Patriot Hearts: A Novel of the Founding Mothers

by Barbara Hambly

When Martha Dandridge Custis marries her second husband, George, she never suspects that the soft-spoken Virginia planter is destined to command the founding of a nation—or that she is to be “Lady Washington,” the woman at the first President’s side. Only a select inner circle of women will know the cost of sharing a beloved man with history . . . and each will draw strength from the unique treasure given to them by a doomed queen.

Seeing farm and family through each harsh New England season, Abigail Adams is sustained only by the fervent reunions stolen between John’s journeys abroad. She will face the terror of an ocean crossing to join her husband in France—and write her own page in history. And there she will cross paths with kings, commoners—and young Sally Hemings.

Just as Sally had grown from a clever child to a beautiful woman, so had her relationship with Thomas Jefferson grown from a friendship between slave and master to one entangled in the complexities of black and white, decorum and desire. It is a relationship that will leave Sally to face an agonizingly wrenching choice.

Dolley Madison, too, must live with the repercussions of a forbidden love affair—although she will confront even greater trials as a President’s wife. But Dolley will become one of the best-loved ladies of the White House—and leave an extraordinary legacy of her own.

A lushly written novel that traces the marriages tested by the demands of love and loyalty, Patriot Hearts offers readers a dazzling glimpse behind the scenes of a revolution, from adversity and treachery to teatime strategies, as four magnificent women shape a nation’s future.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Romance, American History, American Revolutionary War, 18th Century

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

aka Barbara Hamilton

Ranging from fantasy to historical fiction, Barbara Hambly has a masterful way of spinning a story. Her twisty plots involve memorable characters, lavish descriptions, scads of novel words, and interesting devices. Her work spans the Star Wars universe, antebellum New Orleans, and various fantasy worlds, sometimes linked with our own.


"I always wanted to be a writer but everyone kept telling me it was impossible to break into the field or make money. I've proven them wrong on both counts."
-Barbara Hambly

Reviews

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Behind every good man stands a great woman.”
I have no idea who originated that quote, but it definitely applies to Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, three “Presidentresses” who served before the term “First Lady” was coined. Sally Hemmings, though not the wife of a president, deserves recognition with the others as the life-long “friend” of one. I believe all four Presidents would have heartily agreed with that quote, considering what these women endured to help their men through some of the darkest days in American history.
Barbara Hambly has done a masterful job of creating believable historical fiction about the lives of these ladies. Due to meticulous research, the details in her writing are wonderfully accurate, right down to the color of the ribbons that Martha Washington tied her husband’s letters to her with! ( I actually wanted to yell, “Hurry up!” to Dolley as Washington’s portrait was in an attempt to be rescued from being burned by the British!) Even for well-read history buffs, this book will keep one on the edge of their seat!

Memorable Quotes:
(Pg. 298)-“Even so, as Dolley watched George Washington cross the State House yard, kingly in black velvet, with stout little gray-clad Mr. Adams bobbing in his wake, she had been aware that she was seeing something that no one in the world had ever seen before: the ruler of a nation quietly handing off power to his successor, then returning home to private life.”

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting... but a tad dry for my tastes.

[Tamora Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful portrayal of the women closest to our first four presidents: how they met, how they dealt with their men's rise to power in the fledgling United States, and how they dealt with the power struggles of the new country up to the War of 1812. Hambly has a genius for showing the telling details of everyday life that create pictures of worlds, societies, and the complex ties of emotion, politics, and obligation that build cities, families, and nations.

She also very vividly shows how women who historians tend to regard as addenda--Martha Custis Washington, Abigail Adams, and Dolley Madison--were important assets to the men whose politics they supported, that their maneuvering in the social settings those men did not care for eased political and diplomatic debates, and that without their ceaseless care for the farms at home, their men would have had no financial base to work with. She does her best with Sally Hemings, that controversial figure in Jefferson's life, someone who walked the tightrobe between freedom and a man she must have loved, given her chances to escape, showing us, through Sally, how a man like Jefferson could have been two people at once, slave owner and crusader for freedom.

Hambly also shows us that ours are not the first generations of women to have to decide between careers--political secretary in support of powerful leaders--and home and children. All four of these women traveled extensively with their men, leaving their children behind to the care of others, and all came to wonder if they had done the right thing; if they should have remained behind.

The plot is a little unclear and tangled. Abigail Adams doesn't get as much time as I'd like, and Hemings vanishes. But I still love this book. I recommend it to any historical fiction fan, any fan of Hambly's, and anyone who loves to read about intelligent women of the past!

[Booknblues · Rating 3 out of 5]

Patriot Hearts by Barbara Hambly about Dolley Madison, Martha Washington, Abigail Adams and Sally Hemings covers their lives from the 1770’s through 1814. The story jumps from one person to another, one time to another that it nearly gave me heart palpitations. Mind you, I like a book told during more than one time and from more than one perspective, however it has to be done cleanly and clearly so the reader can follow it or exquisitely as Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Hambly isn’t Marquez.

Hambly does present the various political factions which kept disagreements constant in the young country. The reader can see how political wrangling during that time was no less divisive than what occurs now. She describes how fisticuffs broke out in congress at one point over a contentious issue. The reader shares Abigail Adams sadness over Jefferson’s and John Adam’s friendship forsaken because of political belief despite what those two gentleman had been through together.

Personally, I believe that the book would have been stronger if she had presented it from one perspective and allowed the others to be characters within the book. She certainly gave a clear view of Dolley Madison’s character and that would have been a good choice.

I did enjoy the book as I am interested in the time period. I would caution anyone who isn’t intensely interested in this period to avoid reading it. It was really unfortunate that it wasn’t more coherent as I enjoy her Benjamin January series.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel was obviously extremely well-researched, however, I believe this actually got in the way of the story. Hambly tries to cram to much erroneous information into the book and this, I believe, takes the attention and focus away from the true feelings and hardships of the Founding Mothers. She had lofty goals to tell the story of four very different woman and in the making of it, she loses the essence of each one. The book also switches perspective and time much too often and the reader is often confused about when, where, and who the story is about. I was going to read "The Emancipator's Wife" following this book, but now I am not sure that I will.

[Ginger · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the parts of this book dealing with Dolly Madison, Martha Washington, and Abigail Adams, but I didn't like how the author made a steamy romance between Sally Hemmings and Thomas Jefferson. I get that we don't know anything about their relationship, but I really liked that with all the other women the couples were allowed their privacy regarding their "relations", and I feel like it lessened the impact the book could have had by making a big romance for SH and TJ, rather than concentrating on the political aspects of what was going on.

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written, deliberately-paced historical fiction about a likely trio and an unlikely fourth, and their place in American history: Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, and Sally Hemings. Here is a link to my review:

https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/20...

[Laverne Sheehan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I would just love. this book since I love history and historical fiction. It took me much too long to read. I seemed to lose interest in some of the characters. There were too many other individuals that were brought into the picture. I found the reading slow going. It didn't seem to flow like other fiction. Perhaps it was the going back and forth among the characters and from present to the past.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let's be honest: it was slow to start, and Dolley Madison's starting the story by reminiscing about objects that belonged to other first ladies seemed extremely gimmicky.
But then it got extremely interesting.
I felt like a true American patriot, crying my eyes out about the presidents on the bus. *grin-sigh*


EDIT: An important addition to this review.
http://laughingsquid.com/sexy-foundin...

[Alli · Rating 1 out of 5]

Great idea for the book. Lame way to put it together. I found it confusing and difficult to follow. I loved the history (and the info on what was real vs. fake) at the end of the book... but otherwise, not my favorite!

[Ceillie Simkiss · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was not interestingly written at all. Despite multiple efforts to read, I could not get through it. I am very much disappointed.

[Ele · Rating 5 out of 5]

No soy estadounidense, y ni siquiera puedo decir que siento algún tipo de empatía por una cultura que no es de mí pueblo. Sin embargo, siempre es positivo aprender sobre las diversas historias del mundo, y, en particular, la historia de Thomas Jefferson y Sally Hemings me dejo pensando un rato.

Porque, en una época como aquella, ¿Qué se puede esperar de la relación entre un hombre y su esclava? Pensaba que este libro nos contaría todo de forma oscura, lugubre, horripilante cómo era de esperarse.

Pero la escritora hizo algo mucho más fuerte : me sembró incertidumbre. Porque empatice con los personajes, y sentí la rabia, la injusticia, pero también me sentí confundida, ya que por momentos olvidaba que eran personajes que existieron en la vida real.

Me dejo con ganas de saber más sobre aquel amorío y de entender realmente como sucedieron las cosas.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was well researched but I didn't enjoy it at all. Incredibly dry.

[Jessica Gutierrez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe 2.5. I really wanted this to be so much better than it was! I almost dnf’d it but figured I’d push through. It was hard to keep up with where you are in the timeline at times. Also there are wayyyyyy too many characters to keep track of. Some aspects were very interesting, but overall just kinda meh and too many characters and jumping around.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Between confusing timelines and nicknames-thank goodness for the list of characters in the back of the book- I found this book hard to read. A little too chick lit for me. I had to look up a lot of things to get context of what was going on at the time. Timelessness of greed, power, lust and the rest is in this book. For me the most interesting and intriguing character was Sophie. Would have liked to know more about her- was she even a real person ?

