This book was very little about astronomy and the actual history of the discovery of Phobos and Deimos, which is what I was interested in, and much more about the politics in postbellum (that is too a word; I looked it up) America.

I skimmed endless passages detailing the intricacies of the lives of men whose names I didn't know because, well, because they probably didn't have much to contribute to the pagent of history. Maybe I daydreamed through this part in history class, but shouldn't a good historical novel include an engaging introduction to the period, rather than a catalog of the doings of every bit player?

I was unable to sympathise with any of the main characters, who were all self-absorbed and self-pitying. Peripheral (and non-political) characters, like the Irish astrologer, the "Scientific Frenchman" correspondent, and Asaph Hall (the moons' discoverer) and his ambitious wife, were much more interesting to me.

Many passages were clumsily written, telling rather than showing. And before each character comes down with malaria, the author made a point of describing the protentous mosquito bite--but ignores all the other bites that every character would have suffered in the course of the muggy summer.

My interest was in astronomy, not politics, so perhaps I shouldn't blame the author for expounding my favorite subject, but I'm a fairly well-rounded person, I think, and if the political stuff was better written, I might have enjoyed learning about it. However, it failed entirely to engage my interest.

This is a wonderful, charming little book. It's a romance with a small "r". It's not the great American novel and thank God it doesn't even try for that. The last thing we need more of is the bloated over-weight fudge we keep getting from Tom Wolfe and Norman Mailer.

The characters are well-drawn and believable, unlike several of the characters in Mallon's previous novel, "Dewey Defeats Truman". You will care about them and you will understand why they do what they do. As always, Mallon's ability to evoke a time and place is unmatched. His aim is dead on. I'm no expert in Washington, D.C. in any century, but the depiction of the capital in 1877 worked for me and I didn't find any major anachronisms. The astronomical and astrological themes are skillfully woven into the story and provide a good deal of interest. Finally, anyone who truly has been in love will find that the story of Cynthia May and Hugh Allison will strike a resounding chord in your heart.

Mallon's strength is his description of 1870s Washinton, DC. If you're familiar with the city, you'll recognize countless landmarks (both extant and extinct) referred to throughout this story. If you like local DC, as opposed to political DC, give this book extra consideration.

The characters run a close second to the setting, although the Irish astrologer was a little too stereotypical for my tastes. The two main characters (Cynthia May & Hugh Allison) are delightful in their relationship, and inspiring when their motives are considered alone. Senator Roscoe Conkling is the most fleshed out historical figure, but it's hard to discern between historic fact and the author's embellishments in the pursuit of crafting the perfect villain.

Not engrossing, but delightful and easy nonetheless.

Don't waste your time (or money). This book is almost as poorly written as it is poorly cited. The author obviously had no editor. There are nearly a half-dozen better choices if you want reliable information on Jefferson and the slavery connection.

The author asserts that Jefferson begot children with his slave and reminds the reader that this was not usual or shocking behavior for many antebellum Southern men. This book is amusing because of it's high spirited, conversational style and because of it's flaws. It could've been a very good book if only Mr. Sloan had sought out the services of a copy/content editor. The technical problems with the book are just too distracting.

The allegation that Thomas Jefferson was the father of children by his slave, Sally Hemings, was published in a Richmond, Va. newspaper in 1802. In a bumpy read (the writing style ranges from breezy to turgid), Sloan's book is typical of what is becoming an "attack the famous" genre. He offers no new scholarship and skirts around the lack of any direct evidence to support his theme. Sally Hemings was about 14 years old when she travelled to Paris as the maid to Jefferson's youngest daughter. The rumor started by the newspaper charge is that she became pregnant and returned to Monticello to have Jefferson's child. Apparently the author was unaware, when he published this book, that DNA testing was being conducted that ruled out Jefferson as the father. During the period from 1795 to 1808, Sally had four children that lived and Sloan claims Jefferson paternity for all of them. He does not explain, nor have other purveyors of the myth, why no one who observed this Jefferson-Hemings relationship ever made a statement about it during Jefferson's life. This includes his daughters, his grandchildren, brother, sister, and nephews, many of whom resided at Monticello during these years. It also included Sally's two brothers James and Bob, who were freed in the 90's, and her son and daughter who ran away in 1822, as well as two of her sons, a brother, and two nephews who were freed by Jeffersons's will. Imagine how important Sally would have been at Monticello as Jefferson's long time mistress, virtually his wife, yet not one word remains to describe her. She is an historical cipher. The author has clearly read extensively on the subject, but if you are looking for a documented history, this is not your book. Sloan even admits that he "is not impressed with footnotes." It is also hard to have confidence in a book that cites two of the books in Dumas Malone's six volume biography, but not the two with the genealogical information and the special appendix on the Hemings issue. Sloan could have benefitted from an editor. This has all the faults of a self published book. But, if you are looking for rumor and innuendo, it's all here.