--- product_id: 24934153 title: "America's First Daughter: A Novel" price: "£19.72" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/24934153-americas-first-daughter-a-novel store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # America's First Daughter: A Novel **Price:** £19.72 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** America's First Daughter: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** £19.72 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/24934153-americas-first-daughter-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description 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. Review: A helluva' woman... - I grew up reading historical fiction. It fired my imagination, made me love the learning of history and continues to this day as a still loved source of reading pleasure. This book about Martha 'Patsy' Jefferson Randolph is beautifully researched, well written and a pleasure to read. The authors have taken such care to show the fulsomeness of Patsy's character that I often found myself reacting to her and the events of her life and some of her choices with a disbelieving shake of my head, laughter, gasps, aggravation, concern and frequently, with sorrow. The things that she does to take care of and protect her father and meet the responsibilities of a wife and mother during turbulent political and social times often left me feeling exhausted on her behalf. She comes across as a very unique character who truly understood the history she was living, so much so that her efforts are almost totally responsible for much of what the world knows about the details of Thomas Jefferson's life. In this book, Jefferson himself is no marble statue because we get to see him through the eyes of his daughter. Devoted as she is, his weaknesses are presented along side his strengths. As a Founding Father, he loved and nurtured the 'grand experiment' that is the United States, but did not know how, after the death of his wife, to nurture his own children. He was deeply emotional, but often discouraged emotional reactions by his children. He wrote that 'all men are created equal,' but kept slaves. He was man of brilliant intellectual ability, but also a 'dabbler' who seldom finished a project, once started. He was generous to a fault, but left his family in near penury upon his death. Finally, the authors convince me that he loved his children but it isn't evident until they are older and the quality of their intellectual abilities is shown. The relationship of Jefferson with Sally Hemmings and the children she bore him is not deeply explored in this book. However, what is told is often poignant and heartbreaking. The authors explore only a few of the many contradictions of personal philosophy and the human heart in this complicated relationship. Patsy and Sally are wary with one another, but work in concert to protect Jefferson both in life and in death. As a side note, the campaign for the Presidential election in 1800 which is chronicled in this book was vicious and petty with personal attacks and insults. Sound familiar? Ah, history...how it repeats itself. Bottom line: Patsy Jefferson was a helluva' woman. This book, told in the first person, is not only wonderful history, it is a compelling read about a woman faced with incredible personal struggles and responsibilities who felt both the glory and the weight of her father's legacy while he lived and after he died. She lived through two revolutions, the War of 1812, Jefferson's eight years as President presiding as his hostess in the absence of a First Lady, survived a difficult, often abusive marriage, bore 12 children and raised several that weren't her own, wrestled with the shame of slavery and preserved Jefferson's legacy. This book helped me understand that HER legacy is something to be celebrated. Review: Extraordinary life of Martha "Patsy" Jefferson Randolph - My book club reads a lot of biographical fiction. It’s an interesting and entertaining way to learn more about a specific time, place, and person in history. This month we chose America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie. With the first person POV of the main character, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph, it explores the life of not only Thomas Jefferson’s daughter, but of his contemporaries and family members. The book begins when Patsy is a young girl and finishes with her later years. It is filled with historical detail that a history-nerd will love. The Revolutionary War and the early years of the nation are not time periods I generally read, but this book was fascinating in its portrayal of a young nation founded on high moral principles, yet in reality a democracy riddled with injustices. Slavery, the huge elephant in the room given Jefferson’s own ownership of slaves and his relationship with Sally Hemings, is a big part of the story. Patsy is definitely a woman of her time, and though she abhors slavery (as do many of her acquaintance) she is unable to affect any kind of meaningful change. In fact, those with the power to do so either were unsuccessful or left it to later generations. The authors do a good job of balancing the context of the time (slavery, limited rights of women and children) with an honest portrayal of the subject matter. This is Patsy’s story to tell, and I feel the authors allowed this incredible woman to tell it. Patsy was witness to so much — the American Revolution, formation of a new nation, the unfolding of the French revolution, the rise and fall of political factions — yet she was first and foremost a dutiful daughter, a committed wife, and a nurturing mother of many children. Her life was both extraordinary and ordinary, and the novel expresses that so well. If you are a fan of early American history, then this book is definitely for you. My book club googled a lot during the reading of the book! We also had an outstanding discussion. Recommended. Audience: adults. (I purchased Kindle ebook from desertcart. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #8,576 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #28 in Biographical Historical Fiction #31 in Biographical & Autofiction #535 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 26,171 Reviews | ## Images ![America's First Daughter: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91ljeybCvdL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A helluva' woman... *by T***9 on July 29, 2016* I grew up reading historical fiction. It fired my imagination, made me love the learning of history and continues to this day as a still loved source of reading pleasure. This book about Martha 'Patsy' Jefferson Randolph is beautifully researched, well written and a pleasure to read. The authors have taken such care to show the fulsomeness of Patsy's character that I often found myself reacting to her and the events of her life and some of her choices with a disbelieving shake of my head, laughter, gasps, aggravation, concern and frequently, with sorrow. The things that she does to take care of and protect her father and meet the responsibilities of a wife and mother during turbulent political and social times often left me feeling exhausted on her behalf. She comes across as a very unique character who truly understood the history she was living, so much so that her efforts are almost totally responsible for much of what the world knows about the details of Thomas Jefferson's life. In this book, Jefferson himself is no marble statue because we get to see him through the eyes of his daughter. Devoted as she