America's First Daughter: A Novel

Written by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Mar 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9780062463548

Stephanie Dray

Stephanie Dray is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today bestselling author of historical women’s fiction. Her award-winning work has been translated into eight languages and tops lists for the most anticipated reads of the year. Before she became a novelist, she was a lawyer and a teacher. Now she lives near the nation’s capital with her husband, cats, and history books.

Reviews for America's First Daughter

[stephanie vlietstra · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Interesting novel, and good narration. I loved every moment. Thanks

[khiemstra631 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as an early review copy from LibraryThing. Nonetheless, it is a book that I might well have picked up on my own to read having visited Monticello a couple of times and liking historical novels. This one did not disappoint, and it gave me a new perspective on the Jefferson family. I went into it knowing next to nothing about Martha (Patsy) Jefferson Randolph. Although a certain amount of the book is by necessity conjecture, the author presented all of it very well and kept this reader's interest throughout. I found it enlightening to learn how hard the "head of the household" had to work in those days even if her house was a plantation home with slaves. During the times when Patsy lived away from home and had no domestic help, it was constant work. And she also bore eleven children as well as raising some grandchildren. She and her father were basically inseparable, and neither coped well without the other. Jefferson's financial woes and the end of Monticello are nicely dealt with in the book. All in all, an enlightening read on a fascinating subject.

[curvymommy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'll be honest, I'm a sucker for historical fiction, especially if it's based on real people, and this novel about Martha "Patsy" Jefferson was set during one of my favorite time periods - the American Revolutionary War Era. I was very much looking forward to reading this. But, it started slow for me. I actually got about 45 pages in, and set it aside to read a couple library books. It didn't immediately grab my attention, and I wasn't really looking forward to picking it up again. But once I got about 75 pages in, it took off, and I was hooked. This book was SO GOOD! This novel covers nearly the entirety of Patsy's life, from her early girlhood in Virginia and Boston, to her years in Paris with her father, where she was educated at a convent school, and the rest of her life as a wife and mother in Virginia. I found myself longing along with Patsy to be with her first love. I hurt with Patsy when misfortune befell her family. I was angry with Patsy when she was mistreated by her husband.I was totally and completely invested in this novel, and found myself reading it every chance I got. It was extremely well-researched and written. If you are a fan of historical fiction, you MUST read this book. Highly recommended!

[chelsearsmith · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

About 200 pages into this book and I cannot understand the rave reviews. I love both historical fiction and American history, so this highly reviewed book seemed perfect. The first chapter or two of this book hooked me, but then my love began to fizzle. It?s been repeated again and again by reviewers as well as the book forward that this story of Patsy Jefferson was based upon thousands and thousands of letters in Thomas Jefferson?s collections. To me, this sounds like a book teetering on the brink of non-fiction that technically lands in historical fiction because of filling in conversation gaps and such. So I was incredibly surprised to learn that the authors fabricated an entire (annoying) relationship between Patsy and her father?s ?adopted? son, William Short. In addition, the relationship between Jefferson and Sally Hemings has just started at this point in the book. There is absolutely no information about their relationship, if it even existed (DNA evidence is not conclusive). So the authors manufactured the details of that entire story-line as well. Obviously, historical fiction has to make things up, it is fiction. But I expect highly researched books to not have completely fabricated relationships that have one purpose and that is to add dramatic flair.A less important issue I have with this book, which is more about taste, is that I dislike every single person. I have not found a character that does not annoy me. They, so far, are all 2 dimensional and dull or plain stupid. Now, it could be argued that that is just how these people were in real life, since they were real people. But I would think that if authors are fabricating storylines to add a dramatic flair, the least they could do is make their main character likeable and not silly and unintelligent.I?ve thought a lot about why people love this book and I?ve finally come to a conclusion that I will explain using an analogy. I am a huge fan of costume dramas. I will watch anything Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte, Charles Dickens or Thomas Hardy, where people get married after not even touching hands without gloves on and other silly historically accurate social customs. I cringe at the red lipstick prevalent in any drama made in the 90s. When Downton Abbey started, I was excited to have a new show to watch but was quickly disappointed by the anachronistic drama that was infused throughout every episode. But people loved it. I realized though that it was people that never watch costume dramas; to me, the show was basically a soap opera with Edwardian clothes, to others it was finally a costume drama interesting enough to watch. This book is to historical fiction/nonfiction what Downton Abbey was to costume dramas; it turned what could have been a boring story, at least to people who don?t typically read historical stuff, into something interesting. That isn?t necessarily a bad thing, it?s just not my kind of thing.

