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The President's Daughter
From the bestselling author of Sally Hemings, this is the story of the intelligent and beautiful illegitimate daughter of Thomas Jefferson and the slave who was his mistress. When she turns 21, Harriet Hemings, with her milky white skin and flowing red hair, leaves Monticello to "pass" into Philadelphia society as an orphan.
480 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
About the author
Barbara Chase-Riboud
24 books198 followersAn American novelist, poet, sculptor and visual artist, perhaps best known for her historical fiction. Much of her work has explored themes related to slavery and exploitation of women.
Chase-Riboud attained international recognition with the publication of her first novel, Sally Hemings, in 1979. The novel has been described as the "first full blown imagining" of Hemings' life as a slave and her relationship with Jefferson.[1] In addition to stimulating considerable controversy, the book earned Chase-Riboud the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for the best novel written by an American woman and sold more than one million copies in hardcover.[2] She has received numerous honors for her work, including the Carl Sandburg Prize for poetry and the Women's Caucus for Art's lifetime achievement award.[1] In 1965, she became the first American woman to visit the People's Republic of China after the revolution.[3] In 1996, she was knighted by the French Government and received the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.[4] She divides her time between Paris and Rome.
The only child of Vivian May Chase, a histology technician and Charles Edward Chase, a contractor.[5] Chase-Riboud displayed an early talent for the arts and began attending the Fleisher Art Memorial School at the age of 8. She also excelled as an art student at the Philadelphia High School for Girls (now combined with Central High School). Between 1947 and 1954, she continued her training at the Philadelphia Museum School of Art and won an award from Seventeen for one of her prints, which was subsequently purchased by the Museum of Modern Art.[5] Chase-Riboud went on to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Tyler School at Temple University in 1957. In that same year, she won a John Hay Whitney fellowship to study at the American Academy in Rome for 12 months. There, she created her first bronze sculptures and exhibited her work at the Spoleto Festival in 1957, as well as at the American Academy and the Gallery L'Obeliso the following year.[6] During this time, she traveled to Egypt, where she discovered non-European art.[6] In 1960, Chase-Riboud completed a Master of Fine Arts from Yale University.
After completing her studies, Chase-Riboud moved to Paris.
Chase-Riboud attained international recognition with the publication of her first novel, Sally Hemings, in 1979. The novel has been described as the "first full blown imagining" of Hemings' life as a slave and her relationship with Jefferson.[1] In addition to stimulating considerable controversy, the book earned Chase-Riboud the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for the best novel written by an American woman and sold more than one million copies in hardcover.[2] She has received numerous honors for her work, including the Carl Sandburg Prize for poetry and the Women's Caucus for Art's lifetime achievement award.[1] In 1965, she became the first American woman to visit the People's Republic of China after the revolution.[3] In 1996, she was knighted by the French Government and received the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.[4] She divides her time between Paris and Rome.
The only child of Vivian May Chase, a histology technician and Charles Edward Chase, a contractor.[5] Chase-Riboud displayed an early talent for the arts and began attending the Fleisher Art Memorial School at the age of 8. She also excelled as an art student at the Philadelphia High School for Girls (now combined with Central High School). Between 1947 and 1954, she continued her training at the Philadelphia Museum School of Art and won an award from Seventeen for one of her prints, which was subsequently purchased by the Museum of Modern Art.[5] Chase-Riboud went on to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Tyler School at Temple University in 1957. In that same year, she won a John Hay Whitney fellowship to study at the American Academy in Rome for 12 months. There, she created her first bronze sculptures and exhibited her work at the Spoleto Festival in 1957, as well as at the American Academy and the Gallery L'Obeliso the following year.[6] During this time, she traveled to Egypt, where she discovered non-European art.[6] In 1960, Chase-Riboud completed a Master of Fine Arts from Yale University.