is, his weaknesses are presented along side his strengths. As a Founding Father, he loved and nurtured the 'grand experiment' that is the United States, but did not know how, after the death of his wife, to nurture his own children. He was deeply emotional, but often discouraged emotional reactions by his children. He wrote that 'all men are created equal,' but kept slaves. He was man of brilliant intellectual ability, but also a 'dabbler' who seldom finished a project, once started. He was generous to a fault, but left his family in near penury upon his death. Finally, the authors convince me that he loved his children but it isn't evident until they are older and the quality of their intellectual abilities is shown. The relationship of Jefferson with Sally Hemmings and the children she bore him is not deeply explored in this book. However, what is told is often poignant and heartbreaking. The authors explore only a few of the many contradictions of personal philosophy and the human heart in this complicated relationship. Patsy and Sally are wary with one another, but work in concert to protect Jefferson both in life and in death. As a side note, the campaign for the Presidential election in 1800 which is chronicled in this book was vicious and petty with personal attacks and insults. Sound familiar? Ah, history...how it repeats itself. Bottom line: Patsy Jefferson was a helluva' woman. This book, told in the first person, is not only wonderful history, it is a compelling read about a woman faced with incredible personal struggles and responsibilities who felt both the glory and the weight of her father's legacy while he lived and after he died. She lived through two revolutions, the War of 1812, Jefferson's eight years as President presiding as his hostess in the absence of a First Lady, survived a difficult, often abusive marriage, bore 12 children and raised several that weren't her own, wrestled with the shame of slavery and preserved Jefferson's legacy. This book helped me understand that HER legacy is something to be celebrated. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Extraordinary life of Martha "Patsy" Jefferson Randolph *by B***M on March 27, 2023* My book club reads a lot of biographical fiction. It’s an interesting and entertaining way to learn more about a specific time, place, and person in history. This month we chose America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie. With the first person POV of the main character, Martha “Patsy” Jefferson Randolph, it explores the life of not only Thomas Jefferson’s daughter, but of his contemporaries and family members. The book begins when Patsy is a young girl and finishes with her later years. It is filled with historical detail that a history-nerd will love. The Revolutionary War and the early years of the nation are not time periods I generally read, but this book was fascinating in its portrayal of a young nation founded on high moral principles, yet in reality a democracy riddled with injustices. Slavery, the huge elephant in the room given Jefferson’s own ownership of slaves and his relationship with Sally Hemings, is a big part of the story. Patsy is definitely a woman of her time, and though she abhors slavery (as do many of her acquaintance) she is unable to affect any kind of meaningful change. In fact, those with the power to do so either were unsuccessful or left it to later generations. The authors do a good job of balancing the context of the time (slavery, limited rights of women and children) with an honest portrayal of the subject matter. This is Patsy’s story to tell, and I feel the authors allowed this incredible woman to tell it. Patsy was witness to so much — the American Revolution, formation of a new nation, the unfolding of the French revolution, the rise and fall of political factions — yet she was first and foremost a dutiful daughter, a committed wife, and a nurturing mother of many children. Her life was both extraordinary and ordinary, and the novel expresses that so well. If you are a fan of early American history, then this book is definitely for you. My book club googled a lot during the reading of the book! We also had an outstanding discussion. Recommended. Audience: adults. (I purchased Kindle ebook from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great American History Novel w a Mix of a Little Fiction to Make a Good Story *by C***R on September 19, 2017* America’s First Daughter by co-authors, Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie A fascinating historic fiction created by two authors after immense research of letters that were written to and by Thomas Jefferson. The authors epilogue at the end divides actual facts, assumptions and liberties they took while creating this great novel. Jefferson’s oldest daughter Patsy, (Martha Jefferson Randolph) becomes her father’s strongest advocate where she protects, supports and advises him. Patsy takes the role as his companion after the wake of her mother’s death, and travels with him to France where he becomes American minister to France. During the French Revolution the Jefferson’s return to America. Jefferson is elected as America’s third President. Throughout the book, Patsy shows her strength and understanding as she helps protect her father’s political legacy, and his love for a nation he founded; a love greater than anything or anyone else. The story follows Patsy's life. An American life full of turmoil in forming a new world, touching on sticky issues such as; slavery, inheritance laws, women without rights, dowry’s, resolving conflicts by duels, Jefferson’s relationship with his slave, Sally Hemmings. Patsy’s life story follows our American history which by no means can be looked at as uncomplicated. Patsy married William Mann Randolph, jr. who's marriage became estranged in part because of the stress created by their tenuous financial situation. After inheriting his father's debts upon his death, Randolph had struggled to provide for his younger siblings in addition to his own growing family. The Virginian economic situation suffered several blows, and in desperation, the Randolphs had to sell their main property, Edgehill, along with its crops, buildings, animals, and slaves, and even this was not enough money to pay back all the family's creditors. Randolph, who had always had a temper, became increasingly angry toward his wife's father, his sons, and Patsy herself, feeling that they did not do enough to save Edgehill but focused on saving Thomas Jefferson's estate, Monticello, instead. The loss of his property was humiliating for Randolph, since in Virginian society at that time men had to own a certain amount of land before being allowed to hold office or even to vote. Randolph became irrational, and his angry outbursts caused all his adult children to distance themselves from him. He left his wife and their younger children at Monticello with her father, Thomas Jefferson, and lived alone for several years. Reading about our American founding families offers some insight to the less than glamorous and at times brutal day to day life of the American revolutionary era followed by turn of the century. It makes one see just how far we’ve come. This was a fascinating story of Thomas Jefferson's daughter and told from the perspective and attitude of those times. Definitely worth the read. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/24934153-americas-first-daughter-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/24934153-americas-first-daughter-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-06-19*