Sue's Reviews > America's First Daughter

I read this for a book club and although it is long, it is a very enjoyable read and seemed to flow quickly. It is an historical novel, albeit very well-researched and quite factual which made it interesting and fun to read. The story is about Martha Jefferson Randolph, or Patsy, and tells the story of her life and how her choices are centered around her famous father. Told in first person, it draws the reader into her life and milieu, shows the events surrounding the birth of our nation and its progress toward becoming a republic, and is full of anecdotes about famous people who intersect with her life. It doesn't shy away from recounting many awful things about life and is very much a women's novel that shows the degradation women of all classes had to face during the time period. Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemings is also explored and how it impacts Patsy as she gains a family of slave half-siblings and struggles to find how they can relate to each other. A very good read.