After completing her studies, Chase-Riboud moved to Paris.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
February 1, 2021
This is an epic fictional account of the life of Harriet Hemmings, illegitimate daughter of President Thomas Jefferson and his slave/wife Sally Hemmings. Though we know that the real harriet Hemings lived as a white woman, we have no record of what her life was truly like. This book is more about exploring the historical and emotional implications of slavery on individuals and families then a realistic, or even possible, account of one woman's life. The story is meant to be sweeping, but it tends to go over the top into mellow drama at times, especially when dealing with the main character's romantic life. There is a great deal to think about, though readers with a limited tolerance for contemplation and wallowing in overwhelming emotion may want to give it a miss. Additionally, the author tries to make many connections, and some of them don't make a great deal of sense to me. I can't decide whether this book is more magnificent or flawed.3.5 stars
November 17, 2012
During the time of slavery in the U.S., many slave owners had slaves as mistresses. The men who had such arrangements were men of wealth and power. Former President Thomas Jefferson was one of those men. Harriet Hemings was one of the bastard children of Thomas Jefferson and his slave/lover Sally Hemings. This novel follows Harriet through her life as a black woman "passing" as a white woman in colonial Philadelphia. The story begins on her 21st birthday on the night she is to escape to Philadelphia and begin life as a white woman. It's a good thing she gets her pale skin, red hair, and green eyes from her father. Harriet deals with the turmoil of leaving her family behind in Virginia, dealing with racist white people while pretending to be white, and trying to find a place to fit in. As a white woman, she gets an education, travels to Europe and even finds love. The problem is that she isn't white.
This book was a good read. I have always been fascinates by the Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings story. The author created a great setting and kept you wanting to see what would happen next. I did think that the civil war part was a bit drawn out and (perhaps) could have been shortened. But, despite that, history buffs would love this story with all of its colonial splendor. The best part was all of the Philadelphia area references that were in the book. It even mentioned Lucretia Mott a local historical legend in Cheltenham township (where I live).
This book was a good read. I have always been fascinates by the Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings story. The author created a great setting and kept you wanting to see what would happen next. I did think that the civil war part was a bit drawn out and (perhaps) could have been shortened. But, despite that, history buffs would love this story with all of its colonial splendor. The best part was all of the Philadelphia area references that were in the book. It even mentioned Lucretia Mott a local historical legend in Cheltenham township (where I live).
July 24, 2018
After reading the jacket of this book I thought this was going to be more historical of Harriet Hemings life. Where we know Harriet was participating in This Event and the author will fictionally portray that moment. I was disappointed that nearly 99% of what was written was fictional. Basically after knowing that Harriet leaves Monticello everything else is fiction. Her life, her family, everything. While I appreciate the history of the abolitionist movement and the Civil War, our main character may never have been involved in any of these moments in American History. I feel that this book was poorly marketed.
Also, on a stylistic note: The book is mostly from Harriet Hemings point of view and first person but there are chapters from other points of view that throw off the continuity of this novel.
Also, on a stylistic note: The book is mostly from Harriet Hemings point of view and first person but there are chapters from other points of view that throw off the continuity of this novel.
July 9, 2014
I was very disappointed when I have read this book, as I like a lot the previous book of Barbara Chase Riboud: Sally Hemings.
The president's daughter lacks of charm and mystery.I didn't like the style of writing.
The author quotes to many times Sally Hemings and the character of Harriet doesn't seem real.
I've found the love life of Harriet very boring, and the ending quite bad.
I almost stopped reading halfway as I found this book boring.
The president's daughter lacks of charm and mystery.I didn't like the style of writing.
The author quotes to many times Sally Hemings and the character of Harriet doesn't seem real.
I've found the love life of Harriet very boring, and the ending quite bad.
I almost stopped reading halfway as I found this book boring.
