“Cynthia Kierner’s intriguing new biography of Martha Jefferson Randolph . . . is the first to tell her story from her point of view. It gives depth to the history of elite white southern women and their responsibilities, liabilities, and possibilities in the Early National period and illuminates the family ripples widening from the splash Jefferson created by taking up with his slave, Sally Hemings.” — Women’s Review of Books
“Kierner succeeds in presenting a well-cited clear view of Martha’s role both behind the scenes of a notable historical figure and as an example of the rarely chronicled contributions of women during the early American era.” — Publishers Weekly
“[A] thoroughly researched and thoughtfully written account. . . . This will have wide appeal to students of American history, women’s studies, and biography.” — Library Journal
“[A] prodigiously researched and beautifully written book.” — The Washington Times
“This book is a welcome addition to Jeffersonian scholarship.” — Virginia Magazine
“[The] definitive biography of Thomas Jefferson’s oldest and favorite daughter. The fascinating, well-researched work is a three-dimensional look at a person who was usually seen in history as no more than Jefferson’s hostess.” — Rocky Mount Telegram
“Kierner is the first historian to place Patsy at the center of her own story. . . . This extraordinary biography . . . offers a unique look at American history.” — McCormick Messenger
“In this wonderfully researched biography, Cynthia Kierner makes Randolph an important figure in her own right and reveals a woman who deftly handled both her demanding public roles as the hostess of the president’s mansion and Monticello and a governor’s wife, as well as her more domestic role of mistress of an enormous and complicated household.” — Register of the Kentucky Historical Society
“In Kierner’s capable hands, Martha Jefferson Randolph (1772-1836) emerges from her famous father’s shadow as an intelligent, well-educated, pragmatic, and 'tactfully assertive' woman who brought up eleven children, managed a large and complex household, weathered a turbulent marriage, and coped with both financial reverses and family scandals.” — Journal of Southern History
“A triumph.” — North Carolina Historical Review
