Rating: *****
Tags: Fiction, Historical, Biographical, General, Lang:en
Summary
THE
NEW YORK TIMES &
USA TODAY BESTSELLER
In 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 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. **