March 31, 2021
This thoroughly engaging book imagines the life of Harriet Hemings, the daughter of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, his slave and mistress. Harriet was born a slave but is allowed by her owner/father to run away from Monticello and pass for white when she is of age. She lives a full and meaningful life as a wife, mother of 7, an abolitionist and woman of means in Philadelphia society but is haunted by her secret and what she considers to be a betrayal of her race.
August 10, 2017
****NOVEL THOUGHTS****
I will say this, I was glad to be finished reading this book. While I thought it had some interesting historical facts and scenes, I found it boring and redundant for 467 pages. The writing was intelligent and demanding but didn’t flow as I had hoped it might. The author did some interesting things by including letters from various characters to each other, quotes from Thomas Jefferson to begin each new chapter and affidavits by various characters to, I think, provide a composite of facts and state of mind of each. There was a lot of time spent on Harriett Hemings’ soul searching as she struggled with “passing” and living on “that side of the color line”, the feeling of lying to her family and husbands about her “colored” past. Until the initiation of the Emancipation Proclamation, she never felt comfortable in her life, paranoid that someone from her past would turn her in and humiliate her family. She spent most of her life in this book philosophizing and coming to terms with the desperation of needing love and acceptance from her white father, Thomas Jefferson. It was clear she loved her mother dearly as she loved her brothers and sisters but she also loved her father and found his cold shoulder at “claiming” them, harsh. Her brothers reacted with anger, she seemed to react with an inability to truly give herself 100% to anyone. She also seemed to struggle with doubt that she was worthy of anyone’s love. The way the author dealt with Harriett’s love life was colorless and bland. Her husbands seemed like puppies, expressing their undying love and she was like “meh, whatever.” Chase-Riboud did capture well the atrocities of the Civil War though in the gruesome descriptions of death, dying and countryside. More could have been done in my opinion about her role in the Abolitionist Movement in Europe as well as in the US. It just dragged and dragged… and then, she was home again in Virginia, and has a mental breakdown and hallucinations which somehow leads to someone knowing about who she really is and confronts her with it on her 75th birthday. It just seemed so out of place and unnecessary. The author tries to weave facts with fiction and tries to get into the mind of a slave who can “pass” in pre-Civil War. Personally, I would just pass on the book.
I will say this, I was glad to be finished reading this book. While I thought it had some interesting historical facts and scenes, I found it boring and redundant for 467 pages. The writing was intelligent and demanding but didn’t flow as I had hoped it might. The author did some interesting things by including letters from various characters to each other, quotes from Thomas Jefferson to begin each new chapter and affidavits by various characters to, I think, provide a composite of facts and state of mind of each. There was a lot of time spent on Harriett Hemings’ soul searching as she struggled with “passing” and living on “that side of the color line”, the feeling of lying to her family and husbands about her “colored” past. Until the initiation of the Emancipation Proclamation, she never felt comfortable in her life, paranoid that someone from her past would turn her in and humiliate her family. She spent most of her life in this book philosophizing and coming to terms with the desperation of needing love and acceptance from her white father, Thomas Jefferson. It was clear she loved her mother dearly as she loved her brothers and sisters but she also loved her father and found his cold shoulder at “claiming” them, harsh. Her brothers reacted with anger, she seemed to react with an inability to truly give herself 100% to anyone. She also seemed to struggle with doubt that she was worthy of anyone’s love. The way the author dealt with Harriett’s love life was colorless and bland. Her husbands seemed like puppies, expressing their undying love and she was like “meh, whatever.” Chase-Riboud did capture well the atrocities of the Civil War though in the gruesome descriptions of death, dying and countryside. More could have been done in my opinion about her role in the Abolitionist Movement in Europe as well as in the US. It just dragged and dragged… and then, she was home again in Virginia, and has a mental breakdown and hallucinations which somehow leads to someone knowing about who she really is and confronts her with it on her 75th birthday. It just seemed so out of place and unnecessary. The author tries to weave facts with fiction and tries to get into the mind of a slave who can “pass” in pre-Civil War. Personally, I would just pass on the book.
