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Island Queen

A Novel

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Island Queen

By: Vanessa Riley
Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
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About this listen

“Richly detailed, vividly depicted, and sweeping in scope, Island Queen is historical fiction at its absolute finest. A stunning must-read!” (Chanel Cleeton, New York Times best-selling author of The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba)

A remarkable, sweeping historical novel based on the incredible true life story of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas, a free woman of color who rose from slavery to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful landowners in the colonial West Indies.

Born into slavery on the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat, Doll bought her freedom—and that of her sister and her mother—from her Irish planter father and built a legacy of wealth and power as an entrepreneur, merchant, hotelier, and planter that extended from the marketplaces and sugar plantations of Dominica and Barbados to a glittering luxury hotel in Demerara on the South American continent.

Vanessa Riley’s novel brings Doll to vivid life as she rises above the harsh realities of slavery and colonialism by working the system and leveraging the competing attentions of the men in her life: a restless shipping merchant, Joseph Thomas; a wealthy planter hiding a secret, John Coseveldt Cells; and a roguish naval captain who will later become King William IV of England.

From the bustling port cities of the West Indies to the forbidding drawing rooms of London’s elite, Island Queen is a sweeping epic of an adventurer and a survivor who answered to no one but herself as she rose to power and autonomy against all odds, defying rigid 18th-century morality and the oppression of women as well as people of color. It is an unforgettable portrait of a true larger-than-life woman who made her mark on history.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Vanessa Riley (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers
African American Fiction Historical Fiction Island Caribbean England
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What listeners say about Island Queen

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An important piece of history

Everyone needs to understand the grim story of the slave trade and its repression. This book is a grand, sweeping story woven through several generations of slaving in the Caribbean colonies and the triumph of one woman who never gave up on her own survival and ideals. Excellent narration.

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Brilliant and new historical fiction

Loved this book. It is quite long and took weeks to get through because my schedule is busy. Lots of characters to navigate but still interesting read.

This book highlights the mulatoo/ mixed race women during slavery in the Caribbean who managed to secure their freedom and emerge as entrepreneurs. They broke the mould and achieved what women of their time could not achieve. They had status, wealth, family and shaky power. Their power often hinged on the graces and whims of white men especially powerful ones.

I like this book as it brings a different history and story about women of colour we rarely hear about. Not just enslaved victims but survivors and achievers.

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A hard but rewarding listen

This book was a hard listen because of the content, but I feel everyone should listen and hear what life was like for women of colour in those times. The narration was excellent and the story engaging.
Trigger warning for sexual assault should be noted.

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1 person found this helpful