America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray
Rating System:5- Fix-tastic! I have seen the light and it's in this book!
4- Fix-alicious. Best served with wine!
3- Fairly Fix-worthy. Not a perfect "F" but I wouldn't kick it out of bed, wink wink.
2- Fixer-Upper- Sounds like a good idea but even HGTV would have a hard time with this one!
1- Don't Fix It, Nix It. Enough said.
My book club recently had the opportunity to read this book, thanks to being part of Harper Collins Publishing Book Club Girls group. We all thought it warranted a 4-star rating, in large part due to the fact that these historic characters were written as real, and often highly-flawed, people. The relationship between Patsy and Thomas Jefferson was centered around a mutual dependence that Patsy in particular allowed to dictate her major life decisions. This began with a deathbed promise to her mother to take care of him, which was too much pressure on a girl of her age and likely absorbed differently than her mother had intended. She prioritized their relationship above all others, even her husband. It was hard not to pity Tom, in spite of his character flaws, after the abuse he suffered from his father and the second-place status with his wife. Another very interesting topic in the book is that of slavery. The book did a great job of navigating the complexities of landowners and the intense decisions they faced regarding slavery. Even though many condemned the practice, the logistics of breaking away were presented in a way that provided an inside perspective on this awful chapter in our history. Another interesting discussion our book club had was around the fact that politics today are so similar to the way it was when our country was first established- the alliances, core belief differences, and career politicians. We were shocked at the extent of Jefferson's debt. Having been a Founding Father, it was assumed that he would have been a wealthy person throughout his life. While this book was slow in places, very dense, and certainly not a mindless read, it succeeded in making history feel real and was very well-researched. Our book club enjoyed a quality discussion!