April 2, 2025
I tried very hard to finish this book, but it began to feel like a chore, so I stopped about 3/4 of the way through. The beginning is very interesting, and I was engaged with how Harriet would mold herself into society as a blank slate and good resources. With a promising beginning, she kept allowing her past to wreck any upward mobility. While I appreciated that she refused to let that part of herself go completely and dedicated much of her time to abolitionism, it started to feel like a slog to get through. I sympathized with Harriet, but she encountered the same conflict about seven times with different people, and often with the same outcome. I think we just all wanted her to allow herself to be happy, and maybe the self-sabotage as a symptom of unwarranted shame and an uncertain identity is a universal theme that was trying to be conveyed. I will not assume to understand what Harriet went through, and I am glad we have a narrative allowing her to have a voice, but I agree - it was too long and plodded too much in parts.
January 16, 2021
I enjoyed the early parts of this book and the fictional story, particularly because my maternal family has traced its own linage to Thomas Jefferson. However the later chapters and constant switching of narrator became bogged down and in the end it was a struggle to finish the last section. It was an okay book but not a great book.
July 19, 2021
Learning about our forefathers, the cultures of both north and south, the attitudes of both northern and southern whites all from the perspective of a woman who saw herself as black, but looked white was an eye-opening read. The language of the book was very engaging and the story was compelling. As a friend said, "I just kept reading to see what would happen next!"
March 2, 2023
2.5 stars rounded to 3 stars. Since I had really enjoyed the book Sally Hemings by this author, I anticipated that I would feel the same about this book. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Although I found it to be a worthwhile read, it was much too long! It took me forever to plod on to the end. There was way too much detail and much repetition.
May 28, 2017
I enjoyed this story but I thought it was very repetitive in spots. I enjoyed the Sally Hemings novel much more, but this book is worth the read there are just some parts with over descriptions the reader can skim over.
November 22, 2022
Good historical facts just hard to read as it goes on and on about the injustice of being mulato. I believe their was great injustice back then but it needs to focus more on the main character overcomes it instead of negativity.
March 9, 2018
A very long read - often hard to discern what is history and what is fiction. Worth the time, though.
October 26, 2018
Great story, well-researched. However, the narrative is totally created by the author. It is very wordy and overly descriptive in parts, difficult to read at times.
April 17, 2021
Interesting point of view from the author. Didn't have a consistent story line to follow,
June 22, 2024
Extremely well written! Thoroughly enjoyable! Highly recommended & will leave you thinking of life, choices & why this isn’t recommended reading in schools!
March 20, 2017
Interesting "fiction". Life is often messy and complicated, and politics are always messy.
Much to contemplate.
Much to contemplate.
March 25, 2013
I didn't love this book quite as much as "Hottentot Venus" or "Sally Hemings", but I still found it very enjoyable.
Barbara Chase-Riboud is incredible at writing from other people's point of view. Reading the imaginary thoughts of historical figures like Maria Cosway, Aaron Burr, members of the Hemings family, and Thomas Jefferson was very intriguing. She does this frequently in her stories and it was one of the most enjoyable things about this novel and all her others, in my opinion.
Finally, I thought the life story she created for Harriet Hemings was unique and wasn't what I expected. I expected to read about her being ashamed of her family, race, etc. but there honestly was none of that. Passing was complicated and likely not as easy a choice as people think it was. Chase-Riboud did a great job with highlighting the day to day anxiety, guilt and fear that surely plagues people who conceal who they are everyday.
The only thing I wasn't fond of is that sometimes Chase-Riboud gets really wordy and descriptive and I'm not a fan of that. But overall, I loved it. Definitely recommend for people interested in historical fiction, Thomas Jefferson, the Civil War, etc.
Barbara Chase-Riboud is incredible at writing from other people's point of view. Reading the imaginary thoughts of historical figures like Maria Cosway, Aaron Burr, members of the Hemings family, and Thomas Jefferson was very intriguing. She does this frequently in her stories and it was one of the most enjoyable things about this novel and all her others, in my opinion.
