My Thomas [Hardcover]

Roberta Grimes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 11, 1992

A recreation of the diaries of Martha Jefferson creates an intimate portrait of two fascinating people and their passionate love affair, as well as a chronicle of the revolutionary period. A first novel. 25,000 first printing. $25,000 ad/promo. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cast in the form of a diary written by Thomas Jefferson's wife, Martha, Grimes's first novel chronicles the years from their courtship in 1770 to her death in 1782. Atmospheric and richly detailed, with exact accounts of such contemporary activities as leaching dye and boiling soap, the novel captures the personalities of two extraordinary people and the tumult of the revolutionary war that consumed their lives. We view the conflict through the prism of Martha's sharply perceptive mind; the maneuvers of the era's famous men--George Washington, Patrick Henry and Benedict Arnold--form a well-integrated backdrop to her story. The novel also traces Martha's evolution from a self-indulgent Southern belle to an outspoken young mother with radical social views; conversations with her slave Betty on the explosive subjects of emancipation and miscegenation are revealing of the complex relationship between white and black Americans in the 18th century. Thomas Jefferson's steady rise as a lawyer, lawmaker and statesman takes second place here to his role as husband, father and lover, so shattered by his young wife's death that he never remarried. The moving tale succeeds both as gripping historical saga and powerful love story. BOMC and QPB selections.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Judge Johnson, as this overlong but still fascinating study clearly demonstrates, is one of the most influential federal jurists of this century. The history-making decisions he made during his 37-year tenure as a federal judge in Alabama not only desegregated all 118 school districts in the most segregated state in the Union but also extended the spirt and letter of the 1954 Supreme Court Brown decision to local police department hiring practices, voting rights of blacks, the administration of state mental institutions and prisons, and the ethics of the judiciary system. Though this biography meanders through the struggles and rewards of Johnson's public and private life and sometimes provides more detail than most readers might want, it sketches a vivid picture of a society undergoing deep, irrevocable changes--of which many were heavily influenced by the judge's unpopular and courageous decisions. Based on extensive interviews with Johnson and his many political friends and adversaries, this book updates and extends Robert F. Kennedy Jr's biography, Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr. ( LJ 9/15/78) and portrays an activist, highly principled judge who set into motion a social revolution. Highly recommended.
- Jack Forman, Mesa Coll. Lib., San Diego
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (December 11, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385423993
• ISBN-13: 978-0385423991
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #129,007 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #39 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( J ) > Jefferson, Thomas

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jefferson Still Lives, March 30, 2008

By 

Kendra - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My Thomas (Hardcover)

Writer Roberta Grimes' first novel is a marvel. A historical novel whose detail, scope, and depth seem much greater than the book's slightly more than 300 pages. "My Thomas" captures the complicated nature and depth of Thomas Jefferson's wife, Martha, who died just ten years after the couple was married-- and whom Jefferson mourned the rest of his life.

The novel is presented as Martha's own journal of her life with Thomas, and the hand of the author is neither seen nor felt anywhere in the book. The reader is totally immersed in Martha's life, in the person she must have been.

Grimes' mastery of the tone of life in late 18th century Virginia is complete. Her characters live, breathe, and speak with such truth and realism that the reader is drawn unconsciously into the complicated and fascinating lives of Martha and Thomas.

Thomas Jefferson's love for his Martha was so total that, when she died, he destroyed their correspondence in his grief. This deep love fuels the lives of both characters as the tides of the Revolutionary War ebb and flow, and American independence becomes a reality.

Grimes' poetic style captures the details and the currents of Martha's life. "My Thomas" is a superbly crafted exploration of the lives of two individuals made complete by one another.

Each character has his or her history and complexities. Details are rich, and beautiful moments are bountiful in this world of Monticello and the American Revolution. Martha Jefferson's mother died at the age of twenty-- only a few days after giving birth to Martha, and a miniature portrait of her was constantly around Martha's neck or wrist.

Grimes' skill as a writer becomes evident as Martha explains the importance of this portrait, her last connection to her mother.

"My miniature not two inches long seemed greater to me than the living lady. As I grew, my mother remained twenty years old, now older sister, now equal friend, until now she comes to be my junior. I protect and comfort her in my turn."

Grimes also demonstrates a deep understanding of relationships and the nature of her characters. As Thomas Jefferson's political career expands and the war widens in scope and savagery, "My Thomas" opens up to encompass the critical issues of the times. Slavery, the role of women and the meaning of freedom are issues explored through the prism of Martha's and Thomas' relationship.

Through his letters to her from Congress and Martha's verbatim recording of many of their conversations, Jefferson himself becomes absolutely real and understandable. The first thought of both each day is for the other.

"What will make him loved as he deserves to be loved", she writes of her husband, "will be what I shall write of the man himself, that there never has lived so kindly a man so gentle and so completely good".

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were great friends and loyal correspondents. Their friendship, like the Jeffersons' marriage, was strong and rare. Adams' last words were of his friend, "Jefferson still lives". Adams was right. Jefferson still lives and he and his Martha can be found in the pages of "My Thomas".

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars WANT TO SELL YOUR COPY OF THIS BOOK?, December 30, 1999

By 

Judy G Hartzog (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Thomas (Hardcover)

I had been thoroughly enjoying this book -- amazingly written as though it were the journal of Martha Jefferson. With all of its rich detail and character, I could almost believe I was hearing the voice of Martha herself. About halfway through, I had taken the book on a car trip when an accident occurred. I am fine, but the book was demolished. I would dearly love to finish the story, but the book is out of print. If you have a copy that you wish to sell, please contact me at [e-mail]. Thanks!