[birgitta strand · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was l o n g ! But WOW!!! ... how fascinating it has been to learn about the beginnings of the federation that has become the US! Built on President Thomas Jefferson's 43 years of every correspondence, every slip of paper, notes etc, that his daughter spent ten years to collect, edit and donate to the USA state library. Thank you Stephanie Dray!

[Henry Allen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyable and educational read I liked the
Very vivid descriptions.

[corduroy7-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Every individual interested in history should read this book.

[Jennifer Davis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very educational! Also very long, so it’s a big time investment.

[nfmgirl2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The idea behind this story is that Jefferson’s daughter Patsy is going through Jefferson's collection of letters after his death. Jefferson was known for being an eloquent writer (having been the primary writer of the Declaration of Independence), and wrote many letters in his lifetime. Jefferson's letters guide us through the life of his daughter Patsy, indeed through history itself, and the resulting story reveals to us Jefferson through the eyes of a devoted daughter.The story opens during the American Revolution, with the Jefferson family on the run and in hiding. Tragedy strikes repeatedly, and Jefferson falls into a depression after the loss of his wife. Being the eldest child, a young Patsy becomes the "woman of the house" at 10 years of age after her mother's death, and it is her job to look after her father and sisters. She takes her duty to her father very seriously, and won't leave his side, eventually accompanying him to France.Patsy is a strong-willed and intelligent young girl who grows to be a well traveled and worldly young woman. She acquires over her youth the social grace to handle herself in politically-charged gatherings, and even smooth things over when her father flubs something. Accompanying them to France is Jefferson’s apprentice William Short. He essentially idolizes Jefferson and would do almost anything for him. He is also quite fond of Patsy. They share the same beliefs about slavery and the “wrongness” of it.Also accompanying the family to France is Sally Hemings, the beautiful slave that is rumored to be the half-sister of Jefferson’s wife. She is also rather intelligent, even regal, and has a will of her own that she will enforce when she feels it necessary.I think we've all heard the stories about Thomas Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemings. This novel takes the perspective that Hemings and Jefferson may have been in love, or at least had some sort of connection. The story portrays an apparent tenderness and affection between the two, and a long-term relationship resulting in numerous supposed children together.After the first 100 pages, the book held me every moment. I was bored in the beginning by Jefferson and his misery after his wife's death, but once he came out of it and the story picked up, it held my attention and had me craving to know what would happen next.Then I found myself wanting to finish the story, so I could then go on to read up on Jefferson, his daughter and the other characters, to see how much of this story seemed to be true.As Patsy matured and found romantic interests, I found myself concerned that the story may degrade into some tale of flowery romance, but the story in fact maintained its integrity.My final word: The story was slow to start and grab me, but in the end I really, really liked the tale told about Patsy and her life as the daughter of Thomas Jefferson. The authors really brought the characters to life, and made them highly sympathetic. Jefferson is actually a secondary character in this story. It is really all about Patsy-- her strength, her determination, her loyalty and devotion, commitment and constant love. It's an extraordinary tale, with an extraordinary woman and cast of secondary characters, not the least of whom is Thomas Jefferson himself. Jefferson is known for having said "I cannot live without books", and you, my friends, should not live without this one! Get thee to a book store posthaste!

[sarah kennington · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fabulous book with great explanation of history. I loved the presentation of it!

[janarose1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Martha, “Patsy” Jefferson, is the oldest daughter of Thomas Jefferson. She feels responsible for his well being, and devotes her life to his care. From giving up her true love in Paris, to settling in marriage, to having and losing children, this book chronicles her life.Well written, this book was fascinating. It was engaging, realistic and hard to put down. My only criticism is that I would have loved an epilogue telling what happened to Patsy and Sally’s children. Overall, well worth picking up. Highly recommended.

[Mariana Sanchez Navarro · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Its such an interesting and beautifully written book. The audiobook it’s so well preformed you feel emerged in the story

[Lori Fisher · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the historical fiction with color in between the lines.

