Jefferson: A Novel [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Max Byrd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1997

In the magnificent tradition if Gore Vidal's  Lincoln and Burr, Max Byrd reveals a Thomas Jefferson  we've never met before... It is 1784, and  Jefferson, the newly appointed American ambassador to the  court of Louis Xvi and  Marie-Antoinette had just arrived in Paris-a city adrift  in intrigue, upheaval, and temptation that will  challenge his principles, incite his passions, and  change Thomas Jefferson forever... Through the eyes  of his impressionable young secretary, William  Short, we watch as the future president builds his  dream of an America with fellow patriots John Adams  and Ben Franklin, and as he struggles between  political ambition and an unexpected crisis of the  heart with a woman who has the power to destroy him.  And we discover-behind the face the complex  Virginian show the world-an enigmatic statesman who  fights for individual liberty even as he keeps the  slave, who champions freewill even a he denies it to  his daughters, and who fights for individual  liberty even as he keeps slaves, who champions free  will even as he denied it to his daughters, and who  holds men to the highest standards of honor-even as  he embarks on a shadowy double life of his own...


From the Paperback edition.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Thomas Jefferson remains annoyingly distant from the reader in this disappointing novelization of his years in turbulent, pre-revolutionary France as ambassador of the fledgling U.S.A. Set mostly in Paris between 1785 and 1789, the novel centers on the observations of 28-year-old Virginian William Short, Jefferson's secretary and admiring protege. Intoxicated by Paris and awed by his patron, Short is somewhat out of his depth, dabbling in the art of biography while struggling with his own conflicting personal ambitions. Jefferson arrives in Paris as a figure of international renown to find the city smitten by compatriot Ben Franklin; when he departs to assume the office of Secretary of State under newly elected President Washington, Paris is awash in the bloodshed of revolution. Although Byrd includes interesting details of Jefferson's daily regimen and associations in Paris, the narrative shifts awkwardly from Short's voice to a third-person narrator who reveals the thoughts of Short and others, but never those of Jefferson. Some paradoxical aspects of Jefferson--notably his attitudes toward slavery, women and religion--are only cursorily explored.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Grounded in fact, Byrd's fictional treatment of Thomas Jefferson provides a vivid portrait of one of this nation's most intelligent and influential founding fathers. Narrated by William Short, Jefferson's personal secretary during the latter's tenure as minister to France, this biographical novel is populated by a dazzling array of historically significant characters, including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and the marquis de Lafayette. Aside from examining and interpreting his mentor's complex political persona, Short also offers substantial insight into Jefferson's seemingly diffident disposition and his multifaceted and often controversial personal life. Absolutely splendid historical fiction that resonates with international, provincial, and individual passion and drama. Margaret Flanagan --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 624 pages
• Publisher: Niagra Large Print (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0708958702
• ISBN-13: 978-0708958704
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,435,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great historical fiction, June 21, 2000

By 

"alh1729" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jefferson: A Novel (Paperback)

I enjoyed "Jefferson", probably because it escaped the dry boredom of a history textbook. The story was frank and honest, and perhaps that was it's downfall for me, because I really didn't like the character of Thomas Jefferson. Byrd did an excellent job, though there was quite a bit more about the French sex life than I would have cared to hear about. If you're not into history, don't touch this. You will be bored, but if you're interested in Jefferson, or his era, you will really enjoy this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jefferson As You've Not Seen Him During His Time In Paris, January 3, 2002

By 

Howard L. Dixon (Hopewell, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jefferson: A Novel (Paperback)

Through happenstance, I've read three of Max Byrd's novels in reverse order. The first (for me) being "Grant", then "Jackson", and finally this book, "Jefferson". At first, I felt that Byrd's books got better with each novel but toward the end of "Jefferson", I began to alter my view. It is a wonderful account of fictionalized history of Jefferson's time in Paris. They're some constants in each book. There's enough sex, including James Heming's visit to some of the brothels of Paris, to provide a lurid view for those that need such enticement and there's also the book within a book. In this book, William Short, who was Jefferson's secretary while he was this Nation's diplomat to France writes his memoirs of Jefferson. Byrd does a wonderful job with these memoirs, including a description of Patrick Henry's famous speech at St. John's church in Richmond. Furthermore, the book does an excellent job of contrasting very vocal Henry, who wrote little and seldom stayed for the "pick-and-shovel" work of committees and meetings, with Jefferson who seldom gave speeches but could put words onto paper that endure for all time...the Declaration of Independence among them. As a fan of General Lafayette I was pleased to see so much reference to this exceptional hero who is often overlooked. Byrd accurately portrays Lafayette as not overly brilliant but maintaining close ties to the American society of Paris and fueling the fires for the overthrow of the King. As with all of Byrd's work his detailed research lead to wonderful "tib-bits" of history that might otherwise reside only on dusty selves of scholar's holdings. This book is a wonderful account of Jefferson's time in Paris and deserving of a place in any library.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining and factual account of Jefferson, the man., January 20, 2000

By 

Jean Junker - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jefferson (Paperback)

A fine, readable account of Jefferson's tenure as ambassador to France after the American Rovolution. Shows Thomas Jefferson as a man of conviction, but complete with faults, conflicts and an amorous soul. The story is told through the character of William Short, Jefferson's secretary and is the most readable and historically accurate account of Jefferson and his time I have read. Complemented with references to Franklin, Adams, Layfette and others the book is intriguing and very readable and enjoyable. Not dry or scholarly this book gives anyone interested in "Jefferson, The Man" a novel to enjoy as well as an opportunity to learn more about Jefferson and his times. Well worth the price and time invested.