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Book Review of Sally Hemmings: A Novel

Sally Hemmings: A Novel
Madelene avatar reviewed on + 19 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1


Although fictional it is fact based. The findings with genealogy gathered information and finally genetic testing in the end makes this a book I've read several times over. It shows the true love a man had for his first wife Martha and then his secondary wife Sally who was not acknowledged as his wife ever. Yet her and Martha were half sister's his despondence over Maratha's death led him more gently into Sally's arms. He did love the children Sally had and almost all reports say they were very light skinned looked exactly like him and had his red hair and freckles. Martha made him promise to never marry another but he did love. Sally was not released until after his death he couldn't bear to let her go she was a tender age when he took her barely the equivalent of an adult in our standards at the age of 16 she would give him many more. There is another book that accompanies this one by her, The President's Daughter that is very good as well.

I liked that this book was forthright did not hide thing's for the niceties of all thing's proper these days after all those children of his have as much right as to a name as any of us do. Sally and Thomas doted on each other till the end. It's a wonderful story.