Finally, I thought the life story she created for Harriet Hemings was unique and wasn't what I expected. I expected to read about her being ashamed of her family, race, etc. but there honestly was none of that. Passing was complicated and likely not as easy a choice as people think it was. Chase-Riboud did a great job with highlighting the day to day anxiety, guilt and fear that surely plagues people who conceal who they are everyday.
The only thing I wasn't fond of is that sometimes Chase-Riboud gets really wordy and descriptive and I'm not a fan of that. But overall, I loved it. Definitely recommend for people interested in historical fiction, Thomas Jefferson, the Civil War, etc.
May 1, 2014
I really wanted to just get to the story but there was just so many details of everything being described. I skipped over entire pages dedicated to describing eyes, hands, lockets, trunks, coats...
Half of this book is filled with quotes from Chase-Ribound's other book "Sally Hemings". I feel like I should mark that book as being twice read. That book also spends a lot of time describing eyes and other needless things.
Plus, many things were historically inaccurate and I found that distracting. If the book were good, it would not have bothered me a bit. I just can take boring and wrong at the same time.
Half of this book is filled with quotes from Chase-Ribound's other book "Sally Hemings". I feel like I should mark that book as being twice read. That book also spends a lot of time describing eyes and other needless things.
Plus, many things were historically inaccurate and I found that distracting. If the book were good, it would not have bothered me a bit. I just can take boring and wrong at the same time.
August 31, 2014
Very interesting. The daughter in question is the daughter of Thomas Jefferson and his "slave wife" Sally Hemings, who "passed" for white.
Heartbreaking to hear her tell of being present during very bigoted conversations and not being able to stand up to the racists. Gutwrenching to hear her tell of people speaking with outright hatred toward people they didn't even know and knowing that they'd apply that to her "if they only knew."
Heartbreaking to hear her tell of being present during very bigoted conversations and not being able to stand up to the racists. Gutwrenching to hear her tell of people speaking with outright hatred toward people they didn't even know and knowing that they'd apply that to her "if they only knew."
September 21, 2017
Enjoyed greatly. Although historical fiction many facts and ideas brought forth that went right over my head many years ago when studing these time periods in histroy Now I want to learn more about certain times and thoughts and feelings during this time period Also history does repeat itself, just different situations.
November 6, 2016
I seriously couldn't put this book down. It was superb! The daughter of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings will lead a life that she never thought she could. I have NO idea how much of this story is based on fact as I have never studied the children. What I do know is that this probably did happen to someone and that will anger you
October 31, 2007
Fictionalized account of the president's daughter, born a slave. She leaves home and passes as white in a new society. The author probably took a lot more liberties with this account than the Sally Hemings books, but it was still well written and fun to read.
October 14, 2008
Fascinating book. Barbara Chase-Riboud puts Jefferson's daughter by his slave, Sally Hemmings, in touch with just about every famous abolitionist figure in America around the time of the Civil War.
May 24, 2013
Loved the book that preceded this, but found this one to be annoying in that it repeated much of the story from the first book, I assume for those readers who didn't read it. While I was very interested in the plot, the book just didn't live up to my expectations.
April 23, 2015
Just as fascinating as her mother's story, this is the story of Harriet Hemings, as imagined by the author. Harriet was not freed by her father, but basically was told, if she's white enough to pass, then let her be white, by him. he sent her to Philadelphia & there she disappears.
November 11, 2011
I love this book but it's so damned tragic that my own writing was taking on a depressing tone.
June 30, 2009
ha i had the wrong presdent's daughter book in my goodreads. this is the one i am reading.
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December 12, 2010EXCELLENT! Historical sequel to Sally Hemmings.
September 23, 2011
A great follow-up to "Sally Hemings." Perhaps a bit too long and repetitive but a worthy tome.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews