Synopsis
At the age of twenty-one, beautiful Harriet Hemings, the illegitimate and unacknowledged daughter of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, a quadroon slave, leaves Monticello and journeys to Philadelphia, passing herself off as an orphan
Reviews
Chase-Riboud's first novel, Sally Hemings, reignited an old, unresolved controversy: Did Thomas Jefferson carry on a decades-long affair and produce seven illegitimate children with his mulatto slave? The author's engaging new novel continues the Hemings saga by handing the reins of narration primarily to Harriet Hemings, Sally's daughter by the President. The story opens in 1822, on the eve of Harriet's 21st birthday, the day on which, her father has promised, she may leave Monticello and journey north to freedom. To Harriet, the child of a distant father and a remote mother, the choice between living as a slave and leading a life in which her white skin, red hair and green eyes will allow her to pass as white is no choice at all. No matter where she runs, however-New York, London, Paris, Florence-Harriet will end up feeling as if her life is nothing but a duplicitous lie. Chase-Riboud incorporates elements of both pulp (dark secrets, presidential intrigues, sex scenes) and higher-brow fiction (fearless discussions of complex issues such as slavery, war, skin color and gender equality), and she seamlessly joins the two. Like its prequel, this is lushly entertaining history-as-fiction, and just possibly fiction-as-history, that's going to raise eyebrows-and probably hackles as well.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
With this so-so historical novel, Chase-Riboud (Echo of Lions, 1988, etc.) returns to the scene of her first work, Sally Hemings (not reviewed), to pick up the story of Harriet Hemings, the daughter of slave Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson promised Sally Hemings that their children, who were slaves at Monticello, would be allowed to ``stroll'' at 21--that is, their running away would be ignored but they would not officially be freed. When she reaches that age in 1822, Harriet Hemings is escorted to Philadelphia by an old friend of Jefferson's, changes her name to Harriet Petit, and begins passing as a white woman. The juicy premise delivers some insights into the nature and definition of race, but Chase-Riboud's clumsy use of history gives some sections the feeling of a virtual-reality game- -now you are watching Sojourner Truth give her famous ``Ain't I a Woman'' speech; now you are witnessing discussions about the Dred Scott case. Broader historical information is less intrusive, like Petit's close friendship with Charlotte Waverly, which eventually becomes a sexual relationship of the type that was common among middle-class women at the time. Although Petit narrates most of the time, she is interrupted intermittently by other characters- -including Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln--whose sections end with preachy proclamations. It is unclear exactly what these are meant to accomplish, since they use formal language to announce facts that certainly would not have been made public at the time. In any case, these voices are all less effective than Petit's. A scene in which she returns to Monticello after Jefferson's death and spies a list of slaves to be auctioned off--including her own mother entered at 50 dollars--is particularly chilling. Lacking literary finesse, but still powerful enough to tarnish the reputation of yet another dead white man. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Chase-Riboud's novel is a sequel to Sally Hemings, the acclaimed historical saga of Thomas Jefferson's mistress and slave, who is presumed to have borne him seven children. A richly textured prose style lends depth and excitement to this latest book, with the focus shifting to Harriet, daughter of Jefferson and Hemings. At age 21, Harriet leaves Monticello to begin a new life as a free woman passing for white--with Jefferson's blessing but without being emancipated from slavery. Forsaking her true identity fills Harriet's otherwise charmed life with conflict, impacting on her experiences until the day she dies. A panoramic view of American history--through the Civil War and the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation--amplifies Harriet's own story and promises to satisfy Chase-Riboud's readers. Alice Joyce
On her 21st birthday, Harriet, the daughter of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, his slave and mistress, is allowed to run north and pass into white society. Although Harriet's physical characteristics allow her outward passage to occur without difficulty, the psychological divisions she suffers endure for her lifetime. Obsessed by her desire for Jefferson to acknowledge his slave children, tormented by fears that her husband could be prosecuted for miscegenation and her children sold into slavery, Harriet struggles with the same questions that tear apart the Union and plunge the country into civil war. The question of racial definition and identity personalized in Harriet's experiences and self-examination makes for compelling reading. This engrossing sequel to Sally Hemings (LJ 6/15/79) deftly weaves historical facts with fascinating fiction. For most fiction collections.
--Kathy Piehl, Mankato State Univ., Minn.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
