My Theodosia

A Novel

By: Anya Seton

Narrated by: Maya Beechwood

Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Anya Seton's best-selling first novel, originally published in 1941, captures all the drama of the short life of Theodosia Burr (1783-1813). Her father, Aaron - Thomas Jefferson's vice president, most famous for his great duel with Alexander Hamilton - holds sway over young Theodosia's heart. But his arrogance forces her to choose between the man he insists she marry and her love for a young soldier, who will turn out to play a decisive role in her father's fate.

Persuaded by Aaron that through his treasonable plans she will soon be crowned princess of the kingdom of Mexico, she is received like royalty on Blennerhassett Island, only to end up trying to exonerate her father as he awaits trial in a Richmond jail, repudiated by his fickle son-in-law and friends.

Theodosia remains a haunting figure in American history, still lovely, still imperious, never vanquished.

©1941, 1968 Anya Seton Chase (P)2021 Tantor

Not The Best Seton

I put off reading this book for a while but finally wanted to get a better overview of Aaron Burr’s plot. Unfortunately this book doesn’t go into much detail about that and shares mostly from Theodosia’s point of view.

Her life seems rather monotonous and typical for the time - exceptional only because she was linked to the governing upper class in our early nationhood. The only bright spot was the possible link to Meriwether Lewis. I’ll have to find out if that was real.

The narrator has a somewhat singsong cadence that is just a bit irritating, but not a dealbreaker.

A Fascinating Perspective on the Burr Conspiracy

I have loved this novel since I first read it in my late 20s, and this performance was an enjoyable opportunity to revisit an old favourite.

Theodosia's story is tragic: a daughter, completely subservient to her powerful and overbearing father's every whim, is cheated of pursuing a relationship with a man she loves because her father wants her to marry a wealthy man. While the romance with Meriwether Lewis is not entirely historical, it's certainly a compelling idea, as is the friendship with Washington Irving. The romance, in particular, allows Seton to explore the psychological aspects of Aaron Burr's character, as he pushes (gaslights and manipulates) her into a marriage with Joseph Alston (whose life as a Southern planter is both alien and unpleasant for her) and later as Burr uses her to forward his political aspirations, embroiling her and her husband in his treasonous plot to create his own empire in the newly opened American West.

It's important to remember that the writing is from the pre-Civil Rights era, and that the events of the novel take place nearly half a century prior to the Civil War. Thus, depictions of persons of colour, attitudes toward the lower classes, slaves, and servants, and the descriptions of life on a Southern plantation may be disturbing to some readers.

It is my understanding that, though Seton researched meticulously prior to writing this novel, there are a number of historical inaccuracies. But for a broad overview of the Burr conspiracy as seen through the eyes of his daughter, this is a creditable effort, especially for a first novel. And while it does bog down in a few places where the political exposition is a bit heavy-handed, the book is, overall, very enjoyable.

Historical Fiction - Heavy on the Fiction

Many misrepresentations of facts. Description & characteristics of South Carolina slaves on par with 1940’s Jim Crow attitudes, when the book was written. I was interested in learning about the life of Theodosia, daughter of Aaron Burr, after seeing “Hamilton” - but had to keep googling the events to learn the true story.