[Trish · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Episodic, with some riveting and other tedious story lines that go on and on an on- leaving the reader waiting for a climax and denouement that never comes. I closed my car’s windows and turned down the sound on the racist narration but kept listening because of the truth of bigotry then and now. The abrupt and disappointing ending mirrors life without saving the novel. It does spark my interest in Thomas Jefferson and his family and provides a truthful account of domestic violence- - so much so that the reader/listener gains an understanding of, “How can she live like that?” or “How can she let that happen?” Further editing and a rewrite in diary form could make this a really good book.

[Mizzi Veronique · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So beautifully narrated and such a wonderfully written historical fiction that I was sad to reach the end. Brilliant book.

[theeccentriclady · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received America's First Daughter from Library Thing's Early Reviewers in return for an honest review. I enjoy historical fiction and learning about other times and places. I do not enjoy dry facts and dates which is why I did not enjoy history class in high school. Too bad we couldn't learn history through books like this. Stephanie and Laura did a wonderful job using excerpts from letters by Thomas Jefferson as a timeline for the story of his life described through his daughter Patsy's eyes. This story is as much about Mr. Jefferson as it is Patsy. The places where Patsy lived and everything she witnessed in her life made for a fascinating read. I was never board and appreciated the different views presented by different characters about various subjects important at the time. The liberty the authors take with some of the facts are not at all distracting and since you know this is a novel you expect some of the stories to be embellished. I appreciated the author's note in the back explaining where they took liberty to change some of the facts to make a more enjoyable read. What a perfect time, during our pre-election circus to be reading this account of the early years of America as a nation. Some things never change. For all those people who like to romanticize the founding fathers and like to believe these were better times morally and a more honest time, well I suggest you give this gem a read as well as other honest accounts of that time in our history.If history is your thing I think you will really enjoy America's First Daughter.

[Cari · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fascinating and colorful account of the beginning of the United States based on the letters and documentations of Thomas Jefferson. Loved it!

[kate wilcock · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting and moving account of turbulent era.
The narrator was wonderful.

[milibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This lengthy book is worth the time spent reading it. Based upon Thomas Jefferson's correspondence with family and friends, this historical novel tells the story of the Jefferson family through the eyes of his oldest daughter, Martha "Patsy" Jefferson Randolph. When Patsy's mother is dying, 10-year-old Patsy promises her that she will care for her father, and her father promises to never remarry. Patsy takes on the role she promised her dying mother, even to the point of giving up the man she loves to marry another. All through her life, she protects her family's secrets and reputation without regard to her own happiness. While raising 11 children, she must also make decisions between love, duty, and respect.This book does not gloss over Jefferson's flaws as Patsy tries to preserve his reputation in the new county. His choices and decisions are often hard on his family, which takes second place to his devotion to his country.This is a vivid account of a turbulent time in U.S. history as lived by some very real and flawed human beings. Tragedy brings out the best and the worst in a revered by troubled family.

[Nashina Amersi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I found it difficult to get into it. I started enjoying it more as Patsy grew up. So much history . Sad that women were treated as property. It's a beautiful story.

[Kathleen Kahler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful historical novel! It provided a picture of life for a very privileged white woman with a lot of ethical issues to face in her life. At times the book reflects the political and race issues we are struggling with today. Make sure to listen to the Epilogue and authors notes to understand how they integrated factual information in to the novel. Fantastic book!

[Val Menzies · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book. Thomas Jefferson, his daughter and the founding of the nation come alive in the pages of this well written novel.

[Donna Larson Christian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a very well written and read story. Brings our emotions and feelings very well. Thank you for the look back in our history and telling us what they were like.. We do have a great country here and these men (and daughters) made a large part of that.

[lbswiener · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

America's First Daughter is a historical novel about Thomas Jefferson's oldest daughter. As a young girl at her mother's death bed, Patsy promised her mother that she would watch over and take care of her father, Thomas Jefferson. The book was tremendously researched. IMartha (Patsy) played an important part in her father's presidency and life of politics. Her husband, Thomas Randolph lead a very tragic life. They had 11 children together. The book received four stars in this review and is recommended to history buffs who want to learn about American history from a woman's point of view.

