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Book Review of America's First Daughter

America's First Daughter
VolunteerVal avatar reviewed on + 592 more book reviews


Don't be intimidated by the length of this book - it reads faster than you'd imagine because the story is so compelling. This historical fiction novel uses excerpts from actual letters to and from Thomas Jefferson to examine an important chapter in American history through the lens of Jefferson's eldest daughter Margaret (nicknamed Patsy).

Any novel with more than one author intrigues me, and this title was executed seamlessly. The authors immersed themselves in thousands of pieces of Jefferson correspondence and then used historical facts and their imaginations to piece together a fascinating backstory surrounding the events of Thomas Jefferson and his family. Yes - it includes storylines about Sally Hennings and her children. At times, the story feels a bit like a romance novel, but Margaret's life was filled with love, loss, and other tragedies so it was likely quite dramatic.

I read this for book club and look forward to a fascinating discussion. I also look forward to reading other novels for which these authors have collaborated.