[Bobbi · Rating 2 out of 5]

dnf at 36%, just because I'm leaving for college tomorrow and I need to return it today. This book was interesting up to that point with regards to the history it provided, but it lacked the creativity of true historical fiction. It was hard to tell what time or place a certain chapter was taking place in, because there would be so many flashbacks and time jumps that everything would start to get muddled. if you already know a good bit about the revolutionary war, this isn't a book I would recommend spending your time on

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, Hambly is always first a science fiction or fantasy author. This is because the first book I ever read by her was about a dragon that falls in love with a human. Her historical fiction, however, tends to be a cut above her sf/fantasy writing, though that implies that her work in that genre isn’t good. That’s not true; her work is usually excellent, even her work in Star Trek and Star Wars is above average.


But there seems to be a tad more passion or feeling in her historical fiction.

Patriot Hearts is a book about the women behind the Founding Fathers. Martha, Dolley, Abigail, and Sally are the four heroines, no longer standing in the shadows of George, James, John, and Thomas. The focus is on the different types of battles and sacrifices that the women made while the men were getting the attention founding the country.

This means that while Dolley Madison’s saving of Washington’s portrait does get attention so does her struggles with politics.

In many ways, this book is what Abigail Adams might have been thinking when she told her husband not to forget the women. Adams’ scarf ices are brought to the forefront here as all the impact of the War of Independence on Martha Washington. This makes the book quieter in many aspects because the grand battles and politic fighting is granted a back seat while the more hidden struggles, the decisions that the women have to make to back up the power plays of their husbands.

This conflict in the book is best exemplified by Sally Hemmings, whose place in American history is conflicted at best. Hambly does not romanticize the relationship, though undoubtedly some readers will find the relationship to be too seemingly equal or too easily started. In fairness to Hambly, this must have been a difficult relationship to deal with, and her Hemmings is always aware of status and her lack of it. This especially true in the sequence of Hemmings in France. A few reviewers have pointed out, correctly, that the physical aspect of the Jefferson/Hemmings relationship is given more focus than the corresponding relationships of the other women. I do wonder if this is because of the inequality of the relationship and showing the physically highlighted this. Because of Jefferson’s status and ownership of Hemmings and of how other slave owners treated their female slaves, Hambly might have decided to focus on the physical aspect to illustrate this. This does seem to be the class because Hemmings does deal with attempted assaults from Jefferson’s guests. This physically conflicts with Hemmings intelligence and her sense of self, further showcasing the difference between master and slave; wife and mistress; and opened and closed relationship.

In terms of plot, the book is not as tight as Hambly’s mystery series or Homeland, but the focus is on the home front. The device holding the different lives of the women together is an invented character that may or may not be working for the British. How this plot thread is resolved is one of the more emotional parts of this book.

[Jeannie Glanville · Rating 5 out of 5]

I abolutely loved this book! I came to feel like I was one of Dolly Madison's close friends. What an amazing woman! I cried and felt her horrible shock and pain when she held her dying husband in her arms in front of her 3 year old son. The book is primarily told from Dolly Madison, as she was preparing to flee the Presidential Mansion before the British captured Washington and burnt it to the ground. The author also told the story from several other women's lives, and she even included Sally Hemmings. I personally have no problem with Jefferson having a concubine (a wife from a different caste), but apparently many Americans do. I've never felt the Terror like I did when I saw the streets of Paris on July 14th, 1789 through her eyes. I've never understood the pain of watching someone you love dearly have their reputation smeared through the media as I do now from reading Abigail Adam's point of view. Most of all, though, I never knew how many times the newly formed country was only upheld by the hand of God and by divine protection. These women were phenomenal....definitely placed where they were for a reason. Of each one of them, you could use the famous scripture from Esther. Truly a wonderful book. While the inner thoughts of the women are the fictionalizion of the author, the history is right on. I can very well imagine that she was close to the truth. Highly recommended!