[carolesrandomlife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am a little surprised by just how much I liked this book. I have had this book for years and just never seemed to be able to work it in, largely because it is a longer book and I knew that it would take more time to read. Of course, that didn’t matter once I started reading because I looked forward to every chance I had to dive back into this book. It is a really interesting story and it is obviously well-researched. I often found myself stopping the book to read more about certain historical characters and events as I made my way through this wonderful book.It didn’t take me long to fall in love with Martha or “Patsy”. The authors did a fantastic job of making her come alive in this book. Martha is the eldest daughter of Thomas Jefferson. When I was in school, I learned about Jefferson but they conveniently failed to mention some of the less than pleasant things that he did. I liked that the book didn’t shy away from these topics. There were many times in this book that I did not care for Jefferson at all. Martha was easier to like but she definitely had her faults too. Her life was very interesting but not easy. I spent a lot of the book thinking about how lucky I am to live in today’s world. Little things like birth control and being able to make decisions for ourselves are things that I have taken for granted but were not a part of women’s lives not so long ago.Cassandra Campbell did a fabulous job with the narration of this book. I have enjoyed her work in the past but I think that her performance really shined with this book. She brought these characters and this time period to life. I thought that the voices that she used were very well done and I loved how much emotion she was able to bring to her narration. I feel that her performance added to my overall enjoyment of the story.I would definitely recommend this book to fans of historical fiction. I really liked that the focus of the book was the daughter of a famous figure and thought that her perspective was a compelling one. Martha lived an interesting life with her time in Paris, the front row seat to everything that went into the early years of our nation, her marriage, and her time with her father while he served as President, not to mention the fact that she raised 11 children. I would not hesitate to read more of this writing pair’s work in the future.I received a digital review copy of this book from William Morrow via Edelweiss and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.

[booklovers2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely loved this book. Full of history and tidbits I hadn't known before.

[nwieme-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

LOVED IT! Although a novel, the authors paid close attention to detail and information was gathered from letters and diaries - so authentic!
What a great heroine!

[maureencean · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Once again I find myself adrift in a sea of reviewers who think a book is the best ever...I could have squeezed out another star for it if Patsy had just been portrayed as a more likable person. The book's preface where she embarks on editing her father's life by burning correspondence and documents that she would not want to be publicly viewed because they conflicted with the image that she wanted to live on through posterity turned me off entirely. I think it is fair to say it set up a bias for me in terms of how I viewed her throughout the book. Aside from that, the story was engaging enough.

[dubaireader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thomas Jefferson's daughter.Stephanie Dray writes Historical fiction, most recently with Laura Kamoie, but she's also well known as an Historical romance author under the name of Stephanie Draven. Just to confuse matters even more, Laura Kamoie also has an alias as a Romance author, as Laura Kaye. So it's little wonder that this Historical Fiction novel does have a somewhat romantic feel to it. Where it differs considerably is in its length - while both authors write fairly short romance books, America's First Daughter took me by surprise at 580/624 pages (depending on the source). My Kindle percentage seemed to be rising painfully slowly and our book group unanimously decided to delay the discussion for a week.Stephanie and Laura between them had 17,000 letters written to and from Thomas Jefferson, on which to base their novel, no wonder it took five years to write.Jefferson lived a double life, advocating freedom for all, while running a farm worked by slaves. He argued that it would be impossible to maintain the farm without slave workers. Meanwhile, on her deathbed, he promised to love none other than his beloved wife, yet formed a life-long liaison with a slave girl in his employ, fathering several children through her.This book is written from the point of view of his daughter, Martha, known as Patsy. She relinquished many of her personal freedoms in order to stay at her father's side; travelling to Paris with him at a young age and later playing the role of first woman in Washington. She then married Thomas Mann Randolph, Jr. and bore twelve children.Having spent such a long time on this book I was disappointed in the discussion questions provided by the publisher; they tended to run along a similar theme and were somewhat uninspiring. I had to resort to the passages that I had highlighted while reading to keep the discussion motivated.Although the book was quite hard going, I learned a lot from it and don't regret the time spent.

[hobbitprincess · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book did not disappoint. The story is told well, in an interesting way that had me wanting to turn the page. I especially enjoyed getting a ringside seat, so to speak, to the beginnings of our country. I learned much that I didn't know about that period of our history. I did get a little confused at all the Randolphs in the book, but a few quick internet searches helped me out there. To remain true to the characters, there was no other way to write about the various Randolph kin. As any good historical novel will do, it led me to doing more research. I especially enjoyed finding paintings of the people involved in the story and taking a virtual tour of Monticello. This is a book that will stay on my shelf to be read again.