An intriguing story that is hampered by a confusing multitude of characters with the same or similar name, time jumps that and major events not always placed clearly in the timeline, and slow pacing. From the synopsis, I was anticipating a true crime-ish story – but all that sensational events are complete within the first half of the book. The remainder of the book is effects and aftermath. This makes for interesting reading, but it was not what I anticipated and hoped it would be. Still, this is solid historical fiction, told in an easily-accessible manner, detailing a piece of American history I knew nothing about – but of which I would like to learn more.
By telling this story through the eyes of Nancy and her sister Judy, the author does a great job of illustrating early American society – in particular highlighting the role of women and their lack of agency and complete dependency on family (particularly the men). It weaves together their lives and experiences inside the strict social norms and realities of the time. And is further enriched by the inclusion of the voice and perspective of Phebe, Nancy’s slave (an admittedly fictionalized account added to an otherwise well-researched telling of actual events). All told, this is a good read,

This is a historical retelling of one of the first American scandals. In 1792, slaves stumbled across the body of a white baby hidden in the logs. Rumors were that Richard Randolph and his sister-in-law had a baby and discarded the baby to protect their reputation. The gossip results in a sensational trial.

While the concept was interesting, I found it difficult to connect with the characters. I understood what was happening, but I didn't really care about the characters or what happened to them. I also felt the pacing was a bit slow for my liking.

I think readers of Kristin Hannah or Kate Morton would like this book, also readers of historical mysteries or historical fiction.

This is an interesting story. There was much detail. I appreciated Phebe"s perspective chapters to add more richness. I was unfamiliar with the actual story this book is based from, so I found it easy to get confused by the different characters even though a family guide was listed in the beginning of the book. It is a long book and expresses family relationships from that period well

An intriguing story with an awful lot of rather similar sounding characters. Set in late 18th century Virginia it's a story of young love between a girl and her brother-in-law, with possible/probable results and consequences. I found it rather slow and ponderous and the language used sounded rather modern. Being based upon a true story, I went and researched that and found it far more interesting I'm afraid - even though there remains quite a lot of conjecture about the whole family and events. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

This book was very interesting from an historical perspective. The way Nancy was perceived by her own family and the remaining society just because rumours arose around her having an affair with her brother in law was incredibly unjust and I found thought provoking, as society at the time was looking at their women in this way. The story was well developed and had me invested in the characters even though it felt slightly slow paced at times. The writing style was good and it felt modern to me while sustaining the feeling of reading a book set the 1700s.

Concerning the characters I felt that Nancy is a strong woman at heart, but society prevented her from displaying this strength to the outside. She has rather modern values for the time and the way she supports her nephew Saint and treats her maid Phebe I find impressive considering the society at the time. Phebe is Nancy's rock and even though she is not free she supports and cares for Nancy not only as her mistress but also on a human level which I find displays a lot of strength. Judy is Nancy's sister and I find her quite dislikable along with the rest of the family, such a righteous bunch in my impression.

All in all I find this book very interesting historically and from a modern point of view quite thought provoking on how society should not be. This book gets my recommendation for anyone liking historical fiction with a grain of real history in it.

(A review will be published on May 2nd, 2024 on my instagram and Goodreads)

I’d never heard about Nancy Randolph or this author before, but I was super intrigued by the blurb!
It felt like walking back in time from the very first page.

A great retelling of a famous family from Gerogia, this book was something different from my normal historical fictions.

The history alone was worth the read. Add in the mysterious baby, a plantation and it gets better.

In "The Scandalous Life of Nancy Randolph," author Kate Braithwaite skillfully blends meticulous research with vivid storytelling, bringing to life the fascinating era in which Nancy Randolph and her contemporaries lived. I esp loved the brief mentions of Jefferson, Burr, & Thomas Nelson.

In this historical fiction novel, readers are introduced to Nancy Randolph, a woman whose life is shrouded in mystery and adventure. Set against a backdrop of the past, the narrative delves into the intriguing twists and turns of Nancy's journey, leaving readers eager to uncover the truth behind her actions.

