorite part.

If you enjoy Hamilton like I do (or even if you don't), pick up this book, because not only is this book interesting, it's absolutely gorgeous.

A fascinating look at how this era-defining musical came together. I am a huge fan of Hamilton (and Lin) so I pretty much knew I would enjoy this and it didn't let me down. I've read a lot about Hamilton but there was still plenty of new info in this behind-the-scenes exploration.
I listened to the audiobook while leafing through the hardcover. The book itself is a little unwieldy so I found it useful to be able to jump between the two or pick up the book when I wanted to see the accompanying pictures and design. The book itself is a beautiful object well worth owning.
I was kind of hoping Lin would be the main narrator in the audiobook but I see how the structure didn't really allow for that. I did really enjoy the section at the end when he read his annotations, though, as I followed along in the book.

Waiting for physical copy to read Lin's liner notes, but listened to the rest. A few interesting backstory pieces that I didn't know. Definitely funny to hear Mariska Hargitay trying to read slang or pronounce rap names. Such a hilariously bad choice in narrator that it had to have been intentional, though I don't get the intention.

Adore the musical, of course, and this provides a really interesting look into the process behind bringing it to the stage, Lin-Manuel Miranda's footnotes on the libretto, essays about most of the lead actors, and so many amazing pictures! If you like Hamilton you should get this book, it's stunning.

(Bookriot Read Harder 2016 Challenge: #23 Read a play)