The New York Times and USA Today BestsellerIn a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph–a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American … father and shaped an American legacy.
From her earliest days, Patsy Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still. As Thomas Jefferson’s oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate, protector, and constant companion in the wake of her mother’s death, traveling with him when he becomes American minister to France.
It is in Paris, at the glittering court and among the first tumultuous days of revolution, that fifteen-year-old Patsy learns about her father’s troubling liaison with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age. Meanwhile, Patsy has fallen in love–with her father’s protégé William Short, a staunch abolitionist and ambitious diplomat. Torn between love, principles, and the bonds of family, Patsy questions whether she can choose a life as William’s wife and still be a devoted daughter.
Her choice will follow her in the years to come, to Virginia farmland, Monticello, and even the White House. And as scandal, tragedy, and poverty threaten her family, Patsy must decide how much she will sacrifice to protect her father’s reputation, in the process defining not just his political legacy, but that of the nation he founded.
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I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, but I can’t tell you why. Probably because I just don’t get to it. However, I really should read more of it because when it’s done well, I love it. And America’s First Daughter is a wonderful book. It’s written beautifully, engaging, but with so much fascinating historical detail. If you’re at all interested in Thomas Jefferson, his life and the way he shaped the US, check out this book.
A very interesting and entertaining story! Based on true history, there is – of course – quite a bit of filling in between the lines of what is known. But the authors did a great job of keeping the story moving through all the historic bits.
Even if for no other reason, I would give this book five stars for the authors’ ability to take mountains of material, and make hard choices that allowed them to present a life in the confines of a single book. I greatly appreciate the Authors Note at the end of the novel explaining how they did this, why they made the choices they did, which events were factual, where they had to fill in the blanks where there are gaps in the historical records, etc. Absolutely fascinating.u2060
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The novel itself presents a portrait of a complicated, nuanced woman living in an era even more complicated. There is so much material here that lends itself to personal reflection as well as book club discussion. Especially interesting to me was watching the decay of the Virginia gentleman-planter ideal, the tug-of-war in Jefferson’s family and America in general between liberty in theory and liberty in practice (owning slaves), and of course Sally Hemmings’ place in the Jefferson household.u2060
I am a historical fiction buff and most like reading about European/British history, but I couldn’t put this book down. I knew nothing about Martha (Patsy) Jefferson and found this book very engaging as well as giving me a closer look into the formation of our Country. Best book I’ve read this year!
Awesome book that draws you into time. The details surrounding this story is amazing.
I listened to the audiobook version of America’s First Daughter. The narrator adds layers to an already brilliant story of Martha Jefferson Randolph and her life. So well written.
This was a deeply researched and fully empathetic depiction of the life of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, Patsy. I knew almost nothing about the daughter who was present for most of the Founding Father’s career as a politician and statesman living in France and later back home in Virginia, and I thought the portrayal of her as a woman who was both vulnerable and strong, who was smart and a little wild and full of something most women in that era are not portrayed as having, was done with grace and deft writing. The authors showed Patsy as a woman who had uncompromising morals, and yet they were honest about the parts of her history – and the parts our broader Southern history – that are the most difficult to reconcile with the Revolutionary heroes we remember. I learned so much reading this and am looking forward to diving into My Dear Hamilton!
Recommended to me by a friend, I was mesmerized by this book and couldn’t wait to come back to it. I love long, juicy novels in which I’m able to sink my teeth, and America’s First Daughter didn’t disappoint—but there are reasons for that, which I’ll discuss.
The book tells the sweeping tale of Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, whose full name was eventually Martha Jefferson Randolph. “Patsy”, as she was nicknamed, was the proverbial “Daddy’s girl”, but she benefited from it, becoming far more educated than were most women of her time—even women of her own social status. But Patsy was also a character that kept promises to the point of fault. Her adventures, from the daring escape from Monticello to Poplar Forest, her intrigues, Jefferson’s scandals, and the divisive politics that nearly tore a toddling America apart are powerfully described, as was the world-building vivid and colorfully detailed.
Perhaps the most compelling part of this book for me was the humanity of all of the characters involved, blending with the portrayal of American history—checkmated at the time with the conundrum of slavery which was indeed the penultimate hypocrisy of freedom, yet provided an economy for the south that society demanded. Tragic, poignant, and deftly realized, every American in our present day should read this book. No, Thomas Jefferson was FAR from perfect and nor was his family. However, they were men and women of their time, as were the slaves in their households, and this book renders them all as fully revealed human lives.