I took away one star for this: although Nancy serves as the central figure, I found myself grappling with her passive approach to life's challenges. Despite facing adversity and experiencing a tarnished reputation, Nancy's lack of agency may leave readers questioning her decisions and motivations.

However, the narrative does offer a unique perspective by weaving in the voice of Phebe, Nancy's slave, whose presence adds depth and complexity to the storyline. Phebe emerges as a fascinating character in her own right, offering readers a glimpse into a perspective often overlooked in historical fiction.

Yet, despite the rich cast of characters and the captivating plot, some aspects of the novel may leave readers wanting more. The sporadic and brief shifts in point of view may leave certain characters feeling underdeveloped, particularly Nancy, whose perspective could have been further explored.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Scandalous Life of Nancy Randolph by Kate Braithwaite is an interesting Historical Fiction Mystery. It is based on the true story of Nancy Randolph.
While reading this book, I felt if I was there, watching the interactions of Nancy, her family, and her staff in the late 1700's in Virginia. This story clearly defines how women had no real voice, rights, or control of their own lives, and how stifling the societal norms were. This book takes the reader in, and the story and the mystery will surprise you all the way to the end.
I recommend this story as an enjoyable read, especially to Historical Fiction Fans. It is published by Joffe Books. Thank you to NetGallery for the ARC of this book.

3.5/5, rounding up ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this novel!

The Scandalous Life of Nancy Randolph by Kate Braithwaite is a fictional retelling of the first great scandal in early America. Seventeen year old Nancy Rudolph, living on a plantation in 18th century Virginia, seeks refuge from her new stepmother with her closest sister, Judy, and brother-in-law, Richard (Dick) Randolph. Shortly thereafter, rumors begin to circulate that Nancy, unwed, has given birth to a baby said to be fathered by none other than her brother-in-law Dick. Was the baby stillborn or murdered? Was a baby even born at all? Is Nancy a victim? A Temptress? A murderer? Braithwaite explores this scandal and the consequences it has on the Randolph family. This book alternates between Nancy’s & Judy’s perspectives.

This book is very well written. Braithwaite’s writing paints this true story in beautiful and descriptive color. I enjoyed how obviously well researched this book is, and how closely Braithwaite kept to the real story. I really liked her addition of Phebe, Nancy’s enslaved maid. Phebe’s omniscient perspective added color to the sister’s stories.

This book features a lot of characters, many of which are different families but share the same last name. While there is a character guide, I often wished some characters were better introduced within the text. I also found this to be a slow paced book. I’m usually a quick reader but it took me a few days to finish.

Overall I found reading this book to be pleasant.

I enjoyed this historical book very much. Braithwaite's writing was so easy to read, considering the dialogue was close to the time (late 18th/early 19th century) and her research was meticulous. It had to be...because this is a retelling of a true story. I was fascinated by these sisters, their bond and relationship. They may have come from wealth but they did not have easy lives, always depending on the men in their family to support them...father, husband, brother. My we ladies have come a long way in the time since.

I loved being in late 18th/early 19th century America while reading this novel, it was such a fascinating time in history especially in the South. It was wonderful getting snippets of thoughts from Nancy's slave, Phebe. It was amazing how close Phebe and Nancy were and how they cared for each other. Phebe knew a lot more than she was letting on but kept her mistress's secrets.

I was impressed with the author's knowledge of the story as very little information is available. This was an amazing historical fiction book about a true life story I had never heard of before. This was an adventurous read with a twist of mystery...What did Nancy really do?

The only reason I am not giving this five stars is the two time hops in the story. I would have loved to have read about what happened during those time frames especially while Nancy was supposibly pregnant. And the other time hop was ten years with nothing really said about what happened during that decade.

I was really hoping for scandal but i got painfully boring. I love period fiction but this was not it.

The Scandalous Life of Nancy Randolph by Kate Braithwaite is a historical novel centering around the Randolph family and their dramatic life. Nancy is a girl who goes to live with her sister, Judy, and Judy’s new husband, Dick Randolph. She gets wrapped up in a lots of drama, really with no fault to her own.