[Jacqie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, I'll read whatever Barbara Hambly writes. This one did not get picked up by me for a bit. Honestly, I was a bit afraid of the sweep of the book- the first four first ladies, no less! However, I was fascinated by learning more about these women. We get Martha Washington, conflicted about the time she spent away from her children to be with her husband during the war. Abigail Adams is perhaps the least well fleshed-out character, but perhaps that's because Hambly is now writing a mystery series starring her. We get Sally Heming, Jefferson's concubine (Hambly's word). This was a very delicate relationship to write, and I get the feeling that the author really doesn't care for Jefferson much, but you can still understand this young girl, trying to be realistic, still getting caught up in the relationship. Finally, Dolly Madison (did you know she was born a Quaker?) frames the book as she prepares to flee the capital during the war of 1812.
The human details of these women make you fall in love with each one of them. My only complaint is that the author's thesis, that first ladies were the social glue that made so many political negotiations and alliances possible, began feeling a bit overdone by the end. I understood and agreed with the thesis, just didn't need it laid out there one last time. But I think the author was trying to show the passing of the torch among first ladies, which was why that last scene was there.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hambly's novel intertwines the lives of Dolly Madison, Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Sally Hemmings, a British spy and a host of other people in believable ways that are not at all obvious when you read a "history" book. I particularly liked the manner in which Hambly dealt with Sally Hemmings' story, with charity for both Sally and for Jefferson too. (I get tired of the way people discuss Jefferson's relationship with Sally Hemmings. He was neither a saint nor a demon. He was a man, with human failings and amazing accomplishments. Hambly manages to portray him as both flawed and admirable.) This book is well researched and very plausible. It's a "good book" in that it makes one feel emotion--some tears, some laughs, and a couple of moments in which you can only say, "heavens to Betsy, I never thought of it that way."

Those who are familiar with Hambly's science fiction works and her novels set in New Orleans will notice a stylistic change. At first, the way she changes the point of view as she moves from character to character is a bit off-putting. But one gets used to it. On the whole, I enjoyed the book and recommend it to anybody who likes fact-based historical novels.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a historical fiction of the lives of the first four presidents' wives. In general it was well written and very interesting, but there were a few drawbacks for me. The author jumps back and forth between different characters and time periods making it a bit hard to follow. This was made all the worse by the fact that all the characters have multiple names (a given name, a name the are actually called by, and some other cutesie nickname). I think it would have been better have just started at the begining and told things in order. The other thing that was difficult for me (but probably would not bother others) was the actual content of the story. The evil of slavery and the rampant adultury the existed as a constant feature of their lives was more than a bit hard for me to tolerate. I don't mean to pretend that these things didn't happen, nor do I intend to try to sanitize the past, but wallowing in this filth page after page was not easy for me. So while it wasn't a great book for me, it probably would be quite enjoyable to those who appreciate the fullness of historical fiction.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. The characters are interesting and I could relate to them as mothers and wives. (How horrible to live during battles fought at your doorstep and yellow fever epidemics!) There are a lot of flashbacks (and flashforwards) but once I gave myself a quick review of US history (pre-revolution to just after the war of 1812...thanks Bill) it was easy enough to follow. I did refer often to the listing in the back of the book of who all the characters were...they all seemed to have the same ten names or so and often went by nicknames (probably because of that) so I had to refer to it to make sure I was remembering who everyone was. I plan to follow up with some more reading about Dolley Madison and John and Abigail Adams and if I was planning a trip back east to visit any of their homes (Monticello! Mt. Vernon! Montpelier! Even the White House) having read this book would help me get more out of it. I am looking forward to reading her book about Mary Todd Lincoln also,although I am a little worried because there is some serious crazy there.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, 2 stars might seem a little harsh. It wasn't a BAD book, I just didn't love it. A lot of the time I was reading it, I was thinking about abandoning it; let me tell you why. This is a historical fiction book about important women to the first few years of the USA; Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, and Sally Hemings. I think the reason I wasn't getting into it very well from the beginning is that there are so many side characters (of course, all of the womens' families and their children) that it's difficult to keep track. Also, some of the story lines just were not as interesting as others. I would've enjoyed reading a book just about Sally Hemings, for example, that's the character that probably helped me finish this book more than any other.

There's no tell why I didn't love this book; it sounded like it would be right up my alley, but in the end, this one just wasn't for me. Hopefully someone else reads the summary & it sounds like something they'd love.

[Loni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been so fascinating and interesting! It's not an easy or quick read, but very worthwhile. It's about the Founding Mothers and their history, lives and the influence they had on our country. I've loved learning about what their lives were like especially about what it was like to be a mother and wife in their age. I highly recommend it for any woman to read. Although it takes place many years ago, it's very relevant and applicable to our struggles today. I learned a ton and appreciate our 'founding mothers' so much more!

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more things change the more they stay the same. Fictionalized account of the first First Ladies. Really enjoyed this book!

[Marvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was in a list of recommended historical fiction, but when I saw the cover and title I had my doubts. Mostly, though, the author avoids the sentimentality that the cover and title seem to project. And she mostly avoids, too, the kind of anachronistic feminism that can plague such novels. Setting the novel during a time when the country was at least as bitterly divided as it is now, and when the direction, and even the fate, of the country was far more uncertain and precarious than we tend to remember or believe, the author takes us inside the hearts and minds of four prominent women from postrevolutionary America (1789-1815), with flashbacks to the revolutionary war years: Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, and Sally Heming. She’s pretty effective at that task. And she clearly admires all of them. Of course, it’s problematic to put thoughts in the minds and words in the mouths of people from the past who can’t defend themselves. The most problematic is putting thoughts in the mind of Sally Heming, or even describing her actions, but, to her credit, the author poses a lot of her thoughts as questions. The men in these women’s lives mostly come off well, too. The one who comes off least well is Thomas Jefferson, not so much for his treatment of Sally Heming as for his impracticality. One of the things that struck me as I read is what a commonplace the experience of death was during this era. Women commonly died in childbirth; men died of illness or other causes, and their widows remarried (as both Martha Washington and Dolley Madison did). The prose here is serviceable, occasionally eloquent but also occasionally awkward. Overall, I enjoyed this a lot.

[Janine Treannie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I never got to officially read the whole book, but I was fairly close to the end when I had to give it back to the library.

I'm not sure, but I thought this was going to be somehow different, just not sure how. I liked the book, but it wasn't very exciting.

I did find it quite interesting where it came to the women of this book especially since they are women of history, Martha Washington, Abagail Adams, Sally Hemmings & Dolly Madison who were for the most part the main focus of this book.

Each of them had their own stories, but would jump back and forth especially in the years a little bit. It was interesting because these women were incredibly strong willed, with strong minds. It was amazing how these women held everything together, from their large families, giving their husbands(who were of the political state)there thoughts as well as keeping them happy, raising their children working their households and all while the USA was pretty much in a state of turmoil as the country itself was new and finding it's way.

What turned me off and sort of deflated me was the political part of the book. I'm not a person for politics, I don't talk about it very much and really never had much of an interest in it. So those parts of the book and there is a lot of those conversations, is what turned me off and actually found myself nodding off...sorry.

[Kelly Warkoczeski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was immediately intrigued by the idea. Unfortunately, it took me at least 50 -75 pages to get deep enough into the novel to decide I was willing to stick with it. I did find that the jumping back and forth between the various women's stories left me somewhat confused on the timeline.
However, once in, I found it very ineteresting, sad, impressive, awe inspiring.
While this is a novel, it did a good job of tracking the actual known historical events, activities, philosophies and actions of the characters. Of course there was much left to the author's descretion. it is well known that Martha deliberately destroyed most of her correspondence with George and the true nature of Thomas and Sally's relationship is very much up for debate.
I learned somethings I never knew and remembered some things I had forgotten. If you're an American history buff, you will find this perspective interesting. If you wonder "what were the women doing?" this nvoel may shed some light.
In all a good read, not great.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is why I like my Kindle: 9:00 on a Sunday night and I'm out of books! Go to Overdrive, search a favorite author, pick an available book and it's yours instantly. I picked this up knowing nothing about it but glad I did. Especially timely leading up to Fourth of July. The book opens as Dolley Madison is packing to flee Washington just steps ahead of the British in 1814. As she chooses what to take she associates the artifacts with Martha Washington and Abigail Adams and their history together. Goes back and forth in time and place and switches narrators. I learned a lot of history and discovered a lot of resonance with the present day: fake news, uncompromising factions. We think of the early history of the U.S. as steady progress made by wise Founding Fathers but actually it could have gone wrong so easily. With the horror of the French Revolution, the Terror and the demise of the Republic before their eyes you can imagine how scary it was to see our republic teetering on the brink. And slavery: there's poor old Martha Washington depending on slaves who knew that they'd be freed when she died. This is a good read-alike for Jennifer Chiaverini's historical fiction or Paula McLain because of the womens' perspective but this is so much more.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm ambivalent about this book. I struggled to get into it at first; I think it wan't quite what I expected, due to the framing device and the shifts in time. I am glad that I kept reading, because I did enjoy the portrayals of the first several First Ladies of the USA. I wish there had been a bit more about Dolley Madison and her courtship with James Madison. And I appreciated that Sally Hemings was included.

So there were parts of this book that I really enjoyed, and parts that seemed to drag a bit for me. I also found the shifts in time a bit difficult to follow at times. That said, I think the things I didn't enjoy as much were mostly matters of personal taste. If you find the subject matter interesting, I do think this one is worth checking out, hence the 3 stars rather than 2.