Bravissimo to both Dray and Kamoie. They have achieved nothing less than a masterpiece.
Phenomenal story! Immaculate research…I could not put this one down. I feel like I’ve walked and talked with both Jefferson and Patsy. Best read of the year for me.
America’s First Daughters is a short but impactful story about Thomas Jefferson’s two daughters and their experience during the war. It is told from the older daughters perspective and begins when they are awakened in the pre-dawn hours by a rider, warning them that the redcoats are coming. The family flees while Thomas Jefferson stays behind to ensure that everyone is evacuated and his papers are gathered before he departs, despite the danger to himself. If he had been captured, Thomas Jefferson would have been tried on treason and executed. And while this is a Historical Fiction, I believe it to also be fiction as well. Entertaining and easy to read, I enjoyed the story very much.
This historical novel set during the formative years of the United States government, its developing society, slavery, foreign policy, politics and life of landowners in Virginia is told from the view point of Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph, daughter of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was a great American statesman, brilliant, and his participation in the founding of our country helped make it the amazing democracy we have remained. However, we learn so much more about him, and not all of it was noble. As a student of American history, a B.S. in history and political science, I found myself blissfully immersed in this book.
I found the description of the years Patsy and her father spent in Paris and the chapters throughout the book describing the tumultuous life at Monticello, including the relationship of the Hemings and the Jeffersons, to be especially valuable. The life of the landowners in Virginia was fascinating, especially the role and treatment of women. I gave this book 4 stars, because it was very long. There was too much space given to peripheral relatives of the Jeffersons , and it seemed that so many topics/situations were thrown into the last few chapters, that it became dizzying. I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks they know Thomas Jefferson and and wants to understand the man and his family.
I have visited Monticello many times and read a lot about Thomas Jefferson but didn’t know much about Patsy. This book fills in a lot of gaps. Very engaging read and I really enjoyed it!
This is the fictionalized story of Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph, the oldest daughter of Thomas Jefferson. Drawing on the letters of Thomas Jefferson, authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie paint a wonderful, yet tragic picture of the life of Patsy Jefferson. From an early age, Patsy was Jefferson’s constant companion. She was at his side when they had to flee Monticello at the end of the American Revolution, and she accompanied him to France where he was an Ambassador on the eve of the French Revolution. After returning to the United States, Patsy followed Jefferson to Washington City to play hostess and First Lady during his two terms as President. Patsy lived through a lot as Jefferson’s daughter and it wasn’t all good. Enduring heartache and abuse by her husband and handling Monticello as they struggled through near poverty, Patsy always showed strength and resilience.
I enjoyed this read, as I know little about this time period and about Jefferson’s personal life. It is a very engaging, yet heartbreaking story. Patsy had to be quite a woman and hers is a story that should be shared as an important character in our nation’s history.
Helped a little to redeem Thomas Jefferson’s badly tarnished reputation. Not as good as “My Darling Hamilton.”
I can’t recommend this book enough. Martha (Patsy) Jefferson’s life was a real page turner. The beginning was a little boring, but quickly ended and was interspersed with interesting elements of the danger to their lives in the early rebellion of the United States with England as Jefferson was a hunted man in the beginning of the book for his role in the birth of America. Patsy’s relationship with her father as the oldest daughter when her mother died was also a catalyst for her to live a colorful life as hostess of her father, both in America and abroad. Her early love as a young girl, and her marriage were both page turning. Thomas Jefferson’s relationship with his female slave who became his mistress is also told in this book as well as Patsy’s relationship with her as well which also made for interesting reading. And of course slavery was an issue in the colonies even before the civil war, with Patsy’s interaction with slaves at Monticello told. There is also a dirty secret revealed involving more than just one person in the family. That is domestic violence. This added even more drama to Patsy’s life story. To keep the book from sounding like a fictional drama, the author’s note at the end of the book is worth reading. The book was researched thoroughly. All I can say is Martha (Patsy) Jefferson was a remarkable woman.
I really like this book
4 Stars
I loved this book. If you like historical fiction you have to read this book!
What a fabulous look at a time we think we know so well. Told through the lens of a person who was at the very heart of the American Revolution, it’s a glimpse into the complexities of real life in a turbulent time with legendary people and personalities.
What a great insight into the life of the daughter of Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph, Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter! Although true to history (based on letters) it’s become a page-turner. Loved it.