There really is no other way to describe the plot of the book without spoiling everything. I would call this a slow to medium paced book. It has a good writing style and the plot pulled me in. It is definitely unique in plot and characters. It is also fully of historical drama and gossip. I do like the actual historical background of the novel and the little chapter that the author places at the end describing it.

Nancy Randolph is the protagonist. I do struggle a bit with her because she doesn’t really take control of her one life at all. She kind of just floats along and takes all the things that come to her. When something bad happens halfways through the book that ruins her reputation, she just decides she will never be able to get married and have children and she accepts that. I also feel like I don’t know much about her as a person. The story revolves around what other people think of her. We also get the POV of Nancy’s slave, Phebe, who is a very interesting character. I wish we got to know more about her. The POVs are few and far between and short. There are a variety of background characters that are well characterized.

Overall, I would give this book 3/5 stars. The plot of unique and did pull me in, but I didn’t really like the protagonist and her reactions to things that happened in her life. All the other characters were more interesting. I would have loved to have a bit more of Phebe’s perspective.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This story is a very gripping and emotional read surrounding a truly unfortunate set of events. I appreciated that this story was based on historical events of well-known people in early America, and it was a story I didn’t know existed before. The author details the experience from the point of view of Nancy, Judy, and Nancy’s slave, Phebe. I appreciated the added context of Phebe’s point of view, as it made me aware of a new complex perspective.

My only critique was that the first few chapters didn’t feel as detailed or cohesive as the rest of the book. Everything seemed to move blindingly fast and at times it was difficult to keep up. The author clearly has the ability to write in a lovely descriptive and colorful way, as shown through the rest of the novel.

I thought author Kate Braithwaite did an obvious amount of detailed research into the lives of the women and era that “The Scandalous Life of Nancy Randolph” revolved around. I found this work of historical fiction to not only clearly paint a picture of the times these women lived but also showed how truly resilient and strong women are. They continuously endure hard times, traumatic happenings and yet they keep pushing forward. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who can appreciate a book based on a true story with many twists and turns, many of which they won’t see coming.

This was a wonderful retelling of a true story and I feel like that part was very well done. The writer did a beautiful job and engrossing me in the story, and I was hooked. Also, the cover is gorgeous! I recommend this one.

The cover is beautiful; the writing is not. This was not a well-written novel. The characters blurred into one another. Sadly, there was a lack of historical details, and sometimes the slang was too modern. I wish I had enjoyed this novel.

What a superb read! This is a work of historical fiction but based around a true story and the author has done a fantastic job of taking the bare bone details of somebody’s life that are available through the archives and creating a credible and engrossing story.

Nancy Rudolph lived in Virginia in the 18th century, growing up on a plantation and involved in her youth in a major scandal surrounding the possible birth and death of a baby to her brother-in-law. The family, closely connected to the Jeffersons, are important enough in society for this to have consequences for her and those around her for the rest of their lives. Of course, the exact details of what happened are impossible to know but Kate Braithwaite has obviously looked closely at the stories that were around at the time, at the court case, at the ensuing lives of those involved and pieced together an excellent version of what may have been.

The sense of time and place is perfectly done, and there’s a real sense of the stifling lives they lead, judged constantly by those around them and how fragile everything is (of course their position is in no way analogous to the slaves on the plantation but this story centres more on the family in the house rather than the politics of the time). The story focuses mostly on the women, particularly Nancy and her sister Judy, and their lack of control over their own lives. Both are sympathetic but have their own flaws and are very believable as people. It’s so frustrating to see what happens to them and how little they can do about it, yet they are both also products of their time and accept it as just what happens. The central mystery over the birth is handled beautifully and I read the book in one sitting as I was so eager to find out what was going to happen to everyone.

I will definitely read more of Kate Braithwaite’s work – I loved her style of writing and, as historical fiction, it was especially good to see how detailed her research into the story and era was.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Adventure, mystery, and different from any other book. Nancy will make you wonder. Thanks, NetGalley for the Arc.